Method for forming inline triple wall coupling connector
OwnerManfred A. A. LUPKE, Stefan A. LUPKEinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pipe coupling for triple wall corrugated plastic pipe includes a triple wall corrugated bellmouth connector that is of a unitary construction with one end of the corrugated plastic pipe. This bellmouth connector is of higher strength and in cooperation with the two wall corrugated spigot provides a high strength coupling. This coupling includes the bellmouth connector and spigot that are made inline with the corrugated pipe. A method for the manufacture of the pipe includes controlling of an air pressure on the outside of a formed two wall corrugated pipe as an exterior third wall is secured thereto.
Claims18
An assembly for a reinforced corrugated plastic pipe comprising:
- a first pipe section and a second pipe section intended to be mechanically coupled to said first pipe section;
- each of said first and second pipe section comprising:
- a first end and a second end;
- a spigot unitary with and formed at said first end of said pipe section;
- and
- a bellmouth connector unitary with and formed at said second end of said pipe section and sized for receipt of a spigot;
- said pipe section, said spigot and said bellmouth connector having an inner wall forming a smooth inner tube and a corrugated wall attached to said inner wall and extending in a length of said pipe section and with respect to said spigot said corrugated wall is an outer wall of said spigot;
- said inner wall of said pipe section and said inner wall of the spigot being of of a same size and shape to align when said spigot of said first pipe section is coupled to said bellmouth connector of said second pipe section;
- said pipe body and said bellmouth connector further including a smooth outer wall attached to the corrugated wall opposite said inner wall.
A coupling joining a first pipe section and a second pipe section, each pipe section including an inner wall, a corrugated intermediate wall attached to the inner wall and an outer wall attached to said corrugated intermediate wall opposite the inner wall, the coupling comprising:
- a bellmouth connector unitary with one end of said first pipe section;
- a spigot unitary with one end of said second pipe section;
- said bellmouth connector having an inner wall, a corrugated intermediate wall attached to the inner wall and an outer wall attached to the intermediate corrugated wall opposite the inner wall;
- said spigot received within said bellmouth connector and having an inner wall and a corrugated outer wall attached to the outside of the inner wall;
- said inner wall of said spigot is of the same size and shape to align with the inner wall of the first pipe section.
A method of forming an inline coupling in a triple wall corrugated pipe having an inner smooth tubular wall joined to a corrugated intermediate wall joined to an outer sleeve wall;
- said coupling including a bellmouth connector and a spigot sized for receipt in said bellmouth connector;
- said method comprising providing coupling mold blocks in line with corrugated pipe mold blocks and using said coupling mold blocks to draw extruded plastic normally forming the corrugated intermediate wall outwardly to form a corrugated intermediate wall of said bellmouth connector and a corrugated wall of said spigot as said coupling mold blocks move past an intermediate wall die outlet;
- using air pressure to move extruded plastic normally forming said inner wall outwardly against an inner surface of said corrugated intermediate wall of said bellmouth connector and against an inner surface of said corrugated wall of said spigot;
- and
- subsequently applying the plastic normally forming said outer sleeve wall to join with an outer surface of said corrugated intermediate wall of said bellmouth connector to bridge between corrugations thereof and providing a positive pressure to maintain the plastic normally forming said outer sleeve wall of said pipe away from corrugated out surface of said spigot as the spigot moves past an outlet of the plastic such that the plastic is spaced outwardly away from said spigot.
A method for forming triple walled corrugated pipe sections with an inline coupling between pipe sections, said inline coupling including a double walled corrugated spigot and associated bellmouth connector, with both including a cylindrical inner wall positioned to align with an inner cylindrical wall of said triple wall corrugated pipe and said bellmouth connector having an inner wall sized to receive a spigot therein;
- said method comprising using a series of travelling mold blocks in combination with extrusion equipment for forming said inner walls of said pipe sections and said corrugated walls, said bellmouth connector and said spigot;
- applying after the formation of said inner walls and said corrugated walls an outer sleeve wall joined to said corrugated walls of said pipe sections and said bellmouth connector;
- providing air pressure to maintain said applied outer sleeve wall spaced outwardly and out of contact with said corrugated wall of said spigot and subsequently removing the outer sleeve wall from the area over the spigot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.