Pipe slitter
AssigneeThe Charles Machine Works, Inc.
InventorsWalter George Thompson, Mark D. Randa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pipe slitter assembly for lead pipe. The slitter assembly is configured to be pulled by a cable which is disposed through several of the various components of the assembly. At the lead of the assembly is a slitter, having one and only one blade. The blade has an edge which is oriented at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the cable. The edge is created by two adjoining walls meeting at an included angle of about 21 degrees. Behind the blade may be various adaptors, and an expander. The expander opens the slit pipe, such that a pipe puller may be used to pull a replacement pipe into the void created by the slitter assembly. The slit pipe may be removed or left in the subsurface around the newly introduced replacement pipe.
Claims22
A pipe slitting and expanding assembly, comprising:
- an expander configured to spread a pipe;
- and
- a blade assembly spaced longitudinally apart from the expander, the blade assembly comprising:
- a hollow cylinder having a longitudinal axis;
- and
- one and only one blade extending from an outer surface of the hollow cylinder, the blade comprising a linear cutting edge disposed at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the hollow cylinder.
A method for replacing an underground pipe, comprising:
- pulling a blade assembly through a pipe, the blade assembly comprising one and only one blade, such that the one and only one blade slits the pipe along a linear cutting edge, the linear cutting edge being perpendicular to the direction at which the blade assembly is pulled;
- and
- simultaneously, pulling an expander through the pipe, such that the expander is spaced apart from the linear cutting edge of the blade assembly.
A pipe slitter assembly for slitting a pipeline, comprising:
- a blade assembly configured to be disposed about a cable, wherein the blade assembly comprises:
- a cylindrical segment configured to surround the cable and axially align with the cable along a longitudinal axis;
- and
- one and only one slitter blade extending from the cylindrical segment, the slitter blade having a linear cutting edge oriented at a right angle to the longitudinal axis, and wherein the edge of the blade is longitudinally spaced from a pipe expander when a pipe expander is disposed about the cable.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.