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US 5,501,248 AGranted
Expandable pipe liner and method of installing same
AssigneeLmk Enterprises, Inc.
InventorLarry W. Kiest, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A liner for lining the interior of subterranean pipes, such as sewers is formed from a seamless, knitted fabric sleeve having a pile construction in which piles extend away from a ground portion of the sleeve, open areas being formed among the ground and piles. A synthetic resin is applied to the fabric sleeve so as to thoroughly impregnate the sleeve. The resin-coated sleeve may be installed in an underground pipe by everting same under fluid pressure. The sleeve has expansion capabilities which permits the resin-impregnated sleeve to be in contact with the interior surface of the pipe for the entire length of the sleeve.
Claims26
A method of lining the interior of a pipeline, comprising:
- providing a liner having a preselected length and a preselected original diameter, the liner being formed from a first tubular, seamless knitted fabric sleeve which is circularly knit and including stitches defining both a ground and terry loop pile extending from the ground for a preselected length, said ground and terry loop pile stitches permitting said fabric sleeve to expand radially outwardly to a final diameter which is greater than said liner original diameter when pressure is applied to an interior surface of said liner;
- impregnating said liner with a synthetic resin to form a resin-impregnated sleeve assembly;
- introducing said resin-impregnated sleeve assembly into the pipeline and extending said resin-impregnated sleeve assembly through a preselected length of said pipeline;
- expanding said resin-impregnated sleeve assembly radially outwardly along said liner preselected length until an outer circumferential surface of said resin-impregnated sleeve assembly contacts the interior surface of said pipeline;
- and, allowing said resin to cure, whereby said resin-impregnated sleeve assembly forms a new interior lining within said pipeline.
2 more elements
A pipe lined with a lining material, comprising:
- a pipe having an interior surface;
- a seamless lining material having respective opposing inner and outer surfaces, the lining material including a seamless, knitted fabric sleeve circularly knitted along a length of said lining material, the fabric sleeve having a plurality of stitches defining a ground portion and a plurality of stitches defining a terry loop pile extending through and away from said ground for a predetermined length, the ground portion stitches defining open areas within said fabric sleeve, said ground portion and terry loop pile permitting said fabric sleeve to expand radially outwardly when pressure is applied to an interior surface of said fabric sleeve;
- a coating of synthetic resin impregnating said fabric sleeve by passing through said open areas, said lining material being installed in said pipe by inserting said resin-coated lining material into said pipe and expanding said lining material such that an outer surface of said lining material contacts said pipe interior surface.
A liner for use in a pipe comprising:
- a first seamless, knitted fabric sleeve having an original diameter, the first fabric sleeve formed by circularly knitting multi-filament yarn to define stitches forming a ground and stitches forming a terry loop pile extending away from the ground, the ground stitches further defining open areas therebetween said ground and terry loop pile stitches permitting said knitted fabric sleeve to expand radially outwardly when pressure is applied to an interior surface of said liner;
- a second seamless, braided fabric sleeve surrounding and in contact with said first sleeve for a length of said liner, said first and second sleeves having similar radial expansion characteristics, whereby said liner may be expanded up to an installation diameter which is greater than the original diameter of said first fabric sleeve;
- and said first and second fabric sleeves being impregnated with a resin, which when cured in place within a pipeline, forms a permanent new lining for the pipeline.
A method for lining the interior of a pipeline, comprising:
- providing a fabric liner of a preselected length and preselected diameter, impregnating the fabric liner for its entire length with a liquid curable resin which solidifies upon curing, enveloping said fabric liner with a flexible, polymer-based fabric-reinforced outer shield in the form of a scrim so as to form a tubular membrane on the outer surface of said liner extending for the length of the liner, inserting the enveloped, resin-impregnated liner into the pipe, expanding the resin-impregnated liner against an interior surface of said pipe and permitting said resin-impregnated liner to cure so as to form a new pipe lining within the existing pipe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.