Snap in place gasket installation method
AssigneeS & B Technical Products, Inc.
InventorBradford G. Corbett, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pipe sealing gasket is shown which is designed to be received within a groove provided within a belled, socket end of a plastic pipe. The groove in the plastic pipe is preformed during manufacture and the gasket is installed thereafter. The gasket nominal diameter exceeds the internal diameter of the belled pipe end. A special installation tool is used to pull the gasket from an initially deformed, elliptical shape to a normal cylindrical shape. The installation tool uses only one fluid cylinder for power and can be hand installed and operated.
Claims15
A method for installing a gasket with an embedded reinforcing ring within an annular gasket receiving groove provided within the belled end of a plastic pipe section, the belled end having a mouth opening which is engageable with a spigot end of a mating plastic pipe section to form a pipe joint, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a plastic pipe section having a preformed belled end opening;
- orienting the pipe section having the belled end along a horizontal work axis;
- temporarily positioning an annular gasket within the mouth opening of the belled end, the gasket being temporarily transformed from a generally cylindrical shape to a generally elliptical shape and being oriented at an oblique angle with respect to the horizontal work axis such that a leading edge of the gasket engages the annular groove and such that a trailing edge of the annular gasket is moved past the annular groove provided in the belled end;
- hand positioning a mechanically operated insertion device on the belled end of the plastic pipe;
- actuating the mechanically operated insertion device to thereby exert a retracting force on the annular gasket by pulling the trailing edge thereof backwards in stages in the direction of the mouth opening of the belled end until the gasket again assumes a generally cylindrical shape and snaps into a locked-in position within the annular groove.
A method for installing a gasket with an embedded reinforcing ring within an annular gasket receiving groove provided within the belled end of a plastic pipe section, the belled end having a mouth opening which is engageable with a spigot end of a mating plastic pipe section to form a pipe joint, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a plastic pipe section having a preformed belled end opening;
- orienting the pipe section having the belled end along a horizontal work axis;
- temporarily positioning an annular gasket within the mouth opening of the belled end, the gasket being temporarily transformed from a generally cylindrical shape to a generally elliptical shape and being oriented at an oblique angle with respect to the horizontal work axis such that a leading edge of the gasket engages the annular groove and such that a trailing edge of the annular gasket is moved past the annular groove provided in the belled end;
- positioning a mechanically operated insertion device on the belled end of the plastic pipe, the insertion device having a mounting fixture which at least partially circumscribes the belled end of the pipe, the mounting fixture also supporting an insertion guide and an associated retraction element;
- actuating the mechanically operated insertion device to thereby exert a retracting force on the annular gasket by moving the retraction element along a longitudinal axis of the insertion guide, thereby pulling the trailing edge of the gasket backwards in stages in the direction of the mouth opening of the belled end until the gasket again assumes a generally cylindrical shape and snaps into a locked-in position within the annular groove.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.