AU593545B2 - Prefabricated drain-pipe with longitudinal joints - Google Patents

Description

5m93545 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patentp Act11 1952 CO0M P LE TE S P EC

(ORIGINAL)

I F ICA T C lass Int. class Application Number Lodged; Complete Sp~ecification Lodged Accepted o 0 Priority "a"Related Art Published 27 March 1985 This docuent conitains t' n amendmnzflts r! maC~ Szction 49 a, d is culz s; 0 00 00 0 000 0 Name of Applicant .Address of Applicant Actual Inventor Wddress for Service CARLOS JOAQUIM COSTA MARTINS DE OLIVEIRA Estrada da Luz, no. 232-110, Dto.

Lisboa, Portugal CARLOS JOAQUIM COSTA MARTINS DE OLIVEIRA F.B. RICE CO., Patent Attorneys, 28A Montague Street, BALMAIN. 2041.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: PREFABRICATED DRAIN-PIPE WITH LONGITUDINAL JOINTS The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me -1I- 'Lu -1- Field of Invention The present invention relates to pipes and pipe components. Typically its applications will be as follows: Drain pipes for domestic or industrial waterflow, or rainfall drainage; Surface or underwater drainage systems; Conduits for technical installations in a town substructure for water, electricity, telephones, TV cables, computer networks and admittance to sewerage networks, or for pipeline installations; Culverts crossing under roads or railways; Channels for drainage on free surface; SIt; Admittance or linking ways for basements of buildings, underground transport systems or underground buildings such as a--my lodgings. Background to the Invention Previously drain pipes have been pre-formed in cylindrical elements, of circular or ovoid cross-section.

Other types of section are scarcely used except when built I S, 'in situ'. The pipe diameters currently available on the market are of standardised sizes. As the diameter of a pipe element grows larger the pipes become heav4 and more difficult to manufacture, store, transport and assemble.

I IS Generally, all common designs of drainage pipes have petticoat joints to ensure alignment between successive elements. The elements are joined together with mortar or rubber rings. This type of linking requires the petticoats to be very resistant towards high transverse stresses, and requires excavations to be deeper and wider.

The non-accessibility of the great majority of drainpipes leads to the necessity of installing inspection cham*Lrs at short distances so that cleaning and unblocking operations can take place.

Roads and railways often have culverts with

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t -2cross-sections which become inadequate, particularly if there is a change in the soil of the hydrographic basin up the river, or if new town plannings take place. These culverts do not also allow, in most cases, the installation of other substructures such as domestic sewers, water conduits, electricity cables, telephone cables or others.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a pipe formed from longitudinally extending components of circularly curved cross-section, each said component S°extending around only a part of the circumference of the pipe of less than 120 degrees arcuate extent, the pipe having longitudinally extending joints or connection between two or more said components whose total arcuate extent is less than 360 degrees, whereby the pipe has a non-circular cross-section.

The longitudinal connections between adjacent components may be provided by connection pieces, which may 20 hold the components spaced apart. Thus the components can sftr be prefabricated parts of standard size and shape, while i the use of different connection pieces allows pipes of different cross-sectional areas to be made to meet the Srequirements of any individual application. The 25 connection pieces may be manufactured 'in situ' or may be prefabricated. The cross-sectional area of the pipe may also be varied by varying the number of components around its circumference.

Preferably the components have a perfected profile.

Also preferably the components can be stacked densely, which eases storage and transport.

The components can be manufactured using a variety of materials such as concrete, reinforced concrete, asbestoscement, PVC, polyester, metals and others.

The pipe can be assembled quickly without subjecting \STRhA 4 7 -0 i 'VT Qo' r\ 3

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the parts to excessive strain from interlocking.

The finished pipe can be made to be sufficiently big to allow admittance for easy inspection and maintenance, i without necessarily having as large a cross-section as a i 5 circle of corresponding diameter.

Because the components are manufactured as curved pieces rather than complete pipe elements, the I manufacturing machinery can be lighter and simpler and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The joints all along the pipe could be water-tight or permeable as desired, without exposing the materials to S assembling strains or permanent compression after o* assembling.

Embodiments of the present invention given by way of non-limiting example, will now be described with reference 2to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 represent pipe sections with two different types of longitudinal joints; Figures 3 and 5 represent pipe sections in which 20 components are connected by bottom and top slabs with various widths and shapes; Figure 4 represents a pipe section usable as a conduit for utilities, cables etc; Figure 6 shows in perspective a stack of pipe S 25 components; Figures 7, 8 and 9 show other shapes of pipe r components; Figure 10 shows a transverse joint in perspective; Figure 11 shows in perspective a pipe with an inspection chamber or man-hole; and Figure 12 represents another drain construction with 5TR4Z T 0 .4 V r~e -4 a wider cross-section.

A pipe is formed from wall segments or components, i, 2. They can be rigidly fixed together by the use of bolts 4 (as seen in Figure mortar, glue or welding.

If autoblocked joints are used the structure will become more flexible by fitting an elastomer or plastometer between joints as a tightening material. The segments i, 2 can also be fixed together by capturing their ends 6 in end slabs 3.

The materials used in the manufacturing of the segments i, 2 can be of widely varying types such as concrete, reinforced concrete, asbestos cement, PVC, polyester, metals or others. Normally it is preferable that the materials used permit the cost of each segment to be as low as possible. o The areas of the segments that are exposed to strains can conveniently be reinforced in order to optimise the structure and they can also be of variable thickness.

The ends 6 can also conveniently be reinforced and be of variable shape according to the joint, fitting or use. The mentioned segments can also be of a special shape in order to provide special features or fittings such as inspection holes and man-holes, benches, shelves, steps, flood-discharge means, admittance doors to adjacent conduits, linkings to inflow drain pipes, forks of any type, T junctions, bends etc.

The transverse joints 5 (Figure 10), can be of petticoat type or tongue and groove joints. The joints can be fitted with silicone or epoxide rubber to tighten them or seal them.

As can be seen in the drawings, the pipe may also include bottom slabs 7 and top slabs 8. The slabs connect the sections i, 2 but hold them spaced apart to increase the size of the pipe bore. The width of these slabs will be fixed in accordance with the hydraulic (or other) TJ !R necessities or uses of the pipe and can also be moulded or fabricated 'in Situ'. The bottom slab 7 can be of special shape, as seen in Figures 4, 5 and 7, and may incorporate, for example, a small conduit 10. This may be formed by post-mounting or may be built at once according to the scope of the project.

The segments may have shelves or supports for cables etc, as shown in Figure 4.

As can be seen from Figure 12, this type of pipe can have a substantially extended transverse section. To achieve this the pipe consists basically of three segments 11, 12 and 13 which can be similar to the elements 1 and 2 previously described. In order to perform this type of assembling there may be used a bottom slab 14 and joints 15 and 16. Alternatively a further element may be fitted between the lower ends of side elements 11 and 12.

If larger sections are needed either more segments or segments with a larger dimension can be used.

Figures 7, 8 and 9 show variant segment shapes.

In Figures 7 and 9 the segment shape is not symmetrical about the longitudinal mid-line. In Figure 7 the segments have varying thickness.

The different segments around the circumference of the pipe may be offset longitudinally, so that the transverse joints do not extend continuously around the circumference but instead the transverse joints are positioned altetnately, along each side of the pipe. This improves the linearity of the pipe, spreads the strains over the structure and increases the resistance of the whole, without taking away its flexibility for little adjustments to the bed ground. This is shown in Figure The drain pipe can be installed under earthworks, roads or railways providing that layings are not to take place on the earthworks. Thus, to overcome this, it will be enough to install a metallic shield that allows both

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'j 6 the frontal earthmoving and the inside fitting of the segments that make the structure. It is then possible to install culverts of any type without cutting the pavements or causing inconvenience to traffic.

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Claims (11)

1. A pipe formed from longitudinally extending components of circularly curved cross-section, each said component extending around only a part of the circumference of the pipe of less than 120 degrees arcuate extent, the pipe having longitudinally extending joints or connection between two or more said components whose total arcuate extent is less than 360 degrees, whereby the pipe has a non-circular cross-section.

2. A pipe according to claim 1, in which adjacent said components around the circumference of the pipe meet at their longitudinal edges.

3. A pipe according to claim 2 in which the said adjacent components are bolted together.

4. A pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the longitudinal edges of said adjacent components are held together by being captured in a longitudinally extending connection block.

A pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in which there is a layer of elastomeric material or of a plastics material between the said adjacent components where they meet.

6. A pipe according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which connecting blocks hold adjacent said components spaced apart.

7. A pipe according to any one of the preceding claims in which there are two said components around the circumference of the pipe.

8. A pipe according to any one of the preceding claims in which the said components at a longitudinal position along the pipe are loncitudinally offset with respect to each other, so that the joints between longitudinally successive components do not extend continuously round an entire circumference of the pipe. ^A 4 T/ 1 c& P -ICar~ a a 8

9. A pipe according to any one of the preceding claims in which at least some of the components have shelves or other support means on their radially inner surfaces.

A pipe according to any one of the preceding claims in which at least some of the said components are reinforced at areas of anticipated stress.

11. A pipe substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 29 day of November 1989 CARLOS JOAQUIM COSTA MARTINS t DE OLIVEIRA Patent Attorneys for the I'l Applicant: r F.B. RICE CO. I t t r s~ S. 1 g j :i r. t. i I