Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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INTERNAL PIPE SEAL
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention.
[0002] The present invention relates to an internal sealing assembly for
sealingly
connecting a pair of pipes and, in one embodiment, relates to a secondary
sealing assembly
that can be installed within an existing pipeline about an existing pipe-to-
pipe connection to
seal a leak.
2. Description of the Related Art.
[0003] Underground pipes which are used in municipal water and sewer systems,
for
example, typically include bell and spigot ends that are attached to one
another in a sealed
manner. Typically, either the spigot end or the bell end of such pipes
includes a rubber seal
which is compressed between the ends of the pipes to provide a sealed joint
when the spigot
end of one pipe is inserted into the bell end of another pipe. Occasionally,
these primary joint
seals between adjacent pipes may leak after installation in the field,
requiring a secondary
sealing assembly to seal the connection.
[0004] What is needed is an improved sealing assembly for sealing pipe-to-pipe
joints.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[00051 The present invention provides a pipe sealing assembly for sealing a
connection between a pair of pipes. The sealing assembly includes a generally
cylindrical
seal or gasket having a pair of axially spaced sealing portions joined by a
bridge portion.
Each sealing portion has a plurality of compressible sealing ridges, as well
as an annular
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expansion band seat capable of receiving the expansion band of an expansion
band assembly
that is used to sealingly compress each sealing portion against a respective
inner surface of a
pipe. Additionally, each sealing portion may include a hollow section which
houses the
expansion band assembly, and may be provided with a small slit for installing
the expansion
band assembly and allowing access to the expansion mechanism of the expansion
band
assembly during installation, or a separate cover member for enclosing the
expansion band
assembly.
[0006] The present invention also provides a pipe sealing assembly, and a
method of
installing the pipe sealing assembly, for sealing a connection between a pair
of underground
pipes, including a generally cylindrical seal or gasket having at least three
axially spaced sealing
portions. Each sealing portion has a plurality of compressible sealing ridges,
as well as an
annular expansion band seat capable of receiving the expansion band of an
expansion band
assembly that is used to sealingly compress each sealing portion against a
respective inner
surface of a pipe. The sealing portions may include a middle sealing portion
that may directly
sealingly engage about, and bridge, a joint between two pipes, or may directly
sealingly engage
about, and bridge, a crack in a pipe. Additionally, each sealing portion may
include a hollow
section which houses the expansion band assembly, and may be provided with a
small slit for
installing the expansion band assembly. The expansion band assembly includes
one or more
expansion bands and one or more expansion mechanisms. The expansion bands may
be
initially installed as part of the pipe sealing assembly, while the expansion
mechanisms may be
installed after the pipe sealing assembly is brought underground through a
structure, such as a
manhole, and positioned at an installation site.
[0007] In one form thereof, the present invention provides a sealing assembly,
comprising a cylindrical seal, comprising a pair of axially-spaced, annular
sealing portions, at
least one of said pair of sealing portions including an expansion band seat
and a wall section
defining an annular hollow space proximate said expansion band seat, said wall
section
including an access into said annular hollow space extending around only a
portion of a
circumference of said wall section, and a bridge portion joining said sealing
portions, and at
least one expansion band assembly received within said hollow space, said
expansion band
assembly comprising an expansion band received within said expansion band
seat, and an
expansion mechanism.
[0008] In another form thereof, the present invention provides a sealing
assembly,
including a cylindrical seal, including a pair of axially-spaced, annular
sealing portions, each
sealing portion including an expansion band seat and a separate cover member
attachable to the
sealing portion to define an annular hollow space proximate the expansion band
seat; and
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a bridge portion joining the sealing portions; and a pair of expansion band
assemblies
respectively received within the hollow spaces, each expansion band assembly
including an
expansion band, the expansion bands respectively received within the expansion
band seats;
and an expansion mechanism.
100091 In another form thereof, the present invention provides a sealing
assembly,
including a cylindrical seal, including at least three axially-spaced annular
sealing portions,
each sealing portion including an expansion band seat; and a plurality of
expansion band
assemblies, each expansion band assembly including an expansion band received
within a
respective expansion band seat; the expansion band including a pair of end
portions; and an
expansion mechanism, each expansion mechanism including a drive mechanism,
including a
pair of block members each having a threaded bore therethrough, the block
members
removably engaged with respective end portions of the expansion band; and a
bolt including
oppositely-threaded ends respectively threaded within the bores of the block
members,
wherein rotation of the bolt in a first direction causes the block members to
be simultaneously
driven apart from one another to thereby expand the expansion band.
100101 In another form thereof, the present invention provides a method for
installing
a sealing assembly, the method including the steps of: providing a sealing
assembly,
including a cylindrical seal having a first diameter, comprising at least one
annular sealing
portion, each sealing portion including an expansion band seat; and at least a
pair of
expansion band segments each received within the expansion band seat, the
expansion band
segments each having a pair of end portions that respectively define a pair of
gap portions
between respective end portions of the expansion band segments; folding the
sealing
assembly about the gap portions to a width less than the first diameter;
passing the sealing
assembly into an underground structure having an opening with a second
diameter, the
second diameter being greater than the width and less than the first diameter;
and installing
the sealing assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
10011] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this
invention, and
the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention
itself will be
better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of
the invention
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
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[0012] Fig. I is a perspective view of a sealing assembly according to one
embodiment of the present invention, shown sealing a connection between a pair
of pipes;
[0013] Figs. 2A-D are sectional views through four different embodiments of
sealing
assemblies according to the present invention;
[0014] Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view through a pipe joint, showing the
sealing
assembly of Fig. 2A installed therein;
[0015] Figs. 4A-C are sectional views through three further embodiments of
sealing
assemblies according to the present invention;
[0016] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a sealing assembly according to another
embodiment of the present invention, shown sealing a connection between a pair
of pipes;
[0017] Fig. 6 is sectional view through the sealing assembly, taken along line
6-6 of
Fig. 5;
[0018] Fig. 7 is a first schematic perspective view of the sealing assembly of
Figs. 5
and 6, showing a user gripping the sealing assembly prior to folding same;
[0019] Fig. 8 is a second schematic perspective view of the sealing assembly,
showing the user folding the sealing assembly about gap portions between ends
of the
expansion bands of the sealing assembly;
[0020] Fig. 9 is a perspective and sectional view of the sealing assembly
being
brought into an underground pipeline;
10021] Fig. 10 is sectional view through another embodiment of a sealing
assembly
according to the present invention;
[0022] Fig. 1 1 is a schematic, multi-fragmentary view of portions of a
manhole riser
including the sealing assembly of Fig. 2C shown installed in the upper left
portion of the
drawing, and the sealing assembly of Fig. 10 shown installed in the upper
right portion of the
drawing, each of the sealing assemblies sealing a connection between a manhole
chimney and
one or more grade rings; and
[0023] Fig 12 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of an end sealing portion of
the
sealing assemblies of Fig. 11.
[0024] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts
throughout
the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments
of the
invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the
scope of the
invention any manner.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
100251 Referring to Figs. 1 and 2A-D, four different embodiments of sealing
assembly 10 of the present invention are shown. Except as discussed below,
each sealing
assembly I Oa- IOd includes a number of identical or substantially identical
components, and
identical reference numerals will be used throughout Figs. 2A-D to designate
identical or
substantially identical components therebetween.
[0026] Each sealing assembly 10 includes a generally cylindrically shaped seal
12
having pair of axially spaced sealing portions 14 connected by a bridge
portion 16. Bridge
portion 16 may include one or more undulations as shown in order to permit
movement of
sealing portions 14 toward and away from one another along their common axis,
i.e., a
longitudinal axis passing through the center of seal 12. Seal 12 may be made
of extruded
rubber, for example, in a manner in which a length of rubber section is
extruded, and then is
cut to a predetermined length, followed by splicing the ends of the section
together to form
the cylindrical seal 12. Seal 12 may also be made of a resilient plastic
material by an
injection molding process, for example.
[0027] Each sealing portion 14 includes a plurality of sealing ridges 18 that
are
compressible against the internal surface of a pipe to provide a fluid tight
seal. Additionally,
each sealing portion 14 further includes an annular expansion band seat 20,
shown herein as
an annular recessed area of sealing portions 14, for receiving an expansion
band of an
expansion mechanism, as discussed below.
[0028] Additionally, as shown with respect to the embodiments of Figs. 1, 2A
and
2C, each sealing portion 14 may also be provided with a thin wall section 22
defining an
annular hollow section 24 in the sealing portion 14 which accommodates the
expansion band
and the expansion mechanism of the expansion band assembly. As discussed
below, the thin
wall section 22 may include a small slit 23 for installation of the expansion
band and
expansion mechanism and for accessing the expansion mechanism during
installation for
sealingly compressing the sealing portion 12 into fluid tight engagement with
the interior
surface of the pipe.
[0029] Expansion band assembly 26 may be, for example, of the type disclosed
in
U.S. Patent Nos. 6,805,359 and 7,146,689, each assigned to the assignee of the
present
invention. Each expansion band assembly 26 generally includes an expansion
mechanism
28 operable to
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expand the diameter of an expansion band 30 of the expansion band assembly 26
to radially
outwardly to compress a sealing portion 14 against the inner surface of a
pipe. In particular,
as best shown in Fig. I and discussed in the above-incorporated U.S. Patent
Nos. 6,805,359
and 7,146.689. each expansion mechanism 28 generally includes a bolt 32 having
oppositely-
threaded ends and a central nut 33. The oppositely-threaded ends of bolt 32
are threadingly
received within a pair of oppositely-threaded block members 34 which are in
engagement
with the opposite ends 30a and 30b of expansion band 30. In use, nut 33 of
bolt 32 is
engaged by a suitable tool to rotate bolt 32 and drive block members 34 apart
from one
another to thereby expand the diameter of expansion band 30 to radially
outwardly compress
a sealing portion 14 of seal 10 into tight engagement with the inner surface
of a pipe.
[0030] In use, referring additionally to Fig. 3 in which seal assembly l0a is
shown as
an example, seal assembly 10 may be used to seal a defective primary seal in a
pipe-to-pipe
connection between pipes 40 and 42, such as the connection between spigot end
44 of pipe 40
and socket end 46 of pipe 42 in which a primary seal 48 (Fig. 1), formed in an
annular groove
49 of spigot end 44 of first pipe 40, is ineffective. Alternatively, seal
assembly 10 may be
used a primary seal to seal pipes 40 and 42 upon initial connection and
installation of pipes
40 and 42, or may be used to seal across a crack in pipes 40 and/or 42.
100311 Seal 12 is placed within the pipes 40 and 42 such that one sealing
portion 14 is
positioned adjacent spigot end 44 of pipe 40 and the other sealing portion 14
is positioned
adjacent socket end 46 of pipe section 42, with bridge portion 16 of seal 12
bridging the gap
between pipes 40 and 42. Thereafter, expansion mechanisms 28 of expansion band
assemblies 26 are actuated in the manner described above to outwardly radially
compress
sealing portions 14 and their sealing ridges 18 of seal 12 into fluid tight
sealing engagement
with the inner surfaces 50 of pipes, respectively, thereby providing a fluid
tight seal between
pipes 40 and 42.
(0032] In the embodiments in which sealing portions 14 include thin wall
sections 22,
one or more slits 23 may be formed, or may be cut in the field, in wall
sections 22 which
allow for expansion bands 30 and expansion mechanisms 28 of expansion band
assembly 26
to be slidably inserted within annular hollow sections 24. The slit 23 may be
disposed
adjacent an expansion mechanism 28 to allow access to expansion mechanism 28
during
installation to effect the seal as described above. Each slit 23 may extend
around only a
portion of the circumference of its wall section 22, such as around as little
as 50, 10 , or 15 ,
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or as great as 30 , 60 , 90 or more, for example, of the circumference of
wall sections 22, or
alternatively, may extend around the entire circumference of wall sections 22.
[0033] The adjacent portions 21a and 21b of thin wall sections 22 defined by
slits 23
may be disposed in tight abutting end-to-end contact with one another, as
shown in the
embodiment of Fig. 2A, for example, or may overlap one another, as shown in
the
embodiment of Fig. 2C, for example, in order to minimize or prevent fluid
entry into hollow
sections 24. Further, as shown in Fig. 3, the slits 23 may be optionally
disposed on a side of
sealing portions 14 opposite a direction of fluid flow along arrow A], such as
at location 23a,
for example, to minimize or prevent fluid entry into hollow sections 24. Also,
the expansion
mechanisms 28 may be positioned at the upper end of the pipes 40 and 42 which
are normally
above the fluid level of the pipes to prevent or eliminate fluid entry into
hollow sections 24.
100341 Sealing assemblies 10 for small diameter pipes, such as up to 24
inches, may
include one expansion mechanism 28, while sealing assemblies 10 for larger
diameter pipes,
such as greater than 24 inches, may include more than one expansion mechanism
28, as
needed.
[0035] Referring to Figs. 4A-C, sealing assemblies lOe-f according to further
embodiments are shown, which, except as described above, are installed and
function in the
same manner as the embodiments discussed above, and identical reference
numerals are used
to identify identical or substantially identical components therebetween.
[0036] Sealing assembly I Oe of Fig. 4A includes a ramp portion 52 at each of
the
ends of sealing portions 14 thereof to aid in directing a smooth or laminar
flow of liquid
within pipes 40 and 42 over and around the sealing assembly.
[0037] Sealing assembly l Of of Fig. 4B includes ramp portions 52 at each of
the ends
of sealing portions 14 thereof similar to sealing assembly We of Fig. 4A, and
also includes
thin wall sections 54 similar to thin wall sections 22 of the embodiments
discussed above,
wherein thin wall sections 54 are also ramped complementary with ramp portions
52 to aid in
directing the flow of liquid within pipes 40 and 42 over and around the
sealing assembly.
(0038] Sealing assembly l Og of Fig. 4C includes a pair of separately
extruded, or
otherwise separately formed, annular cover members 56 each having a pair of
barbed ends 58
for snap-fitting engagement with a pair of respective grooves 60 in sealing
portions 14 of
sealing assembly I Og that are disposed in either side of the expansion band
seats 20. Cover
members 56 are also ramped complementary with ramp portions 52 to aid in
directing the
flow of liquid within pipes 40 and 42 over and around the sealing assembly. In
use, either
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before or after the seal 10 of sealing assembly l Og is extruded, the
expansion bands 30 and
expansion mechanisms 28 are assembled in place, and an amount of adhesive,
such as a
liquid solvent adhesive, is applied within grooves 60 in sealing portions 14.
Thereafter,
barbed ends 58 of cover members 56 are snap-fitted within grooves 60 to
initially retain
cover members 56 in place, covering expansion bands 30 and expansion
mechanisms 28 until
the adhesive cures to provide a more permanent connection of cover members 56
to sealing
portions 14.
[0039] Cover members 56 may also include slits, such as slits 23 described
above,
adjacent expansion mechanisms 28 for allowing access to expansion mechanisms
during
installation. Alternatively, cover members 56 that lack such slits may be
secured to seal 12 in
the manner described above after expansion mechanisms 28 are actuated
following
installation to thereby seal expansion mechanisms 28 within sealing assembly
lOg in a fluid
tight manner.
[0040] Referring to Figs. 5-10, sealing assemblies 1 IOa and 1 l Ob according
to further
embodiments are shown which, except as described below, are installed and
function in the
same manner as the embodiments discussed above, and identical reference
numerals are used
to identify identical or substantially identical components therebetween.
[0041] Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, sealing assembly 110 includes a
generally
cylindrically shaped seal 112 having at least three axially spaced sealing
portions 114.
Although the present invention will be discussed in connection with seal 112
having three
axially spaced sealing portions 114, including two end sealing portions 114a
and a middle
sealing portion 114b, any other number of axially spaced sealing portions 114
can be used.
For example, seal 112 may include four axially spaced sealing portions,
including two end
sealing portions I 14a and two middle sealing portions 114b. Seal 112 may be
made of
extruded rubber, for example, in a manner in which a length of rubber section
is extruded,
and then is cut to a predetermined length, followed by splicing the ends of
the section
together to form the cylindrical seal 112. Seal 112 may also be made of a
resilient plastic
material by an injection molding process, for example.
[0042] Each sealing portion 114 includes a plurality of sealing ridges 18 that
are
compressible against the internal surface 50 of a pipe to provide a fluid
tight seal.
Additionally, each sealing portion 114 further includes an annular expansion
band seat 20,
shown herein as an annular recessed area of sealing portions 114, for
receiving an expansion
band 30 of an expansion band assembly 26, as discussed below.
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100431 Additionally, as shown with respect to the embodiment of Fig. 10 and in
the
same manner as the embodiments described above, each sealing portion 114 may
also be
provided with a thin wall section 22 defining an annular hollow section 24 in
the sealing
portion 114 which accommodates the expansion band 30 and the expansion
mechanism 28 of
the expansion band assembly 26. As discussed below, the thin wall section 22
may include a
small slit 23 for installation of the expansion band 30 and expansion
mechanism 28 and for
accessing the expansion mechanism 28 during and after installation for
sealingly compressing
the sealing portion 112 into fluid tight engagement with the interior surface
of the pipe 50.
100441 Seal assemblies 110a and I l0b of Figs. 6 and 10, respectively, may
also
include a ramp portion 52 at the outside ends of the two end sealing portions
I 14a to aid in
directing a smooth or laminar flow of liquid within pipes 40 and 42 over and
around the
sealing assembly.
[0045] In use, seal assembly 110 may be used to seal a defective primary seal
in a
pipe-to-pipe connection between pipes 40 and 42, such as the connection
between spigot end
44 of pipe 40 and socket end 46 of pipe 42 in which a primary seal 48, formed
in an annular
groove 49 of spigot end 44 of first pipe 40, is ineffective. Alternatively,
seal assembly 110
may be used as a primary seal to seal pipes 40 and 42 upon initial connection
and installation
of pipes 40 and 42. Seal assembly 1 10 may also be used as a primary or
secondary seal to
seal a cracked portion within one of pipes 40 and 42.
[0046] When used to seal joints and cracks in pipes that are located
underground, seal
assembly 110 is capable of being folded in order to easily bring seal assembly
110 through a
manhole or any other type of structure to its underground installation site,
as shown in Figs.
7-9. Referring now to Fig. 7, seal 112 of seal assembly 1 10 is shown in an
unfolded
substantially annular shape and includes a diameter D1. The diameter D1 of
seal 112 can be
as little as about 12 inches, 15 inches, or 18 inches, and as large as about
72 inches, 96
inches, or 120 inches. Seal 112 includes two end sealing portions I l4a and
one middle
sealing portion 114b. Seal 112 further includes a first side portion 72 and a
second side
portion 74. disposed on substantially opposing sides of seal 112 along
diameter D,, which is
perpendicular to a diameter connecting gap portions G, and G2, discussed
below.
100471 In this embodiment, a pair of expansion bands 30 having ends 30a are
received
within expansion band seats 20 of end sealing portions 114a. Expansion
mechanisms 28 are
not initially installed to the seal assembly 1 10, but rather are installed
later in the installation
process, as discussed below. The area of sealing portions 114 and expansion
band seats 20
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that is disposed between expansion band ends 30a forms a gap portion Gi
oriented along an
axis A,, which is parallel to the central longitudinal axis of seal 112.
Although not visible in
Fig. 7, the opposite side of seal 112 also includes the above-mentioned
features, including a
corresponding second gap portion G2. Gap portions G, and G2 each form an area
on seal 112
with lower resistance to folding due to the absence of expansion bands 30,
thus allowing seal
112 to be folded as described below for fitting through relatively small
openings or access
points in underground pipelines, such as manholes.
100481 To begin the positioning and installation process, as shown in Fig. 7,
a user
grasps seal 112 at a first side portion 72 with a first hand H, and a second
side portion 74
with a second hand H2. The user then folds first side portion 72 and second
side portion 74 of
seal 112 toward each other in the directions of arrows A3 and A4,
respectively, as shown in
Fig. 8. This movement will allow gap portions G, and G2 of seal 112 to be
folded
substantially about their axes A2 As shown in Fig. 8, after folding, seal 112
will have an
effective width or profile between first side portion 72 and second side
portion 74, designated
W, in Figs. 8 and 9, that is less than its initial diameter D,. As described
above, first side
portion 72 and second side portion 74, at which a user grips seal 112, do not
have to directly
oppose one another, so long as the user is able to fold seal 112 about gap
portions G, and G2
in the manner described above.
[00491 Referring now to Fig. 9, a method for installing seal assembly 110 in
an
underground pipeline is shown. First, the seal 112 of seal assembly 110,
having diameter D,,
shown in Fig. 7, is provided. Next, seal 112 is folded to a width W1, as
described above and
as shown in Fig. 8. Then, manhole cover 41 is removed from manhole opening 45,
as shown
by arrow A5, to provide an opening having a diameter D2 for seal assembly 110
to be brought
to its underground installation site. The diameter D2 of the manhole opening
45 can be as
little as about 18 inches, 20 inches, or 24 inches, and as large as about 48
inches, 60 inches,
or 72 inches. Diameter D2 is larger than width W,, but may be smaller than
diameter D,.
Thus, seal 112 having a diameter D,, if greater than diameter D2, will not fit
and pass through
manhole opening 45 with diameter D2, and it is necessary for seal 112 to be
folded to a width
W,, as described above. Seal assembly 110 is then passed through manhole
opening 45 and
into the manhole riser 49 along arrow A6. Once a crack (not shown), or a
defective joint 47
between pipes 40 and 42 is located, seal assembly 110 is passed further along
arrow A6 to its
installation site. The inner diameter D3 of pipes 40 and 42 is roughly equal
to diameter D, of
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seal 112. The diameter D3 of pipes 40 and 42 can be as little as about 12
inches, 15 inches, or
18 inches, and as large as about 72 inches, 96 inches, or 120 inches.
100501 Once seal assembly 1 10 is brought to its underground installation
site, seal
112 is placed within the pipes 40 and 42 such that one end sealing portion
114a is positioned
adjacent spigot end 44 of pipe 40 and the other end sealing portion 114a is
positioned
adjacent socket end 46 of pipe section 42. The third, middle sealing portion
114b is
positioned with sealing ridges 18 substantially centered about and bridging
joint line 47
formed by and between pipes 40 and 42. Alternatively, seal assembly 110 may be
positioned
such that the third, middle sealing portion 114b is positioned with sealing
ridges 18
substantially centered about and bridging a crack formed in a single pipe.
100511 Once seal assembly 110 is positioned at its underground installation
site, the
three expansion mechanisms 28 are positioned in expansion band seats 20 and
connected to
expansion band ends 30a, thus completing assembly of the expansion band
assemblies 26.
Expansion band assemblies 26 may be, for example, of the type disclosed in
U.S. Patent Nos.
6,805,359 and 7,146,689, each assigned to the assignee of the present
invention, the
disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Each
expansion band
assembly 26 generally includes an expansion mechanism 28 operable to expand
the diameter
of expansion band 30 of the expansion band assembly 26 radially outwardly to
compress a
sealing portion 114 against the inner surface 50 of pipes 40 and 42. In
particular, as best
shown in Fig. 5 and discussed in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent Nos.
6,805,359 and
7,146,689, each expansion mechanism 28 generally includes a bolt 32 having
oppositely-
threaded ends and a central nut 33. The oppositely-threaded ends of bolt 32
are threadingly
received within a pair of oppositely-threaded block members 34 which are in
engagement
with expansion band ends 30a. In use, nut 33 of bolt 32 is engaged by a
suitable tool to rotate
bolt 32 and drive block members 34 apart from one another to thereby expand
the diameter of
expansion band 30 to radially outwardly compress a sealing portion 114 of seal
10 into tight
engagement with the inner surface of a pipe. Thereafter, expansion mechanisms
28 of
expansion band assemblies 26 are actuated in the manner described above to
outwardly
radially compress sealing portions 114 and their sealing ridges 18 of seal 112
into fluid tight
sealing engagement with the inner surfaces 50 of pipes, respectively, thereby
providing a
11uid tight seal between pipes 40 and 42 and joint line 47.
100521 Each expansion band assembly 26 includes at least two semi-circular
expansion bands 30, each having end portions 30a and at least two expansion
mechanisms 28,
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while sealing assemblies 110 for larger diameter pipes may include three or
more expansion
bands 10 and three or more expansion mechanisms 28, as needed.
[0053] Referring to Fig. 10, in the embodiments in which sealing portions 114
include
thin wall sections 22, one or more slits 23 may be formed, or may be cut in
the field, in wall
sections 22 which allow for expansion bands 30 and expansion mechanisms 28 of
expansion
band assembly 26 to be slidably inserted within annular hollow sections 24.
The slit 23 may
be disposed adjacent an expansion mechanism 28 to allow access to expansion
mechanism 28
during or after installation to effect the seal as described above. Each slit
23 may extend
around only a portion of the circumference of its wall section 22, such as
around as little as
50, 100, or 15 , or as great as 30 , 60 , 90 or more, for example, of the
circumference of wall
sections 22, or alternatively, may extend around the entire circumference of
wall sections 22.
[0054] The adjacent portions 21a and 21b of thin wall sections 22 defined by
slits 23
may be disposed in tight abutting end-to-end contact with one another, similar
to the
embodiment shown in Fig. 2A, for example, or may overlap one another, as shown
in the
embodiment of Fig. 10, for example, in order to minimize or prevent fluid
entry into hollow
sections 24. Further, similar to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the slits 23
may be
optionally disposed on a side of sealing portions 114 opposite a direction of
fluid flow along
arrow Ai, such as at location 23a, for example, to minimize or prevent fluid
entry into hollow
sections 24. Also, the expansion mechanisms 28 may be positioned at the upper
end of the
pipes 40 and 42 which are normally above the fluid level of the pipes to
prevent or eliminate
fluid entry into hollow sections 24.
[0055] When sealing assembly 110 is positioned across joint line 47 between
pipes 40
and 42. middle sealing portion I l4b of seal 112 may directly sealingly engage
about and
bridge joint line 47. Middle sealing portion 114b may also directly sealingly
engage about
and bridge a crack in pipes 40 and 42. Due to this positioning, middle sealing
portion 114b
applies pressure directly to, and about, the joint line 47. This is
advantageous in that middle
sealing portion I l4b will therefore prevent water, or any other liquid, from
leaking into
and/or building up and forming a pressurized space between the outer surface
of sealing
assembly 1 10 and the inner surfaces 50 of pipes 40 and 42, thus preventing
any potential for
the shifting of end sealing portions 114a of sealing assembly 110 along the
inner surfaces of
pipes 40 and/or 42, or other movement or distortion of end sealing portions
114a of sealing
assembly 110.
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100561 Referring now to Fig. 11, in another application the sealing assemblies
described herein, such as sealing assemblies l0c, 110a, or I10b, may be
installed in manhole
riser 49 sealing a connection across joint lines 83, 84 formed between one or
more grade
rings 80 and/or manhole chimney 43 or manhole frame 92. Grade rings 80 are
used to raise
manhole frame 92 and its cover 41 to a position substantially flush with
street surface 90.
Sealing assembly 10c, I l0a, or I lob may be prepared for installation and
installed the same
way as described above in the method for installing sealing assembly 110.
However, in this
instance, sealing assembly IOc, I I0a, or I IOb is brought to joint lines 83,
84 formed between
grade rings 80 and manhole chimney 43, rather than to a crack or defective
joint 47 between
pipes 40 and 42. Once sealing assembly l Oc, I I Oa, or I I Ob is brought to
joint lines 83, 84
formed between grade rings 80 and manhole chimney 43, seal 12, 112 is
positioned such that
all joint lines 83, 84 between grade rings 80 and manhole chimney 43 and/or
between grade
ring 80 and manhole frame 92, are completely covered by seal assembly 10c, I
10a, or I 10b.
This occurs when each end sealing portion 14, 1 14a is positioned adjacent
grade rings 80 and
manhole chimney 43. The remainder of the installation and the expansion of
sealing
assembly l Oc, I I Oa, or I I Ob is performed as described above to provide a
fluid tight seal
across the inner surfaces 81 of grade rings 80 and the inner surface 82 of
manhole chimney
43 and/or manhole frame 92, to prevent fluid infiltration into, or out of,
manhole riser 49.
100571 Although sealing assembly 1 Of, 110a, 110b are shown and described
above,
any other of the aforementioned sealing assemblies may be installed in manhole
riser 49 to
seal a connection across joint lines 83, 84 formed between grade rings 80 and
manhole
chimney 43. In an alternative embodiment, in cases where many grade rings 80
are utilized,
sealing assembly 10c, 110a, 110b may be installed to seal a connection across
joint lines 83
formed between each grade ring 80.
100581 While this invention has been described as having a preferred design,
the
present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this
disclosure. This
application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or
adaptations of the invention
using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover
such departures
from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the
art to which
this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended
claims.
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