IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0586831
(1984-03-06)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
25 인용 특허 :
2 |
초록
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A filament or tape winding machine equipped with an automatically retractable mandrel for constructing in place the wall of a pipeline in a continuous and uninterrupted manner. The winding and the building up of the pipeline wall progress at a velocity equal to that of the extraction of the mandrel
A filament or tape winding machine equipped with an automatically retractable mandrel for constructing in place the wall of a pipeline in a continuous and uninterrupted manner. The winding and the building up of the pipeline wall progress at a velocity equal to that of the extraction of the mandrel from inside of the completed pipeline. The filament or tape reinforcing material is bonded in place with a resin system applied and cured at fabrication stations, during the pipeline manufacturing process, located where the mandrel is supporting the pipeline wall. This mandrel supporting function ceases at a point where the pipeline wall has enough strength to support itself. The reinforcement material winding mechanism, the mandrel extracting mechanism and the resin curing equipment are all mounted on a vehicle or train of vehicles propelled to move forward and leave in place behind the finished fabricated pipeline ready for use. The internal and external surfaces of the pipeline wall are made of materials suitable for the intended pipeline application and type of weather exposure anticipated. The incorporation of these materials in tape form is also performed by winding these tapes the same way and in a programmed manner. The pipeline fabricating machinery can also be mounted aboard a ship to lay pipelines over or under water. The ship then moves forward and also leaves behind the completed and ready-to-use pipeline. From the location where the manufacturing starts to the location where that process ends, the finished pipeline wall then consists of a monolithic, jointless, solid and homogeneous structure.
대표청구항
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1. The method of forming a continuous, jointless and uninterrupted reinforced plastic pipe comprising the steps of: forming a continuous articulated mandrel; supporting the mandrel at a plurality of mobile stations; advancing the stations to carry the mandrel along forwardly at a predetermined
1. The method of forming a continuous, jointless and uninterrupted reinforced plastic pipe comprising the steps of: forming a continuous articulated mandrel; supporting the mandrel at a plurality of mobile stations; advancing the stations to carry the mandrel along forwardly at a predetermined speed; winding strands of a material preimpregnated with a resin about a forward end of the mandrel at a forward one of the stations; moving an external surface of the mandrel rearwardly as the strands are being wound to carry a pipe structure formed thereby rearwardly without any relative sliding motion between the external surfaces of the mandrel and of the strands; curing the resin in the pipe structure at an intermediate one of the mobile stations located behind the forward station; cooling the pipe at a rearward one of the stations located behind the intermediate mobile station; and extracting the external surface of the mandrel continuously from inside the pipe at a rearward end of the mandrel without any relative sliding motion between the external surface and the pipe. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which said strands are wound at helical angles, all said angles having substantially the same absolute value, but with half of the strands being wound along one helix pitch and the other strands being wound along a reverse helix pitch. 3. The method as claimed in claim 2 in which said strands are dispensed by spools mounted on counterrotating carrousels supported by a common revolving drum. 4. The method as claimed in claim 3 in which each carrousel is caused to rotate at the same rotational velocity as the two contiguous carrousels, but in the reverse direction so as to generate the two reverse pitch helices along which the strands are being wound. 5. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of advancing the stations occurs on land over prepared terrains. 6. The method as claimed in claim 4 in which the strands are supplied, applied and wound in tape form. 7. The method as claimed in claim 4 in which the strands are supplied, applied and wound in filament form and have substantially a circular cross-section. 8. The method as claimed in claim 1 including the steps of vertically supporting the pipe wall externally during the resin curing and cooling down steps, until the pipe external surface can safely be mechanically contacted, preventing thereby any mechanical contact between the unfinished pipe wall and all surrounding solid parts and components. 9. The method as claimed in claim 1 including the steps of laterally guiding the pipe wall externally during the resin curing and cooling down steps, until the pipe external surface can safely be mechanically contacted, thereby preventing any machanical contact between the unfinished pipe wall and all surrounding solid parts and components. 10. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which the tension exerted on the strands being wound is adjustable and used to control the amount of compression imposed on the pipe wall during the resin curing step, as required to densify the pipe wall materials and keep them free of voids, cracks and interstices. 11. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which the forward movements of the strand winding station, the resin curing and cooling stations are synchronized and coordinated with the formation step of the mandrel external surface and the extraction step of said mandrel external surface from inside the pipe wall. 12. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which a small amount of lateral sliding movement of the pipe wall relative to the mandrel external surface is allowed and facilitated by introducing lubricants at the interface between the mandrel external surface and the pipe wall internal surface. 13. The method as claimed in claim 1 including the steps of forming a mandrel closed external surface continuously and uninterruptedly in a controlled manner, driving and guiding endless belts to form said mandrel external surface, providing a small amount of belt overlapping, guiding said endless belts along their return inner loops that are located internally to the mandrel external surface, supporting, driving and guiding said belts on their outer loops at intervals along the full length of said mandrel, and supporting and guiding said belts on their inner return loops at intervals along the full length of said mandrel. 14. The method as claimed in claim 1 including the steps of forming a mandrel open external surface continuously and uninterruptedly in a controlled manner, driving and guiding endless belts to form said mandrel external surface, and providing a small gap between contiguous belt edges so as to leave some open spaces between all belts, driving said endless belts at the front end of the mandrel by pulling on the inner loops made by said belts and returning said endless belts by means of outer loops that constitute the external surface of the said mandrel, maintaining said belt inner loops under tension up to the back end of said mandrel, thereby forcing the outer loops to separate from the pipe wall internal surface, at the mandrel end. pushing the outer loops of the endless belts against their supporting and guiding means, by applying the first layer of the material being wound on said mandrel external surface, and maintaining a spring load on both inner and outer loops of said belts at the back end of the said mandrel to compensate for belt slacking prior to the start of the strand winding step. 15. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of advancing the stations occurs on water. 16. A pipe fabricating apparatus comprising means for moving the pipe fabricating apparatus forward, at the speed the pipe is being fabricated; means for monitoring and supporting separate sections of the pipe fabricating apparatus on separate platforms, interconnected, articulated and propelled by a common power source; means for continuously and uninterruptedly forming an articulated mandrel that extends from the first of said platforms to part of the last platform; means for applying layers of plastic materials, reinforced with filaments, on said mandrel, to build a pipe wall; means for constantly advancing the external surface of the mandrel automatically at the speed said layers of reinforced plastic materials are being applied onto the external surface of said mandrel, thereby preventing any relative longitudinal sliding motion between the materials being laid and the mandrel external surface; means for hardening and strengthening said reinforced plastic materials, while said materials are supported by the mandrel; means for vertically and laterally supporting, guiding and restraining the wall of the pipe being thus fabricated, and the mandrel therein, externally to the pipe wall and with no solid mechanical external contact being made with the pipe wall; means for continuously and uninterruptedly extracting the mandrel external surface from inside the pipe wall and withdrawing its internal support means, as soon as the pipe wall has acquired the strength to support itself; and means for leaving behind the forward moving pipe fabricating apparatus a completed pipe, ready to be laid in place, still with respect to the ground preinstalled means arranged to receive and hold said finished pipe. 17. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 16 also including means for storing and dispensing the reinforced plastic materials in the form of resin pre-impregnated strands; means for helically winding said strands on the mandrel external surface and exerting a controlled and programmed amount of tension on the strands being wound on said mandrel; means for applying heat to the strand wound structure for curing the resin; means for applying pressure within the pipe wall structure on the heat softened resin at the beginning of the curing phase, said pressure resulting from the tension preset in the strands reinforcing filaments, thereby densifying the pipe wall structure by forcing resin into voids, cracks and spaces between filaments, thereby improving the bonding between adjacent fibers within the strands, other strands and layers of strands; means for controlling the resin curing process by regulating and coordinating the degree of heating and the time during which heat is being applied; and means for cooling the pipe wall after the resin curing process has reached the point at which enough strength is provided by the pipe wall structure to support itself after the cooling down phase is partly completed, the remaining resin curing being performed later at lower temperatures. 18. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 17 further including means for winding said strands in successive layers to form the pipe wall thickness, all strands being wound at substantially the same angle automatically, with strands in any two adjacent layers being wound at inverse helix pitch angle, resulting in said strands, when wound, crisscrossing the wound strands forming both contiguous layers, located underneath and above it; means for accommodating a small amount of lateral sliding between the internal surface of the pipe wall being fabricated and the mandrel external surface, by introducing lubrication means at the interface betwen said two surfaces; and means for accommodating a small amount of pipe wall bending while the pipe wall structure is still flexible, to permit some angular motion between each adjacent platform section, thus allowing the pipe fabricating apparatus to follow the terrain contour and to lay the pipe along slightly curved paths. 19. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the means for forming the external surface of the articulated mandrel comprises means for driving and supporting endless belts forming an outer loop that constitutes part of the mandrel external surface and an inner return loop that permits each and every part of the belt to come back to a position where it again becomes an outer loop; means for guiding both belt loops to prevent interference between the various loops of all belts, while providing for space inside the mandrel for the belt driving and supporting means, the mandrel section articulation means, the lubricating means and the power shaft required to actuate the belt driving means and its supporting structures; means for attaching and mounting the front end of the articulated mandrel to the front support structure affixed to the front end of the first platform; means for supplying power to the power shaft; and means for introducing a lubricating agent on the external surface of the outer belt loop. 20. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the belts forming the external surface of the articulated mandrel overlap slightly, thereby constituting a closed surface, wherein each belt is laid parallel to the mandrel centerline and forms one complete loop, and wherein the outer loop of the belt is actuated from end to end, at intervals, along the mandrel full length. 21. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the belts forming the external surface of the articulated mandrel are all separated by a gap, thereby forming an open surface, wherein each belt is laid parallel to the mandrel centerline and forms one complete loop, wherein the inner loop of the belt is actuated and pulled forward by means located at the front end of the mandrel and wherein the outer loop of that belt constitutes the outer loop that forms part of the external surface of the articulated mandrel. 22. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the centerlines of the belts forming the mandrel external surface make a small angle with the mandrel centerline, thereby permitting the end of one inner return loop to become the beginning of the outer loop adjacent to the loop that just became the inner loop just mentioned, and thereby reducing the number of belts, with one being the extreme minimum possible number, resulting in one single belt forming all the inner and outer loops, with a total length approximately equal to twice the total length of the mandrel centerline times the number of outer loops. 23. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the means for forming and actuating the mandrel external surface includes means for synchronizing and coordinating the longitudinal movement of the mandrel external surface with the first platform forward movement; and means for bridging the gaps and any uneveness between adjacent outer belt loops by applying a first layer of materials on the mandrel, formed by winding overlapping tapes to build up an impervious barrier that constitutes the internal protective layer of the completed pipe. 24. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 23 wherein the strands are supplied, applied and wound in tape form. 25. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 23 wherein the strands are supplied, applied and wound in filament form and substantially have a circular cross-section. 26. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 23 wherein the nature of the materials constituting said strands can be varied and programmed to meet the pipe wall structural, thermal, mechanical and environmental protection requirements. 27. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 23 wherein the strands storing and dispensing means comprises means for mounting the strands on spools supported by counterrotating carrousels mounted on a common revolving drum; and means for rotating all carrousels at the same rotational speed, half of them in one direction and the other half in the opposite direction, automatically and in a controlled manner, with any carrousel rotating in a direction opposite to that of the two contiguous and immediately adjacent carrousels, thereby causing the wound strands in any two pipe wall adjacent layers to follow the paths of two helices of reverse pitch but having the same absolute pitch angle. 28. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 26 wherein the building up of the full pipe wall thickness comprises means for scheduling the order followed in the application of the materials according to their nature and intended function, within each layer; means for scheduling the order followed in the application of the materials according to the function of the layer into which the materials are being introduced; and means for scheduling the order in which each layer is laid on top of the preceding layer. 29. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 22 further including means for taking up and compensating for any slack in the outer loops of the belts, positioned at the back end of the articulated mandrel; and means for imparting a monitored, continuous and steady forward movement to the inner loops of the belts forming the mandrel external surface, located at the front end of the mandrel and inside the surface created by said inner loops. 30. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the apparatus platforms supporting all fabrication means are installed and mounted on floating means, operating above water, and comprising means for monitoring and controlling the forward velocity of said floating means; means for adjusting said forward velocity of the floating means to be constantly and steadily equal, but of opposite direction, to the velocity at which the completed pipe exits the pipe fabricating apparatus; and means for insuring that the completed pipe is still with respect to the ground under the water as it leaves the floating means and contacts the water. 31. A pipe fabricating apparatus according to claim 28 wherein pipe fabricating means is provided to construct a pipeline continuously on site and leave it in place, with non-metallic stuctural materials, starting with the raw construction materials themselves, said pipeline being built to transport energy containing fluids such as crude oil, natural gas, coal slurries and the like, over long distances, difficult terrains and under severe environmental pipeline construction and operating conditions.
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