Corrugated plastic pipe sections having flanged ends and structurally tight joints thereof

Abstract

Corrugated plastic pipe sections having a flanged end formed by a circumferential portion of an end corrugation or section of the pipe liner and a method and kit for joining flanged end corrugated plastic pipe sections are described in a system in which a portion of the end currugation or pipe liner forms a flange and a peripheral flange clamp straddles flanges and draws the flanges together to provide a structurally sound joint. A gasket may be interposed between flanges or the flange periphery and the clamp. The invention achieves a cost effective tight joint, allows field cuts of the corrugated plastic pipe and the fabrication of fittings from corrugated pipe sections and provides a selectable pipe size reducer coupling for corrugated plastic pipe.

1 . A section of a large diameter corrugated plastic pipe having transverse corrugations and a flange formed by a circumferential portion of a corrugation radially extending from the end section of the pipe.  
     
     
         2 . A section of a large diameter corrugated plastic pipe having transverse corrugations and an inner liner in which a flange is formed by a circumferential portion of the corrugation radially extending from the end section of the pipe.  
     
     
         3 . A section of a large diameter corrugated plastic pipe having transverse corrugations and an inner liner in which a flange is formed by a portion of the liner radially extending from the end section of the pipe.  
     
     
         4 . A section of a large diameter corrugated plastic pipe having transverse corrugations and an inner liner in which a flange is formed by a circumferential portion of the corrugation in substantial contact with a portion of the liner radially extending from an end section of the pipe.  
     
     
         5 . Two abutting sections of large diameter corrugated plastic pipe each having transverse corrugations and a flange intrinsically formed from the pipe material at abutting ends joined in an assembly having a clamp encompassing the abutting flanges and forming a joint.  
     
     
         6 . Two sections of large diameter corrugated plastic pipe each having transverse corrugations and a flange intrinsically formed from the pipe material at the end of each pipe section joined in an assembly in which a gasket is interposed between the flanged ends of the pipe and a peripheral clamp encompasses the abutting flanges.  
     
     
         7 . The pipe sections of  claim 6  in which the gasket has a flat surface in a correspondence with the surface of the flange transverse to the axis of the pipe facing from the end of a pipe.  
     
     
         8 . The pipe sections of  claim 6  in which the gasket has an essentially trapezoid shaped transverse cross section corresponding to the adjacent transverse cross sections of the abutting pipe flanges at the joint.  
     
     
         9 . The pipe section of  claim 7  in which the gasket includes a wedge shaped section.  
     
     
         10 . The pipe section of  claim 7  or  8  or  9  in which corners of the gasket are contoured.  
     
     
         11 . The pipe section of  claim 6  in which the gasket comprises an “O” ring shape in transverse cross section.  
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 5  or  claim 6  in which the peripheral clamp includes an internal channel facing toward the center of the pipes and straddles the flanges to provide a compressive force.  
     
     
         13 . The assembly of  claim 5  or  claim 6  in which the peripheral clamp includes facing sections at the opposite sides of the flanges on the pipes to be joined and the clamp provides a compressive force between the flange surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the pipe axis.  
     
     
         14 . The assembly of  claim 12  in which the clamp comprises one of an inverted “V” channel and an inverted “U” channel extending around a section of the flange.  
     
     
         15 . The assembly of  claim 12  in which the clamp encompasses the flanges and comprises a wedge shape in transverse cross section having an opening at one end and an extended section at the opposite end in which the open section of the wedge is lesser in length than the extended section and faces the center of the pipe with respect to the longitudinal axis of the pipe.  
     
     
         16 . The assembly of  claim 12  in which the clamp comprises a multiplicity of peripheral sections joined circumferentially about the flange.  
     
     
         17 . The assembly of  claim 12  in which the clamp extends peripherally about the flanges in a single circumferential length essentially in correspondence with the nominal diameter of the pipes joined.  
     
     
         18 . A section of large diameter corrugated plastic pipe having transverse corrugations and a flange at an end intrinsically formed from the pipe material joined to one of the group of plastic pipes; non-plastic pipes; plastic fittings; and non-plastic fittings having a flange end at the location of a joint.  
     
     
         19 . The method of providing a flange at the end of a corrugated plastic pipe section having transverse corrugations by cutting off a circumferential portion of an end corrugation to provide a remaining section of the corrugation integrally and radially extending from the end of the pipe as a flange.  
     
     
         20 . The method of providing a flange at the end of a dual wall corrugated plastic pipe section having transverse corrugations and a liner by cutting off a circumferential portion of an end corrugation and the liner to provide a remaining section of the corrugation integrally and radially extending from the end of the pipe as a flange.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19  or  claim 20  for forming a flange at the end of a corrugated plastic pipe section having transverse corrugations and a liner including forming a circumferential flange portion integrally and radially extending from the end of the pipe from the liner.  
     
     
         22 . The method of joining a section of corrugated pipe plastic having a flange at its end forming a first member abutting a second member being a section of a corrugated pipe, a non-plastic pipe or a fitting having a flange at its end comprising aligning the first and second members in a co-linear relationship in which the end flanges of the members are in an approximately abutting relationship, and applying a clamp circumferentially straddling the flanges to provide an axially compressive force on the exterior surface of the flanges to draw the flanges together.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  including inserting a gasket between the flanges and compressing the gasket with the force generated by tightening the applied clamp.  
     
     
         24 . Two sections of large diameter corrugated plastic pipe each having transverse corrugations and a flange at the end of each pipe section joined in a clamped assembly in which a channel clamp is applied to the radially peripheral ends of the flanges and the clamp exerts a force to compress the gasket between the inner surface of clamp channel and the outer peripheral edges of the flanges.  
     
     
         25 . A kit for providing a joint between adjacent sections of corrugated plastic pipe or a section of corrugated plastic pipe having essentially similar cross-sections and a pipe or fitting having a flanged end, the kit including a peripheral flange clamp having a cross sectional shape such that the clamp is capable of straddling the flanges at the end sections to be joined.  
     
     
         26 . The kit of  claim 25  including a gasket having a cross-sectional shape in a correspondence with the flanges at the sections to be joined.  
     
     
         27 . The kit of  claim 25  including a portable cutting device and a guide fixture for making field cuts in the end section of a corrugated pipe to provide a flange at an end of the pipe by cutting off a circumferential portion of an end corrugation to provide a remaining section of the corrugation integrally and radially extending from the end of the pipe as a flange.  
     
     
         28 . The method of forming a flange at the end of a section of corrugated plastic pipe by transversely severing from the pipe a section of a corrugation of the pipe at an axial location on the corrugation at the end of a pipe section.  
     
     
         29 . The method of forming a flange at the end of a section of a dual wall corrugated plastic pipe by transversely severing from the end section of the pipe a section of a corrugation and a section of the liner.  
     
     
         30 . A fitting having at least two flanges in which one of the fitting ends has an off set, selectable diameter flange reducer coupling capable of being cut off at a predetermined flange diameter.  
     
     
         31 . The fitting of  claim 30  wherein the fitting comprises a molded plastic composition.  
     
     
         32 . The fitting of  claim 31  wherein the fitting is one of an in-line, “Y”, “T”, 4 way, elbow or angle.  
     
     
         33 . The assembly of  claim 5  or  claim 6  in which the clamp is one of a toggle clamp, a ratchet clamp and a screw clamp.  
     
     
         34 . The assembly of  claim 6  in which the clamp comprises an interlocking assembly of mating components seated within the recess of a corrugation at each pipe end and straddling the flanges, the components interlocking upon the exertion of an axial force upon the pipe sections in the longitudinal direction of the pipe and compressing the gasket interposed between the flanges.  
     
     
         35 . The assembly of  claim 6  providing a predetermined pressure relief in which the stiffness the radial walls of the clamp is predetermined at a sufficiently low measure to provide a leakage at the joint at a pre-selected internal pressure.