Abstract:
Disclosed is a pipe cleaner apparatus that is attached to a pipe fusion machine. The pipe cleaner removes dirt, snow, mud, and other debris from the outer surface of pipe sections prior to the butt fusion process. The pipe cleaner may be a wiper through which the pipe slides, or may be a multi-piece scraper with spring loaded flaps that clean the outside surface of the pipe.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The present application is based upon and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/459,006 by William James Temple entitled “External Pipe Cleaner” filed Mar. 26, 2003, the entire contents of which is hereby specifically incorporated by reference for all it discloses and teaches. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention pertains generally to the fusion of plastic pipe and specifically to the external cleaning of the pipe prior to fusion.  
           [0003]    Polyethylene pipe is used commercially for the construction of pipelines for various applications such as natural gas, water, sewer, and other materials. In addition, polyethylene pipe may be used as conduit to protect transmission cables such as high voltage electricity, fiber optic telecommunication, telephone, cable television, and other signal cables.  
           [0004]    Polyethylene pipe is typically joined through a process called fusion welding, the most common joint being a butt joint. A butt joint is formed by holding the two sections of pipe rigidly, performing a facing operation to square the ends of the pipes and prepare the pipes for welding, then heating the prepared faces of the pipes on a hot plate to the melting point, removing the heating element, and forcing the two melted faces together. The resulting joint may be cooled before being subjected to any handling forces. The result is a fused joint that is as strong or stronger than the parent material and is very reliable.  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,209 issued to George Rakes entitled “Self Propelled Fusion Machine” (Rakes) is a machine adapted to perform butt joints on polyethylene pipe as described above. Rakes is incorporated herein by reference for all that it discloses and teaches. The Rakes machine performs the sequence of butt fusing in a semi automated fashion, with provisions for easily loading and unloading the pipe as it is welded. Additionally, the Rakes device performs the butt fusion process in an enclosed environment, adding to the consistency and speed to a pipeline construction.  
           [0006]    When machines such as the Rakes device are used in the field, often rain, snow, mud and other debris may be present on the outside of the pipe. As the sections of pipe are handled and loaded into the machine for fusion, the debris should be removed, causing extra time to be taken to clean the pipes beforehand or to clean the equipment afterwards.  
           [0007]    It would therefore be advantageous to provide a device and method of cleaning pipe sections prior to welding. It would be further advantageous if the method did not require any extra work on the part of any workers constructing a pipeline.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art by providing a simple, effective device for cleaning off snow, dirt, mud, and other debris before a pipe enters a fusion machine. The cleaning device may be located outside the enclosed portion of a fusion machine so equipped, or may be located before the actual mechanism that performs the fusion welds.  
           [0009]    The present invention may therefore comprise a pipe fusion machine comprising: a fusing mechanism for fusing sections of pipe to form a pipeline, and a cleaning mechanism for cleaning debris from the external surface of the sections of pipe, the cleaning mechanism being mounted on the infeed side of the fusing mechanism.  
           [0010]    The present invention may further comprise a pipe cleaner attached to a pipe fusion machine comprising: a flexible wiper, the wiper being substantially planar; and a retainer, the retainer being adapted to hold the wiper such that the wiper may move normal to the pipe axis.  
           [0011]    The present invention may further comprise a pipe cleaner attached to a pipe fusion machine comprising: a mounting frame; and a plurality of wipers, the wipers being spring loaded toward the axis of the pipe and further being adapted to clean debris from the external surface of the pipe.  
           [0012]    The advantages of the present invention are the increased efficiency and operation of pipeline construction by cleaning the outer surface of the pipes prior to welding or traversing through the fusion equipment. Because less snow, mud, and other debris is allowed into the equipment, maintenance is reduced and the normal operation can continue without having to stop the machine for cleaning and service. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    In the drawings,  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is an illustration of an embodiment of a pipe cleaning device shown separately from the machine on which it is installed.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section view of the embodiment of a pipe cleaning device of FIG. 1.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 shows a partial cutaway elevation of Rake&#39;s machine with a pipe cleaner installed.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 shows a partial cutaway plan view of Rake&#39;s machine of FIG. 3 with a pipe cleaner installed.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 illustrates a McElroy machine with a pipe cleaner installed.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention comprised of four flaps.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 illustrates a different perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 6. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment  100  of a pipe cleaning device shown separately from the machine on which it is installed. A retaining mechanism  102  entraps a flexible wiper  104 . A section of pipe  106  is shown approaching the pipe cleaner.  
         [0022]    The retaining mechanism  102  is composed of a first plate  108  and a second plate  110 . Four spacers  112 ,  114 ,  116 , and  118  separate the two plates  108  and  110 . One or more of the spacers may be removable to replace the wiper  104 . The first plate  108  and second plate  110  would typically be fabricated from steel, although other suitable materials may be used.  
         [0023]    The wiper  104  is held in the retaining mechanism  102  loosely, such that the wiper may shift along its plane to compensate for any misalignment between the retaining mechanism  102  and with the center axis of the pipe  106 . Further, the wiper  104  may be made of a flexible material such as rubber sheet. The thickness of the wiper  104  may be selected to be stiff enough to prevent the wiper  104  from being pulled out of the retainer  102  during use.  
         [0024]    The wiper  104  cleans the exterior of the pipe  106  by the inside edge  120  sliding along the outer surface of the pipe  106 . The diameter of the inside edge  120  is selected to very closely match the exterior diameter of the pipe  106 . In some embodiments, the diameter of the inside edge  120  may be slightly less than the exterior diameter of the pipe  106 , and in some embodiments slightly more.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section view of the embodiment  100  of a pipe cleaning device. The retainer  102  is holding a wiper  104  and the pipe  106  is shown prior to entering the device.  
         [0026]    The wiper  104  is contained but not rigidly constrained in the retainer  102 . A gap around the outer perimeter of the wiper  104  affords movement by the wiper  104  during use.  
         [0027]    The inner face  202  of wiper  104  may be square as shown or may have different profiles. A beveled profile or a flanged profile may be used to more effectively wipe the outer surface of the pipe  106 . Various shapes may be used to effectively clean the pipe  106  while still maintaining within the spirit and intent of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows a partial cutaway elevation of Rake&#39;s machine  300  with the pipe cleaner  302  of the present invention installed. FIG. 4 shows a partial cutaway plan view of Rake&#39;s machine  300 . Rake&#39;s machine  300  accepts a pipe segment  304  and fuses the segment  304  to the previously joined pipe  306 . The fusing apparatus  308  is located in the enclosure  310 , providing an isolated environment from the outside weather.  
         [0028]    The pipe cleaner  302  is mounted on the entry side of the machine  300 , such that debris and such may be cleaned from the outside of the pipe prior to entering the enclosure  310 . In some embodiments, the pipe cleaner  302  may be mounted close to the fusing apparatus  308  inside the enclosure  310 .  
         [0029]    As sections of pipe are loaded into the machine  300 , the laborer will place the pipe inside the cleaner  302  and force the pipe through the cleaner and into the machine  300 . In some embodiments, a powered roller will assist the laborer in forcing the pipe through the cleaner  302 . The cleaner  302  may have facilities to disperse the mud, snow, dirt, and other debris onto the ground and out of the way of other operations.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 5 illustrates a machine  500  with a pipe cleaner  502  installed. The machine  500  is a McElroy TracStar Model 500 fusion welding machine. The machine  500  moves forward from right to left, traversing to the next weld point. The pipe cleaner  502  of the present invention is installed on the front roller support and ensures that pipe  504  is cleaned prior to moving through the machine. Snow, ice, dirt, mud, and other debris will be cleaned off of the pipe  504  before the pipe crosses the machine, preventing the debris from falling into the machine  500  and needing to be cleaned off.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment  600  of a pipe cleaner that is comprised of four movable flaps,  602 ,  604 ,  606 , and  608 . The flaps are mounted to a framework that is not shown for clarity. The flap  602  rotates about the axis defined by hole  610  and may be mounted to the framework by a bolt. The four flaps  602 ,  604 ,  606 , and  608  are predispositioned to move inwards by a spring force that is not shown for clarity. The embodiment  600  functions by inserting a pipe into the opening  612  in the direction of arrow  614 . As the pipe enters the embodiment  600 , one or more of the flaps  602 ,  604 ,  606 , and  608  may move outward to accommodate the pipe. The pipe may be offset from the center axis of the cleaner, but the cleaner may still function adequately.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 7 illustrates the embodiment  600  shown from the opposite direction. The flaps  602 ,  604 ,  606 , and  608  are shown, as well as the direction of pipe movement  614 . The scraping edge  702  of flap  608  is caused to ride along the outer surface of the pipe as it traverses through the embodiment  600 . The opening  704  may allow snow, mud, and other debris to fall out of the cleaner  600  after having been removed from the pipe.  
         [0033]    It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the present embodiment  600  may have many different variations while still maintaining within the scope and intent of the present invention. For example, the number and configuration of the flaps, the attachment method of the flaps, and other changes as may be desired could be made by those skilled in the arts.  
         [0034]    The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art.