Device for laying mains pipes

A pipe laying device (T) connected to the jib (F) of a transport machine and carrying the pipe to be laid (T) to tight-fit it into a laid pipe (To).This coupling head (1) comprises a vertical axis (YY) swiveling link (11) and a horizontal axis (Z) tilting link (12). It comprises a guide rail (2) with a bearing (21) for positioning and attachment to the end of the laid pipe (To) and aligning the pipe to be laid (T) with the laid pipe (To) and a carrier (3) forming a telescopic tube (30) tight-fitted to the guide rail (2) and operating in relation to it; the carrier (3) carries the pipe to be laid (T) and tight-fitted to the laid pipe (To).The guide rail (2) is connected to the coupling head (1) through the telescopic tube (30).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a pipe laying device which is connected to the boom of a transport machine carrying the pipe to be laid for insertion into a laid pipe, comprising: an attaching head in the form of a vertical swivel joint and a horizontal tilting joint, a guide rail with a support for positioning and fastening to the end of the laid pipe and aligning the pipe to be laid with the laid pipe, a carrier comprising a telescopic tube, tight-fitted to the guide rail, and actuated in relation to it and equipped with a support carrying the pipe to be laid and pushed into the pipe-laying socket fitting.

STATE OF THE ART

According to document FR 2 932 240, there is a known method of laying pipes assisted by a laying device1fitted to the articulated arm2of a lifting device3by means of a universal joint4allowing the device to be tilted in relation to the arm on a horizontal tilting axis and a slewing ring connected to a telescopic beam. This slewing ring allows the device to pivot around an axis, usually vertical.

The telescopic beam comprises a fixed part5fitted with a suction cup7, fastened to the slewing ring4′ and a mobile part6also supporting a suction cup8. The fixed part5bears and is fastened on the laid pipe to allow positioning and pulling of the mobile part6and for inserting the pipe it is carrying.

The handling of the pipe to be laid is difficult and imbalanced because the pipe is located almost completely on one side of the slewing ring and the universal joint which have to cater to a significant imbalance.

This total imbalance continues, even when the fixed part5is laid and secured to the laid pipe by its suction cup7; there is even the risk of lifting or disturbing the already laid pipe.

Apart from this major issue of imbalance, requiring the oversizing of the device components, resulting in high weight and cost, the device does not allow accurate positioning in relation to the laid pipe or to know the exact conditions of insertion of the end of the new pipe.

In short, the laying operation is difficult and imprecise, an obstacle regarding the quality of the result. The components of the device must be sized to take into account the imbalance of the pipe to be laid, which increases in proportion to the length of the pipe.

This makes the equipment heavy and the raises its cost due to the essential oversizing.

Purpose of the Invention

This invention is aimed at developing a pipe laying device allowing the precise positioning of the device and of the pipe to be laid with respect to and already laid pipe, without disturbing the pipe or oversizing the equipment, by balancing the parts of the device with respect to its attachment at the end of the articulated arm of the supporting machine.

Outline and Advantages of the Invention

For this purpose, the invention is a pipe-laying device of the type defined above, characterized in that the guide rail is connected to the fastening head through the telescopic pipe. The pipe laying device according to the invention has the advantage that the telescopic pipe assembly formed by the guide rail and the telescopic pipe tight-fitted to the guide rail is held substantially close to the center of gravity of this assembly carrying the pipe to be laid. This arrangement offers many advantages for producing and operating the device for the approach, alignment, and positioning of the pipe to be laid.

Indeed, this relatively balanced fastening, possible since the pipes are generally of the same length, simplifies the construction of the swiveling and tilting joints which will be subjected only to very low stresses compared to those exerted on such joints in known devices. These joints can be reduced in size and thus in weight.

The joint actuators can also be smaller.

The movement of the telescopic tube from the carrier on the guide rail will hardly be exposed to any imbalanced forces since the telescopic tube with its load (the pipe to be laid) is supported on the guide rail on either side of the fastening of the guide rail to the coupling head. This is also advantageous for the guide rail which will no longer receive the cantilevered telescopic tube on only one side from its attachment to the coupling head.

The forces required to pivot and tilt the carrier with the pipe will be much lower and the maneuvers can be guided more precisely because the inertia of the load to be moved is lower. Another advantageous feature is that the guide rail is connected to the coupling head through a shaped hole cut out in the tube of the carrier.

The pair of holes of the telescopic tube does not weaken the tube and does not obstruct its mobility. The length of the holes corresponds approximately to the travel of the telescopic tube in relation to the guide rail, taking into account the distance between the attaching points of the coupling head and the guide rail. The telescopic tube rests on the guide rail on either side of the holes so that the forces are transmitted in a substantially balanced way between the tube and the rail, beyond the holes, with respect to the attachment of the rail to the coupling head.

Another advantageous feature for the bearing of the telescopic tube on the rail is that it has a slide bearing at its point of entry and a slide bearing on the other side of the hole, beyond the end of the rail corresponding to the maximum extension position of the telescopic tube in relation to the guide rail.

The slide bearings are brought into play in a very balanced way by the load of the pipe and the supported pipe, which is advantageous for contact between the parts and facilitating mobility, which is favorable for the precision of the positioning and laying maneuvers.

Another advantageous feature is that the guide rail and the telescopic tube have a rectangular cross-section, in fact a square cross-section, and the two sides each have a hole for attaching the guide rail to the coupling head.

This complementarity of the sections means that the contact surface between the two parts is large, whatever the direction of the forces to be transmitted during the maneuvering of the device.

Another advantageous characteristic of the guide rail is that, in addition to the carrier support, it has a positioning fork with an arch designed to move behind the socket fitting of the laid pipe and guide the precise positioning of the suction cup support at the end of the laid pipe.

This fork allows the precise approach of the guide rail before it is attached to the laid pipe. Approach is made even easier by the fact that the positioning fork is connected to the guide rail by a hole connection and a compression spring to press the arch against the laid pipe and to guide the downward movement of the guide rail and the support for positioning the rail and attaching it to the pipe by attaching the suction cup to the laid pipe.

Another advantageous characteristic is that the fork has an index for positioning the guide rail axially in relation to the entry plane of the laid pipe.

The index identifies the exact position of the entry plane of the socket fitting in relation to the carrier and therefore of the pipe to be laid.

The installation both of the guide rail on the previously laid pipe and the positioning of the carrier on the pipe to be laid, is made easier by the fact that the bearing of the rail and the support of the carrier each have a suction cup attaching device connected to a controlled vacuum source with each suction cup being respectively suspended under the rail or under the telescopic tube of the carrier by two fasteners, forming a limited-amplitude transverse articulation.

According to another advantageous characteristic, each attachment comprises a double lug through which a pin runs and attached respectively to the rail and to the tube, and to which a respective lug of the suction cups is connected with a lateral tilting play, by a shaft.

The tilting play is facilitated by the domes of the two parts through which the pin runs to hold the lug of the suction cup in place on the pin in the transverse direction while allowing it to tilt between the double lugs.

This tilting movement may be necessary to apply the suction cup to the pipe. But then, when the suction cup is applied, the forces generated between the suction cup and the guide rail or the suction cup and the telescopic rail, will necessarily bring the suction cups back into the vertical plane.

Advantageously, the suction head comprises:

a vertical axis swivel joint made of two parts one of which is integral with the attaching device fastened to the device, and the other of which is integral with the tilting joint,

the tilting joint comprises two arms connected by a horizontal connecting pin, the first arm being integral with the second part of the swivel joint, and the second arm being integral with the guide rail, and these two arms being connected by a tilting actuator.

This combination, whose tilting joint is linked to the guide rail, reduces the overall height of the coupling head. This advantage is further accentuated by the fact that, according to another characteristic, the first arm is formed by two plates connected by the second part of the swivel joint and a shaft carrying the actuator and by the articulation shaft, the second arm being formed by two plates connected first to the shaft and second to a shaft of the actuator, these two plates being attached to the guide rail through the telescopic tube and leaving clear passage for the telescopic movement of the carrier tube.

The shape of the two arms and their assembly allows the two plates of the second arm to be attached to the guide rail on either side of the two sides of the telescopic tube, thus passing through its two holes. This attachment is at the base of the two plates using two relatively widely spaced attaching points, advantageous regarding the forces transmitted between the loaded telescopic tube and the two arms.

In an advantageous manner, to reduce the overall dimensional requirement, the telescopic tube houses an actuator which is supported on the rail and controls the movement of the carrier.

Since the telescopic tube is longer than the guide rail that enters into the telescopic tube, at the end, inside the telescopic tube, there is enough space to accommodate the actuator that drives the telescopic tube in relation to the guide rail.

As an advantageous characteristic, the end of the guide rail carries a front camera and the end of the telescopic tube, at its entry point receiving the guide rail, has an intermediate camera, while the front camera provides an image of the laid pipe to align the guide rail with it and while the intermediate camera providing an image of the pipe socket fitting to control the insertion of the pipe to be laid in the pipe socket fitting.

The cameras produce an image that is used to align the device with the pipe to be laid and to counteract the engagement of the end of the pipe to be laid in the socket fitting end of the laid pipe.

Another advantageous characteristic is that the telescopic tube is equipped with a support boom at the end opposite to the one receiving the guide rail, the boom being provided with a support carried by two side bars engaged in pairs of rollers carried by the two sides of the telescopic tube and an actuator installed on the telescopic tube and whose rod is connected to the support.

The support boom is an advantage in providing support for large pipes, much longer than the guide tube.

Conversely, this boom means that the length of the telescopic tube can be shortened to the most customary length to avoid too long a telescopic rail and nevertheless to be able to lay large diameter long telescopic tubes using this support boom.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, it comprises a device for delocalizing the guide rail and the carrier for locating and recording the position of the pipe to be laid at the end of laying recording of the line made with the laid pipes and their function.

This geolocation of the pipe after laying is accurate since it concerns the pipe that has just been laid before the laying device is detached from the pipe. This confirms the precision of the installation location with the orientation of the laid pipe.

The localizing information for each laid pipe is combined and recorded to represent the line of the laid pipes and the location of their connections to one another. This topographical survey will be useful in the future for precise pipe work to avoid extensive, multiple, and expensive excavations.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

According toFIG. 1, the purpose of the invention is a pipe component laying device100(pipes T). This device is supported by the articulated arm F, fitted with an actuator V of a public works machine. The pipe T supported by the device100must be installed and connected to an already laid pipe To which usually at the bottom of a trench.

To facilitate the description, an orthogonal reference system X, Y, Z will be used together with device100to define the various orientations controlled by the operator of device100using a joystick; the control is given according to data relating to device100, that of the laid pipe To and of the laying environment, that is the trench; this data appears on the screen associated with the device100, showing the identification of the laid pipe To by the cameras41,42fitted to the device100. Accordingly, the pipe to be laid T is first positioned in line with the laid pipe To using the front camera41and by engaging the pipe T in the socket fitting DTo of the laid pipe To in alignment with this pipe To by using the intermediate camera42.

More specifically, the vertical YY axis is the articulation axis of the swivel of the device100; the ZZ axis is the tilting axis; the XX axis is a horizontal reference axis perpendicular to the plane YY/ZZ and the LL axis is the axis of the pipe to be laid T. The laid pipe To not shown in this figure has the LoLo axis. The actuator capital the of the arm F maintains the YY axis vertically in the same way as the reference orientation to facilitate maneuvering around the ZZ axis and with respect to the direction XX which is, accordingly, horizontal. To simplify, in order to position the pipe T in the LoLo axis, the machine must maneuver its articulated arm F to bring the YY axis into the vertical plane containing the LoLo axis of the laid pipe To then pivot the device100with the pipe T, to bring the LL axis of pipe T into the vertical plane passing through the LoLo axis. This is done by maneuvering the swivel joint (YY axis) and lowering pipe T in this plane and then tilting by the articulation of tilting joint12so as to align the LL axis with the LoLo axis. This alignment is then adjusted by pressing the device100against pipe To and checking the accuracy of the alignment on the control screen. As soon as the alignment of LL to LoLo is complete, lock the guide rail2of device100on the pipe To and push the pipe T into its intended position as will later be described in detail.

The position of the pipe To has already been localized and the position of the pipe to be laid will be localized when the pipe T is in place. This allows a precise mapping of the pipe line which will greatly facilitate future work on the pipe, in particular allowing accurate, fast, and cost-effective excavations.

FIGS. 2 and 3show the device100in a simplified form, limited to the only parts necessary for the basic description of the invention. The orthogonal references X, Y, Z, etc. have also been readjusted together with the front direction AV and rear direction AR on the XX axis and more generally the LL axis of the pipe to be laid T. The West pipe T is not shown inFIGS. 2, 3, but its LL axis, which is precisely associated with the device100, is shown in the figures.

The laying device100comprises a coupling head1to be connected to the articulated arm F and to the machine actuator V. This head1carries a guide and positioning rail2of a carrier3carrying the pipe T which will be positioned in relation to the laid pipe To.

The coupling head1comprises a fastener10connected to a swivel joint11, (YY axis), comprising a tilting joint12(ZZ axis) supporting the guide rail2and the pipe T.

The swivel joint12is connected securely to the guide rail2to be attached to pipe To after its positioning (its orientation in relation to the pipe To). The guide rail2supports the carrier3in the form of a tube30, which is telescopically tight-fitted onto the guide rail2, holding the pipe T with a suction cup31.

In more detail, the fastener10is then attached to a complementary device, not shown in these figures, at the end of the articulated arm F receiving the fastener10. Fastener10is rotationally integral with the articulated arm F and maintains this orientation around the vertical direction YY.

In this example, the fastener10is a plate101with two parallel walls102, through which the studs103pass for connection to the complementary device and to the actuator V of the articulated arm F. The plate101carries the swivel joint11, a rotary, hydraulic, actuator which is not shown. Its axis defines the geometrical YY axis. The swivel joint11is made of two parts, one part11aconnected to the plate101of the fastener10and the other11bto the tilting joint12comprising two arms121,122. The arm121carries a swiveling stop11cattached to pivot on the part11band protruding upwards; the underside of the plate101has a counter-stop11. This counter-stop11is integral with part11and limits the swiveling around YY axis.

The swivel joint11is attached to the first arm121of the swivel joint12by its part11b; the first arm121is connected to the second arm122by a shaft123defining the geometric ZZ axis. The first arm121comprises two plates121abearing the axis123and joined at the top by a plate124attached to the second arm122by the second part11bof the swivel joint11.

The pin123is located on arm121so that its geometrical ZZ axis intersects the geometrical YY axis perpendicularly.

The two plates121aare triangular in shape with plate124near one of the apexes, the other apex being occupied by pin123and the third apex by a pin125acarrying the actuator125which controls this tilting joint12.

The second arm122also comprises two plates122aforming a quadrangle receiving between them the first arm121; the second arm122is assembled to the first arm121by the pin123and by the pin125aof the actuator125also carried by the two plates122aat one of their apexes.

The two other apexes define one side of the arm122. These two apexes are occupied by attaching points1221,1222held apart and carried by the guide rail2. The attaching points incorporate screwed connections to allow the assembly/disassembly of the second arm122with respect to the guide rail2through the hole312of the telescopic tube31of carrier3, as will be seen later.

Through this assembly, the guide rail2tilts integrally with the second arm122and swivels integrally with the second part11bof the swivel joint11by means of the tilting joint12. In this example, the body1251of actuator125supports the pin125aconnecting the two plates121aand its rod1252is connected to axis125b. This arrangement simplifies the connection of the actuator125from the coupling head1.

The guide rail2, supported by the coupling head1, is a square section tube whose length, partly concealed, is sufficient to guide the movement of the carrier3carrying the pipe T in the standby position, and also to ensure that its weight is distributed substantially equally on either side of the YY axis, in balance. In this standby position, carrier3carries the pipe T the end of which is far enough away from the part of the rail2to be tight-fitted on the pipe To allow this approach and positioning maneuver in relation to the pipe To.

The front end2AV of the rail2is equipped with two fasteners22a,22bcarrying an extended suction cup21, to cover a certain length of the top of the pipe To and to be attached to it by depression. On the front, the suction cup21has a guide fork23with rollers for resting on the top of the pipe To and to allow its downwards guidance until the suction cup21is put in place. The two fasteners22a,22bare each formed by a double lug221a,221bintegral with the bottom of rail2and receiving between one another a lug222aand222bintegral with the top of the suction cup21.

The double lugs221a,221bof the suction cup21aare passed with some play by the transversal pin223a,bin the form of a pin connecting the fixed double lugs221underneath the rail2, leaving some freedom to tilt in this transversal direction.

The front guide23, is integral with the front lug222aof suction cup21.

The other attachment22bis in front of a positioning fork24attached to rail2and whose description is given inFIGS. 4A, 4B.

The carrier3is made of a square section tube30, which is tight-fitted telescopically on the tube forming the rail2. The tube30is equipped with internal bearings301AV on its four faces at its front end and internal bearings301AR towards the rear beyond the (variable) position of the second arm122attachment of the swivel point. The dimensions of guide rail2are based on bearings301AV,301AR, regardless of the telescopic adjustment position of carrier3relative to guide rail2.

The pipe30has two extended cutout holes, forming302holes, through which the rear part2AR of guide rail2appears. The two holes302are oriented towards the LL axis to allow the free passage of the attaching points1211,1212of the guide rail2to the two plates122aof the second arm122.

The holes302are provided in the two lateral faces of the pipe30. Thus, the two plates122aof the second arm122overlap the tube30and are connected to the rear part2AR of the guide rail2.

The underside of pipe30is provided with two fasteners32a,32bwith double lugs321a,321bcarrying the suction cup31receiving the pipe T.

The body of this suction cup31is connected to the double lugs321a,321bby a lug322a,322band a pin323a,323bnear the front and rear end of the suction cup, provided respectively with guide forks33a,33b. The movement of the carrier3in relation to the guide rail2is controlled by an actuator303housed in the pipe30behind the rear end2AR of the guide rail2. This actuator303is installed in pipe30through a hatch in the top of pipe30.

The partial sectional view through a vertical plane passing through the LL axis (FIG. 3) shows the internal structure of pipe30actuated by actuator30.

The geometry of the telescopic assembly formed by the guide rail2and the telescopic tube30of the carrier3carrying the pipe T allows the link (1221,1222) between the guide rail2and the coupling head to be placed in the best balanced position for the assembly1,3carrying the pipe T. The pair of holes302will be made to suit this near-balanced attaching position and the length of the pairs of holes will depend on the relative travel of the telescopic tube30in relation to the attaching points1221,1222. The possible travel is the length of each hole302that remains free beyond the attachment points1221,1222. This travel is the travel necessary to position the guide rail2on the pipe to be laid To without this preparatory maneuver being generated by the end of the pipe to be laid T, attached to the carrier3. This safety distance can be around a few tens of centimeters, determining the available length of the holes. This also defines the position of the bearings between the guide rail2and the telescopic tube30as well as the maximum length of the rail2in the telescopic tube30.

According toFIGS. 2, 3, 4A, 4B, the front guide23of rail2and the front and rear guides33a,33bof carrier3have the same function and structure. The view of the two guides23,33a,bin two opposite directions according toFIGS. 4A, 4Bshows their structure. They are integral with the body of suction cup21or suction cup31. Each of the guides23,33a,33bcomprises two curved swiveling arms231,331, each formed by two twin blades232,332and each provided with a roller233,333. The arms231,331are brought together by a spring, not shown, and they move apart on contact with the pipe To, T when the suction cup21or31is lowered onto on the pipe To, T.

Each suction cup21,31is made of a rigid top214,314with a sealing lip215,315underneath, forming a rectangular bead, designed to rest on the top of the pipe To, T to delimit rectangular sealed surfaces, curved on the pipe To, T and to be crushed when the suction cup21,31is applied against the pipe and held by depression.

The positioning fork24shown in the views ofFIGS. 4A, 4Bis a jumper-shaped part; it is intended to be positioned on the end of the pipe To behind its socket fitting DTo to define the position for attaching the guide rail2on the pipe To and to guarantee the alignment or the near alignment of the geometrical LL axis with the geometrical LoLo axis of the pipe To.

The fork24comprises a contact arch241, with a section adapted to that of the pipe To laid in an arch which is less than half. The arch241is cut from a piece of plastic and is supported by a support242leaving the contact surface free. The interchangeable arch241is bolted to the support242and supported by a counter arch243.

The support242is a plate attached to two guide plates244, each having a hole2441, which is crossed by two guide pins245. These pins245are carried by two lugs246descending from the sides of guide rail2A compression spring247is supported between support242and guide rail2to push the support242into the lower position at the travel end of the two holes2441. When this positioning fork24reaches the installed pipe To, it pushes guide rail2down to the travel end position of the two parallel holes2441, thus defining the reference position of the guide rail2on the laid pipe To.

The downward positioning (vertical direction YY) of the rail2is also adjusted to the longitudinal position in relation to the pipe To using an index25supported by the arch241and whose tip251defines the opening plane of this pipe To. The rail2also has an advanced stop26on the carrier3carrying the pipe T, comprising a beam emitted from the underside of the guide rail2. This vertical stop26is used to adjust the tight-fitting length of the end of the pipe T in the pipe to be laid To. For this purpose, the carrier3moves forward until the front end of pipe T meets the light barrier from this stop26. The insertion movement is then counted (calculated) from this position and as per the requirements for assembling this type of pipe T in the laid pipe To.

FIGS. 4A, 4Balso show the end fittings211,321of the suction caps21,31connected by pipes (not shown) to the vacuum source, controlled to secure the suction cups21,31by depression on the pipes to, T or to release the grip.

FIG. 5shows a suction cup attachment, both that22of the suction cup21on the rail2on the pipe To and that32of the suction cup31supporting the pipe T. This attachment is described with the references of the fastener22bqof suction cup21. The attachment22is formed from the double lug221battached to the underside of the rail2and receiving the lug222battached to the suction cup21; the pin223bpasses through the assembly. In order to have the transverse degree of freedom to allow a transverse adaptation tilting of the suction cup21on the pipe To, the lugs221bare not supported, surface to surface, with the lug222bbut through the domes2211on their sides facing the lug222. Axis223bshaft is removable to allow for the simple installation of a suction cup with its section adapted to the diameter of the pipes to be laid T. The various attachments of the suction cups21,32have the same structure and will not be described in each case.

FIG. 6shows the assembly detail of the positioning fork24of the guide rail2.

The fork24, as described above, comprises the arch241supported by the support242sliding in the down/up direction in relation to the rail2to allow the pre-positioning of the fork24and then its final installation and the coupling of the guide rail2and the laid pipe To by the suction cup21.

The support242carries the arch241and the two guide walls244are provided with two holes2441. The parallel holes2441are orientees in the up/down direction which is in general the vertical direction; this orientation is perpendicular to rail2. The two walls244overlap the lugs246secured below the rail2and provided with two pins245passing through the holes2441and guiding them.

The fork24, as described above, comprises the arch241supported by the support242sliding in the down/up direction in relation to the rail2to allow the pre-positioning of the fork24and then its final installation and the coupling of the guide rail2and the laid pipe To by the suction cup21.

The support242carries the arch241and the two guide walls244are provided with two holes2441. The parallel holes2441are orientees in the up/down direction which is in general the vertical direction; this orientation is perpendicular to rail2. The two walls244overlap the lugs246secured below the rail2and provided with two pins245passing through the holes2441and guiding them.

A clip248opens each wall244to hold the head of each pin245and not obstruct the sliding fiber of the support242in relation to the two pins245.

The assembly of the bracket242on the lugs246is removable to allow its replacement and adapt it to the section of pipes to be laid.FIG. 7is a similar view toFIG. 4Bbut showing the installation of the guide rail2at the end of the laid pipe To. The positioning fork24is placed behind the socket fitting DTo of the pipe To whose opening plane (perpendicular to the LoLo axis) passes over the end251of the index25. The suction cup21is attached to the top of the pipe To so that the rail2is locked in this aligned position, with the LoLo and LL axes coinciding.

The carrier3which may have moved backwards to leave more room in front of the pipe To is now moved forward as far as the stop26. The tight-fitting phase of pipe T can begin.

FIGS. 8A-8Fshow different steps for fitting the pipe T and connecting it to laid pipe To.

FIG. 8Ashows the initial phase of positioning the device100bearing the pipe T. The device100is lowered using the swiveling arm of the machine by controlling the alignment of the LL axis to bring it into a coaxial position with the LoLo axis of the pipe To. The movement is controlled by sight using the camera image41on the control screen (FIG. 8B).

The reference lines LR1, LR2inlayed on the image are used for guiding the rail2to align it with the vertical plane of the laid pipe To and obtain the pre-positioning as shown inFIG. 8C.

Then, using the image from the second camera42directed in front of the opening DTo of the pipe To, the accurate alignment of the LL axis is aligned the LoLo axis. The monitor screen shows the image just before the arch241reaches the pipe To behind the socket fitting DTo.

The rail2is then lowered and tight-fitting can begin as per the set distance from the initial reference position shown by the reference26(FIG. 8D).

FIG. 9is a view of the inspection means5for checking the integrity of the seal of socket fitting DTo after tight-fitting. To do this, a syringe51is attached in a hole in the seal a vacuum is generated in the seal using the valve52connected to the vacuum source used by suction cups21,31. The inspection means5is installed on the guide rail so that it is close to the socket fitting DTo when the pipe T is assembled.

If the vacuum is maintained, it means that the seal is intact. In the opposite case this means that the seal is damaged, and the installation of the pipe T must be done over again, after replacing the damaged seal of the pipe To socket fitting DTo.

FIG. 10is a more detailed perspective view of the laying device100fitted with a support boom6designed to help support relatively large diameter pipes that are longer than those which correspond substantially to the length of the carrier3. The support boom6consists of a support61carried by two side bars62each guided in pairs of rollers63fixed to both sides of the telescopic tube and covered by a cover or forming a case64integral with the telescopic tube30of carrier3. The boom6is operated by an actuator65installed on the top of the tube30and connects to the support61. In this embodiment of the laying device100the pneumatic equipment, in particular the suction cup21,31depression solenoids, are fitted to the top of the rail2as well as an indicator light7and the sealing inspection device5.

PARTS LIST