DIAPHRAGM POWER JACK

Abstract: Method for increasing the distance between two faces, inserting into a space between the two faces a diaphragm power jack, the shape of which being adapted to the shape of the space, the diaphragm power jack comprising two abutting sheets being sealingly bonded along the entire circumference, a pipe penetrating the bonded, injecting a pressurized fluid through the pipe to the interface between the two sheets thereby forcing the sheets apart whereby substantially all the energy from the pressurized fluid being converted to forces perpendicularly to the sheets.

Description: Diaphragm power jack The Present invention is related to a diaphragm power 5 jack and a method of utilizing same. In numerous situations within many fields efforts have been made to increase a distance between two parts in a quick and efficient way. Such a situation occurs when two flanges which have been clamped together, are to be loosened. In such case one 0 of the flanges should be moved away from the other or even both flanges should be axially displaced. In many other cases the aim is to remove or displace only one of the parts between which- a gap exists. This is the case by partitioning a subject into smaller parts which is the s case in stone quarries, when removing a concrete outer layer from a pipe, etc. The need for a small and effective tool to provide a very strong force in a selected direction, substantially without loss of energy in other directions will increase productivity and o the accuracy of the performance substantially. In connection with repairs of pipelines of the above mentioned type a considerable amount of time is used for removing the outer concrete layer to give accessibility to the pipe itself for repairs maintenance or modifications. It is in fact known to 5 cut tracks in the concrete around the exterior circumference and likewise longitudinal cuts whereby hydraulic tools are used to press the sections apart in a tangential direction, resulting in braking the concrete out in small pieces. The forces from the tool may be released between o parallel flat or cylindric sheets. The forces will be directed perpendicularly to the plane of the flat sheets or perpendicular¬ ly or radially to the cylindric plane of cylindric sheets. In the latter case the direction is radially inwardly from a stronger outer cylinder or radially outwardly from a stronger inner 5 cylinder, of which the first case will be a clamping operation. Repair of pipelines on difficult accessible places, such as at the sea bed, is time consuming and in many ways ver difficult if repair work is to be made by welding. A rupture pipeline usually is cut and a new portion inserted which portio thereafter has to be welded to the pipeline at both ends. The method and tool according to the present invention very efficiently solve the above mentioned problem operations in the above mentioned application fields as well as others by concentrating the force input almost completely to the desired force direction, perpendicularly to the sheets, if plane or cylindric, the direction being linear or radial. The above mentioned objectives are achieved with the method and tool according to the present invention as defined with the features stated in the patent claims. In the drawing. Figure 1 in a cross sectional way schematically discloses the tool according to the present invention before use and Figure 2 discloses the same tool after use, iri an expanded position, Figure 3 discloses the tool in Figs. 1 and 2 in a side view, Figure 4 discloses schematically the method for cutting a section of a concrete layer around a pipe line out by means of the tool according to the present invention. Figure 5 discloses the principle for removing flanges from each other by means of the present invention, Figure 6 discloses schematically in an axial section the tool according to the present invention in the shape of a cylinder for provision of radial forces, Figure 7 discloses an enlargement of a detail from Figure 6, Figure 8 discloses a longitudinal section through a tool for connection of two pipes before the operation, Figure g discloses a cross section from Figure 10, Figure 10 discloses a longitudinal section corresponding with Figure 8, however after the clamping operation, Figure 11 discloses rock breaking by means of the diaphragm power jack according to the invention and Figure 12 discloses an alternative method for manufacturing the plane power jack. Figure 4 discloses one application field for the present invention, namely part of a pipe line 9 embedded in a concrete layer such as an oil pipe arranged on a seabed. In cases where repairs, maintenance or inspection must be performed on the pipeline, the need to remove the concrete layer along a portion of the pipe arises. According to the present invention a slot 10 is worked out in the concrete layer, along the entire circumference of the same and radially inwardly to the pipe 9. The concrete 7 is further cut into sections 8 with longitudinal slots. In th circumferential slot 10 a power jack according to the presen invention is inserted, the power jack thereby having an arcuat shape'as disclosed in Figure 3, covering exactly the circumferen- tial length of the section 8 selected by the longitudinal slots. The diaphragm power jack according to the invention principall comprises two sheets 1, 2 being sealingly connected to each othe along the circumference. The two sheets 1 and 2 have a shap corresponding to the surfaces against which the sheets 1 and are to be pressed, such as the shape of Figure 3 to be used i connection with the cylinder shape disclosed in Figure 4. Th thickness of the sheets 1 and 2 correspond substantially widt of the slot 10. Upon inserting of the diaphragm power jack into th slot 10, hydraulic fluid is forced in between the sheets 1 an 2 through a corresponding pipe 3 protruding out from the end. Upon pressurizing, the diaphragm power jack will assume the shap disclosed in Figure 2 while forcing the section 8 axially fro the slot 10, the binding between concrete section 8 and the pip 9 thereby being ruptured by the shearing forces and the sectio 8 being removed from the pipe 9 substantially in one part. Th section 8 previously being cut by the circumferential slot 10 a well as axial slots 6. Based on the same principle two flanges 11, 12 a disclosed in Figure 5 may be pressed away from each other afte loosening bolts or other clamping devices, by inserting th diaphragm power jack according to the present invention in th slot between the flanges, pressurizing the innerface between th two sheets 1 and 2 through the pipe 3 thereby to release th flanges 11 and 12 from each other. The tool according to the present invention provides a excellent possibility to cut rocks from a stone quarry, tear dow houses etc. instead of using for example dynamite. By means o an angle grinder a segment shaped groove is made in the rock, concrete etc. A diaphragm power jack having the same shape as th groove thereafter is inserted into the groove, pressurizing th jack will break up the rock or concrete breaks into pieces o desirable seize. Figure 6 discloses the principle of the diaphragm powe jack according to the present invention, used in the form of a cylinder, the sheets 1 and 2 both being constituted by abutting cylinders sealingly connected at both axial ends and a pipe 3 giving admittance for pressurized fluid to the interface between s the two sheets or cylinders, as clearly can be seen from Figure 7. By inserting the connected sheet cylinders 1 and 2 into a correspondingly shaped space between two cylinder faces, the total force provided by the pressurized fluid may be used to widen the outer cylinder face or shrinking the inner cylinder o face, depending on which of both has the strongest resistance. Figures 8-10 disclose one embodiment of the diaphragm power jack according to the present invention as used to sealingly connect two substantially abutting pipes 13 and 14. The diaphragm power jack according to the present s invention for this purpose comprises an inner cylinder 16 and an outer cylinder 15 being sealingly connected at both ends such as by welding and being provided with at least one pipe 3 (not shown in Figs. 8-10) for the purpose of pressurizing the power jack. The outer cylinder 15 is suitably provided with outer strengthen- 0 ing flanges 17 and the inner cylinder 16 is suitably provided with inwardly protruding acute shaped cams 18 at least along selected portion thereof. The inner cylinder 16 furthermore comprises outer grooves 4 along selected portions in the axial direction, thereby partly weakening the material of the inner 5 cylinder 16, partly creating a space for receipt of redundant material from the inner cylinder 16 during the shrinkage operation. The fluid used may be water or oil and preferably a plastic material in a liquid form when being injected through the 0 pipe 3 under high pressure, thereafter curing and hardening to maintain or even increase a permanent high pressure from the outer cylinder 15 to the inner cylinder 16 and further to the pipes 13 and 14. In a further embodiment the diaphragm power jack 5 according to the present invention also may be used to sealingly connect two pipes having different outer diameters, the outer and inner cylinders 15 and 16 thereby being manufactured correspon¬ dingly and preferably comprising two separated interface, each having slots 4.

Claims: Patent Claims .1. Method for increasing the distance between tw faces, CHARACTERIZED IN inserting into a space between the tw faces a diaphragm power jack, the shape of which being adapte to the shape of the space, the diaphragm power jack comprisin two abutting sheets being sealingly bonded along the entir circumference, a pipe penetrating the bonded, injecting pressurized fluid through the pipe to the interface between th two sheets thereby forcing the sheets apart whereby substantiall all the energy from the pressurized fluid being converted t forces perpendicularly to the sheets. 2. Method according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN th diaphragm power jack having the shape of a circular arch fo insertion into a circumferential groove in a concrete laye bonded to a pipe, the diaphragm power jack loosening a sectio of the concrete layer being divided from the rest of the concret layer by axial grooves, when the axial shearing forces exceed the bonding force between the concrete section and the pipe thereby to remove the concrete layer from the pipe. 3. Method according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED I inserting a circular arch shaped diaphragm power jack between tw flanges to be removed from each other, injecting a pressurize fluid into the interface between sheet thereby forcing th flanges apart. 4. Method according for increasing the distance betwee two faces, CHARACTERIZED IN inserting into a diaphragm power jac in the shape of a cylinder, two substantially abutting pipes, th inner diameter of the power jack substantially corresponding wit the outer diameter of the pipes, injecting a pressurized flui into the interface between the two cylinder shaped sheets of th diaphragm power jack, of which the outer sheet is substantiall reinforced to withstand an increasing pressure and the inne sheet is adapted to assume a smaller diameter by shrinking to th outer diameter of the pipes and clamping with a prestressin force the pipes, thereby achieving a permanent pipe connection 5. Method according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED IN th pipes having different diameters, the interface between the two sheets of the diaphragm power jack being divided into two separate interface areas, each of which being provided with a pipe for injection of pressurized fluid. 6. Method according to claim 4 and 5, CHARACTERIZED IN the fluid being a plastic material which upon injection into the interface between the sheets will cure and preferably increases its volume thereby additionally increasing the prestressing force. 7. Diaphragm power jack for forcing two faces apart, CHARACTERIZED IN two abutting sheets, preferably made of steel, being sealingly bonded along the entire circumference, a pipe penetrating the bonded edge for injection of a pressurized fluid to the interface between the two sheets. 8. Diaphragm power jack according to claim 7, CHARAC¬ TERIZED IN the power jack having the shape of a circular arch for insertion into a groove having a width substantially correspon¬ ding with the thickness of the diaphragm power jack, for the purpose of widening the groove by injection of pressurized fluid. 9. Diaphragm power jack according to claim 8, CHARAC¬ TERIZED IN the power jack having the shape of a cylinder comprising two abutting sheets each having a cylinder shape and being sealingly bonded at the axial ends, at least one pipe penetrating the bonded edge to allow for injection of pressurized fluid into the interface between the sheet cylinders.

Inventors: KNUTSEN HANS, KNUTSEN, HANS
Applicants: KNUTSEN HANS, KNUTSEN, HANS
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B66F3
IPC codes: B25B5, F16L13, F16L23