AGRICULTURAL DRIP TAPE

Abstract: Drip tape (10) for below or above ground irrigation includes a sheet of material (12) formed into a tube by overlapping opposite side edges of the sheet and bonding the side edges along a longitudinal seam thereby forming a primary flow path. A strip of transparent material (18) is bonded to an interior surface of the sheet prior to seaming, at a location remote from the longitudinal seam so as to define, in combination with the tape wall, a plurality of secondary flow paths within the primary flow path.

Description: AGRICULTURAL DRIP TAPE TECHN ICAL FIELD This invention relates to agricultural irrigation and specifically, to a drip tape or hose construction for below or above ground drip or trickle irrigation svstems B \C GROUND Drip irrigation hose or tape has been available now for several years Typically, agricultural drip tapes are formed from relatively thin, flexible, continuous plastic strips folded e: and seamed along a longitudinal edge to establish a pπmary flow path One or more secondary flow paths are typically formed within the primary flow path fixing discrete emitter devices along the length of the tape or hose, or by appi\ ing parallel strips of plastic material within the hose interior (for example, in the area of the longitudinal edge overlap to form a secondan, flow path It is general!} the case that the primary flow path is connected to the water supply with mlets and outlets to and from the secondary flow path, so that water flows from tne primary path to the secondary flow path, and then out of the drip tape in a controlled fashion Some tape constructions turbulence inducing regions in the secondary flow path to prevent clogging and reduce the sensitivitv of the flow rate to pressure changes Drip irrigation hoses or tapes are w ell represented in the patent literature, and examples ma\ be found in U S Patent Nos 3,870,236 3,896,999, 4,009,832, 4,247 051 , 4,430 020, & 473 191 , 4,S74, 132, 4 880, 167, 4,984 739, 5, 163.622. 5 181 532, 5 203 503 5 20 ^ .386 5,2S2,57S, and 5.333,793 Despite the wealth of innov ativ e drip irrigation technology significant areas of concern remain relating to reliability and cost For drip tape to be effective and commerciall} \ table, it is essential that the secondan flow path not become clogged ith solid matter in the water supply, or bv outside debris blocking the outlets At the same time, to be commercially viable drip tape must be economical to manufacture DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present inv ention relates to a new and improved drip tape construction which offers adv antages not found in the drip tape constructions of which we are presently aware In the exemplar)' embodiment, continuous lengths of plastic sheet or film are extruded at a predetermined thickness, while at the same time, a plastic hot melt bead is deposited along what will become the interior surface of the dπp tape in a location remote from the subsequently formed erlapped edge seam During the extrusion of the hot melt bead, and just prior to deposition on the sheet itself, the bead may be pre-formed bv means of, for example a patterned roller, so as to form a plurality of discrete secondary flow paths arranged in end-to-end relationship along the length of the hot melt bead The sheet is thereafter cut, if necessary, then folded and seamed along overlapped edges to form a tubular drip tape Each secondary flow path has a secondary flow channel including inlet, turbulence inducing, and outlet regions, all of which are formed embossing or otherwise impressing a pattern of recesses and/or depressions on one side of the hot melt bead The pattern side of the bead is applied face down on the sheet so that the sheet wall itself closes the secondary flow channel except for a plurality of inlets formed in the bead at longitudinally spaced locations along the inlet region These inlets are arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of he tape ana thus also perpendicular to the secondan flow cnannel In the exemplarv embodiment the mlets are located on both sides of the secondan flow channel, in longitudinallv spaced relationship, with the inlets on one side of the secondan flow channel offset longitudinallv with respect to the mlets on the opposite side of the secondary flow channel In this exemplan embodiment the inlet region extends well ov er half the total length of the secondary flow path but this dimensional relationship mav v an The inlet region leads to a turbulence inducing region formed bv a series of peaks and v allevs on opposite sides of the secondary flow channel, in longitudinallv. offset relationship so that the peaks on one side of the seconαarv flow channel in this region project tow ards the v allevs on the opposite siαe of the flow channel The peaks projecting from both sides of the secondary flow channel lie along a line through the center of the secondan flow channel in the exemplan embodiment thus creating a tortuous path which induces turbulence m the secondan flow path It is this turbulence that dissipates energv and creates zero or near zero pressure discharge to atmosphere The turbulence also prev ents clogging of the secondan' flow path bv αebπs or other solid impurities within the pπman w ater supply Downstream of the turbulence inducing region, an outlet region is provided w hich communicates with an elongated slit in the tape wall which allows the water in the secondary flow path to escape m a controlled drip-like fashion The outlet region, or resenoir is other ise ax ally closed in the downstream direction, thus isolating the path from the inlet region of the next adjacent dow nstream secondary flow path and thus also forcing all water to exit v ia the elongated slit in the tape wall One significant feature of this inv ention is that the secondan flow path is formed of substantially transparent or at least translucent mateπal which allows the user to inspect the tape for clogging This inspection can occur simply by removing an axial section of the drip tape and cutting it longitudinally so that the user may then fold the tape open to inspect the secondary flow path Another feature of the invention resides in the geometry of the secondary flow path in general and the turbulence inducing region in particular, as described in greater detail further hereinbelow In its broader aspects the invention relates to agricultural drip irrigation tape comprising a tubular member defining a primary flow path, a substantially transparent strip member secured to a surface of the tubular member and defining at least one secondary flow path, at least one inlet fiom the primary flow path to the secondary flow path, and at least one outlet from the secondary flow path to atmosphere In another aspect, the present invention relates to drip tape for below (and/or above) ground irrigation comprising an elongated flexible tubular member forming a primary flow path, an elongated substantially transparent strip secured to an interior surface of the tubular member, the strip formed to mclude at least one secondan' flow path, a plurality of inlets in the strip connecting the primary flow path to the secondary flow path, and an outlet in the tubular member connecting the secondary flow path to atmosphere In another aspect the invention relates to agricultural drip tape comprising a tubular member defining a primary fiow path, a strip member secured to a surface of the tubular member and defining, with the tubular member a secondary flow path having a flow channel therein, the secondary flow path including axially aligned inlet, turbulence inducing and outlet regions, wherein the inlet region comprises a plurality of inlet openings formed in opposite sides of the strip perpendicular to the flow channel, with inlets on one side longitudinallv offset from inlets on the other side and at least one outlet from the secondary flow path to atmosphere In still another aspect, the invention relates to drip tape for below ground (and/or above ground) irrigation comprising a sheet of material formed into a tube by o erlapping opposite side edges of the strip and bonding the side edges along a longitudinal seam thereby forming a pπmary flow path a strip of mateπal bonded to an interior surface of he tube at a location remote from the longitudinal seam the strip of material and the sheet of material defining a pluralitv of secondan flow paths withm tne pπman flow path hav ing a radially inner w all defined in part by a reduced thickness portion of the strip and a radiallv outer all defined by the tube each secondan flow path including an inlet region, a turbulence inducing region and an outlet region the inlet region including a plurality of inlets on opposite sides of the second strip connecting the primary flow path to the secondary flow path upstream of the turbulence inducing region, the outlet region including an outlet in the tube connecting the secondan flow path to atmosphere dow nstream of the turbulence inducing region Additional objects and advantages of he subject invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows BRTEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAW INGS FIGURE 1 is a cross section of a drip tape construction in accordance with an exemplan embodiment of the in ention, FIGURE 2 is a view of the drip tape shown in Figure 1, but in a partially flattened condition, FIGURE 3 is a partial plan v lew of a secondan' flow path strip located interiorlv of the tube in Figure 1 , FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detail 4 taken from Figure 3 FIGURE 5 is a cross section taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 4 and also showing the exterior tube wall, FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detail 6 taken from Figure 3, FIGURE 7 is an enlarged detail 7 taken from Figure 3 , and FIGURE 8 is an enlarged detail 8 taken from Figure 3 BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INλΕNTION Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a drip tape configuration in accordance with the inv ention is shown generally at 10 and includes a flexible plastic sheet or film 12 with opposite longitudinal edges 14 and 16 overlapped and bonded (by, for example adhesive or by heat sealing) to form a tubular tape or hose with a smgle longitudinal seam A longitudinally oriented strip of plastic material 18 is applied to the inner surface of the tape at a location remote from the o erlapped seam The tape itself forms a primary flow path P, while the strip 18 is pre¬ formed to define a plurality of axially aligned secondary flow paths P : (see Figures 3) described further below The secondary flow paths extend along and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tape Generally, water flows into the secondan flow paths from the pπmary flow path through laterally oriented mlets in both side walls of the strip 18 (see arrows " A") Water exits the secondary flow paths to atmosphere through longitudinally oriented slits formed in the tape wall (see arrows "B") Turning now to Figures 3-8 the details of the secondary flow paths w ill 5 be described The strip 18 in the prefened embodiment may be provided m the form of an extruded hot melt plastic bead hav ing a width of about 0 25", deposited (and bonded) on the "inside surface of the sheet 12, prior to seaming the overlapped ends 14 and 16 The be-d mav be preformed prior to deposit on sheet 12, by, for example extruding r e bead onto a roller hich subsequentlv 10 meshes w ith a second patterned roller r form the indiv idual secondary flow paths along the bead Thereafter, the bead is deposited onto the sheet surface where it is bonded via the heat of the cεad Tooling may be arranged so that the pre-formed bead is deposited on the sheet as the latter exits its own extrusion die Of course, other plastic forming methods mav be employed as well 15 In the exemplary embodiment re pattern which is embossed or pressed into one side of the strip 18 is best seer n Figure 3 The pattern defines a plurality of secondary flow paths P : P__ P :t . etc , in discrete longitudinal segments, e g , about every 12" along e length of the bead or strip It will be 20 appreciated, however, that the seconαan flow paths may be spaced at other intenals, e g , 4", 8", 12", 24", 36", etc Each secondary flow path (one shown in Figure 3) has three distinct regions - ar inlet region 20, a turbulence inducing region 22 and an outlet region 24, all v uhm a secondary flow channel 26 running longitudinally or axially through the regions, with a depth of about 25 0 015" With specific reference to Figures 3 and 6, tne inlet region 20 of secondary flow path P 2 begins at a che -on-shaped end 28, adjacent an isolated chevron 2S', thus providing a clear line of demarcation between flow path P : and the outlet region 30 of he immediatelv preceding flow path P 2a The inlet region extends for well over half of the length dimension of the flow path (I e , about 9" in the exemplary embodiment, but this dimensional relationship mav vary) and includes a plurality of laterally disposed longitudinally spaced inlets 32 on one side of the strip 18 and a similar number of like inlets 34 on the other side of the strip 18 The inlets 32 on one side of the bead are longitudinallv offset from the mlets 32 on the opposite side of the bead thus insuring continuous bead contact with the tape wall The mlets 32 34 extend perpendicularlv to the secondan flow channel 26 and hence also to the longitudinal axis of the tape Each inlet has a width dimension of about 0 018' , and the inlets on cither side are spaced apart bv about 0 25" Axially downstream of the inlet region 20, there is formed the turbulence inducing region 22 which is best seen in Figure 8 This region, which extends a distance of about 1 9" in the exemplary embodiment has no inlets or outlets other than at the front and back thereof as defined bv the flow channel 26, and describes a tortuous path designed to cause turbulent flow which prevents clogging and which dissipates flow energy to create a zero or near zero discharge of water to atmosphere through the outlets described below The path is formed bv a series of asy mmetrically arranged arcs laterally opposed but longitudinally offset from one another, such that pointed peaks 36 project from one side of the channel 26 mto valleys 38 between similarly pointed peaks 40 on the other side of the flow channel More specifically, each "valley" is composed of at least two different radii drawn from different centers (laterally offset from the channel centerline and slightly axially offset as well) As shown in Figure 1 , R,, for example, may be 0 0400" and R 2 may be 0 0306" Each valley has a maximum depth of about 0 0281 inch as measured approximately from the centerline of tne flow channel It is further pointed out that, in the illustrated embodiment all of the peaks 36 and 40 lie on a horizontal lme extending through the center of the secondary flow channel 26 The peak-to-peak dimension on each side of the secondary flow channel is about 0 077" while the peak-to-peak dimension of adjacent peaks (alternating sides) is about 0 038 ' The width dimension of the turbulence inducing region 22 now here exceeds the width of the inlet region 20 It is also noted that the relatively larger radius Rj essentially creates a straight line at about a 40° angle to the longitudinal axis of the tape Here again the specific dimensions and geometrical relationship mav v an/ Running along the turbulence region 22 are grooves G,, G 2 which extend the full length of the region 22 on opposite sides of the flow channel 26 These groov es G ! G_ along with che ron 28 and the general arrangement of mlets 32 34 (on opposite sides of the channel 26) are employed to insure uniform distribution of material during the pre-formmg of the hot melt bead and to improve the definition of the geometn in the turbulent region In other words, the groov es insure complete "filling ' of the geometry in the turbulent region and make the path integrity much less sensitiv e to slight variations in the output of the extruder that applies the hot melt bead 1 S Uniformity is particularly important in that bulges or other surface discontinuities are prevented which might otherwise negativ ely impact on the integπtv of the seal betw een the strip 1 8 and the tape 12 particularly as it relates to the flow channel 26 and the isolation of the secondan' flow paths from each other Downstream of the turbulence inducing region 22 is the outlet region or resen oir 24 which is formed by smooth channel side walls 42, 44 and which terminates at a closed, pointed end 46 adjacent the chev ron 28 of the next adjacent flow path P 2b The outlet portion or region of flow path 26 has a greater idth dimension than the inlet region 20 (e g , 0 0800' as compared to 0 0566' ), and a length of about 1 " Water exits the outlet region 26 (of each secondary flow path) bv means of a single elongated slit 4S m the wall of the tape 12 centrally located within the region 24 The slit 48 has a length dimension of about 0 45 ' It will be appreciated that Figures 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 show the strip I S in plan, with the open pattern facing upwardly It is this face of the strip 18 which is bonded to the interior surface of the sheet 12, so that the secondan flow path 26 is closed along the radially outermost face of the tape Accordingly ater can enter the secondary flow channel 26 of each path P 2 only through mlets 32 34 and can exit only v ia the slit 48 W ith reference to Figure 5 it mav be seen that the thickness of the sheet 12 is essentially equal to the bead thickness T in the flow channel 26 In other words, as shown in Figure 5, the radially inner and outer walls of he flow path 26 are of substantially the same thickness e g , 0 010 inch, such that water pressure changes hav e little or no impact on the cross sectional sizes of the primary and secondary flow paths As already noted the sheet 18 is preferably transparent (or at least translucent) so that the user can inspect the tape for clogging This inspection is accomplished bv simply remov ing an axial section of the tape of few inches or more in length and then cutting the remov ed section longitudinallv so that the strip 18 is clearly v isible Later, a plain length of tape, or similar drip tape section, can be spliced into place In the illustrated embodiment of the inv ention, the sheet 12 is formed of a blend of commercially available polyethy lenes It should be understood that all dimensions and materials recited herein are exemplary only and may be varied depending on circumstances and objectiv es For example, it is well w ithin the skill of the art to engineer material blends (with or without additiv es) which will meet requirements for specific end use applications While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS 1 Dnp tape for below or above ground irrigation comprising an elongated flexible tubular member forming a primary flow path, an elongated substantially transparent strip secured to an interior surface of said tubular member, said strip formed to mclude at least one secondary flow path, a plurality of inlets in said strip connecting said pπman flow path to said secondan flow path and an outlet in said tubular member connecting said secondary flow path to atmosphere 2 The drip tape of claim 1 wherein a plurality of said secondary flow paths are formed in said strip, m longitudinally spaced axially aligned relationship 3 The drip tape of claim 2 wherein each secondary flow path is formed w ith discrete axially aligned inlet, turbulence inducing and outlet regions, with a secondary flow channel extending through said regions 4 The drip tape of claim 3 wherein a plurality of inlets are formed in opposite side walls of the strip in longitudinally offset relationship 5 The dnp tape of claim 4 wherein said inlets extend perpendicular to said secondan' flow path 6 The drip tape cf claim 4 wherem said outiet region includes an outlet formed in said tubular member The drip tape of claim 6 w herein said outlet comprises a single elongated slit 8 The drip tape of claim 3 wherein said inlet region extends for at least half the length dimension of said secondan flow path 9 The drip tape of claim 3 wherein said turbulence inducing region comprises a series of peaks and valleys formed m opposite side walls of said secondary flow path with peaks on one side projecting towards valleys on the other side 10 The drip tape of claim 9 wherein peaks on opposite side walls he along a longitudinal axis of the tape 1 1 The drip tape of claim 9 wherem each valley is formed by different radii hav ing different centers 12 Drip tape for below or abov e ground irrigation comprising a sheet strip of material formed into a tube by overlapping opposite side edges of said strip and bonding said side edges along a longitudinal seam thereby forming a pπmary flow path, a strip of material bonded to an interior surface of said tube at a location remote from said longitudinal seam, said strip of material and said sheet of material defining a plurality of secondary flow paths within said primary flow path having a radially inner wall defined in part by a reduced thickness portion of said strip and a radially outer wall defined by said tube, each secondary flow path including an inlet region, a turbulence inducing region and an outlet region, said inlet region including a plurality of inlets on opposite sides of said strip connecting said primary flow path to said secondary flow path upstream of said turbulence inducing region; said outlet region including an outlet in said tube connecting said secondary flow path to atmosphere downstream of said turbulence inducing 13. The drip tape of claim 12 wherein said strip is substantially transparent. 14. The drip tape of claim 12 vvherein a plurality of inlets on opposite side walls of the strip are longitudinally offset relationship. 15. The drip tape of claim 12 wherein said inlets extend perpendicular to said secondary flow path. 16. The drip tape of claim 12 vvherein said outlet region includes an outlet formed in said tube. 17. The drip tape of claim 12 wherein said outlet comprises a single elongated slit. 18. The drip tape of claim 12 wherein said inlet region extends for at least half the length dimension of said secondary flow path. 19. The drip tape of claim 12 wherein said turbulence inducing region comprises a series of peaks and valleys formed in opposite side walls of said secondary flow path, with peaks on one side projecting towards valleys on the other side. 20 The dnp tape of claim 19 w herein peaks on opposite side walls he along a longitudinal axis of the tape 21 The drip tape of claim 20 w herein each valley is formed by different radii having different centers 22 The drip tape of claim 1 wherein said strip is provided with means for enhancing uniform distribution of material durmg formation of the secondan flow path 23 The drip tape of claim 13 w herem said transparent strip is provided with means for enhancing uniform distribution of material durmg formation of the secondary flow path 24 Agricultural dnp irrigation tape comprising a tubular member defining a prim n flow path, a substantially transparent strip member secured to a surface of said tubular member and defining at least one secondary flow path, at least one inlet from said prim an flow path to said secondary flow path, and at least one outlet from said secondary flow path to atmosphere 25 Agricultural drip tape comprising a tubular member defining a pπmary flow path, a strip member secured to a surface of said tubular member and defining, with said tubular member, a secondary flow path having a flow channel therein, said secondary flow path including axiallv aligned inlet, turbulence inducing and outlet regions, wherein said inlet region comprises a plurality of inlet openings formed in opposite sides of said strip, perpendicular to said flow channel, with inlets on one side longitudinally offset from inlets on the other side; and at least one outlet from said secondary flow path to atmosphere

Inventors: HARROLD CHARLES R, MEYER LARRY P, PERKINS LELAND A, HARROLD, CHARLES, R., MEYER, LARRY, P., PERKINS, LELAND, A.
Applicants: NELSON IRRIGATION CORP, NELSON IRRIGATION CORPORATION
Application year: 1996
Main classification: E02B13
IPC codes: A01G25, E02B13