BASE OF A GULLY

Abstract: Base (1) of a gully which is to be placed in the ground, to which base one or more pipes (6) can be connected, for draining away liquid which enters the base via a gully opening and/or for guiding through liquid which reaches the base (1) via one or more pipes (6) connected to the base to one or more further pipes which are connected to the base. The base has a base wall (2) and an outer circumferential wall (3), one or more pipe connection sockets (7) being provided in the outer circumferential wall, each for connecting a pipe (6) to an internal liquid-conveying chamber of the base. At least one of the pipe connection sockets is pivotably connected to the outer circumferential wall of the base via a pivot joint (10).

Description: Base of a gully The invention relates to S—^ase of a gully which is to be placed in the ground, to which gully base one or more pipes can be connected, for draining away liquid which enters the gully base via a gully opening and/or for guiding through liquid which reaches the gully base via one or more pipes connected to the gully base to one or more further pipes which are connected to the gully base. Gullies with a gully base of this nature are often used in sewage and rainwater drainage systems. The gully may, for example, be a street inlet with a gully opening which is protected by a (pivotable) cover which is often in the form of a grate on the top side, although the gully may also, for example, be a large inspection gully with a manhole on the top side and a tubular shaft between the manhole and the gully base, which provides space for the person carrying out the inspection. It is known for both the street inlets and the inspection gullies to be made largely or completely f om plastics material . The base may be integral with the remainder of the gully, for example may be made entirely from plastic, but may also be a separate component which is combined with other components to form a gully. The gullies described above, and in particular their gully bases, are produced in a large number of different designs in order to have a suitable gully base for numerous different connection situations. In this case, a connection situation is determined in particular by the number of pipes which are to be connected and the position of the pipes with respect to the gully. In practice, the known gully bases, even if their design is adapted to the particular connection situation, have not proven altogether satisfactory. In particular, in practice it has been found that the position of the pipes often deviates somewhat from the intended position. Consequently, it is easy to imagine that if it is desired for two pipes which lie in line with one another to be connected to pipe connection sockets of a gully base which lie diametrically opposite one another, these pipes may not in actual fact lie in line with one another. In order, in such a case, to still allow the pipes to be connected, it is known for the pipe connection sockets of the gully bases to be provided with very flexible internal sealing rings into which the pipes can be fitted. The flexibility of these sealing rings then allows the misalignment of the pipes to be compensated for. However, this solution has not proven suitable. One reason for this is that a pipe which fits into a sealing ring of this nature at an angle will compress the said sealing ring considerably on one side, but scarcely or not at all on the opposite side. Consequently, there is a possibility of leakage past that part of the sealing ring which is scarcely compressed, for example as a result of roots of plants and trees pushing the sealing ring away at that location. Another reason why the known bases with highly flexible sealing rings for the pipes are unsuitable is that when a drainage system is laid, it is usually calculated that the gully will support the pipes which are to be connected thereto. The high flexibility of the sealing rings may, for example, result in the problem of the pipe not being laid at the correct slope. The publication BETON + FERTIGTEIL TECHNIK, part 61, No 1, 1 January 1995, has disclosed a base according to the preamble of claim 1. In that known base, the connection for a pipe is provided with a ball joint. In this case, part of the ball joint is arranged fixedly on the circumferential wall of the base, and the other part is a pipe connection socket with an insertion opening for a pipe which is to be connected to the gully. The ball joint permits pivoting through an angle of 15° in all directions between the pipe and the axis of the fixed part of the pivot joint. A drawback of this known base is that the pivot joint is only able to withstand a low tensile load, with the consequent risk of the pipe connection socket coming out of the fixed part of the pivot joint. A further problem is that in practice the diameter and the wall thickness of the pipes which are to be connected may vary. In the known base, it is then necessary to use a dimensionally adapted pivot joint each time, and consequently it is necessary for the entire pivot joint to be removable from the circumferential wall of the base. This is undesirable. Also, it is desirable for the flow path for the liquid, i.e. the bottom area of the channel through which the liquid flows, to be as flat as possible and to be free from obstacles even in the event of the dimensions of the pipes which are to be connected differing. The known pivot joint does not offer any solution to this problem. The object of the present invention is to eliminate the abovementioned problems and to provide a gully base which provides sufficient freedom in practice to position the pipe or pipes with respect to the gully base while avoiding any leakage problems. A further object of the invention is to provide a gully base which is easy to produce, and also to allow ease of handling and positioning of the base and of connection of the pipe or pipes. A further object of the invention is to provide a base which avoids obstacles in the flow path for the liquid. For this purpose, the invention provides a gully base according to claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments of the gully base according to the invention are described in the subclaims and the following description with reference to the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a plan view, partially in section, of a first exemplary embodiment of a gully base according to the invention, Fig. 2 shows the gully base from Figure 1 in vertical section, Fig. 3 shows a side view, in the direction of arrow P in Figure 2 , of the pipe connection socket and its pivotable connection, Fig. 4 shows a view, in the direction of arrow P2 in Figure 5, of the removable pivot guide part, Fig. 5 shows the pivot guide part in section on line A-A in Figure 4 , Fig. 6 shows the pivot guide part in section on line B-B in Figure 4 , Fig. 7 shows a plan view of the pivot guide part from Figures 4-6, Fig. 8 shows a plan view, partially in section, of a second exemplary embodiment of a base according to the invention, with the pipe connection sockets omitted, Fig. 9 shows a cross section on line A-A in Figure 8, Fig. 10 shows a cross section on line B-B in Figure 9, Fig. 11 shows an enlarged view of the area of the pipe connection, corresponding to an illustration of the left-hand side of Figure 8, Fig. 12 shows an enlarged view of the area of the pipe connection, corresponding to the illustration of the left-hand side from Figure 9, Fig. 13 shows a view, in the direction of arrow C in Figure 14, of the pipe connection socket associated with the base shown in Figures 8-12, Fig. 14 shows the pipe connection socket in section on line A-A in Figure 13, Fig. 15 shows the pipe connection socket in section on line B-B in Figure 13, Fig. 16 shows an enlarged view of a partial cross section through the pipe connection socket, and Fig. 17 shows the attachment component of the pipe connection socket of the base shown in Figures 11-16, partially in cross section. Figures 1 and 2 show a gully base 1, which is made from plastic, of a gully which is to be placed in the ground. Two pipes can be connected to this gully base 1, at right angles to one another. These pipes and the gully form part, for example, of a sewage or rainwater drainage system. The gully may be provided with a gully opening, for example with a grate-like pivoting cover on the top side of the gully, through which rainwater can enter the base 1 and is drained away via one of the pipes . The other pipe may then form the connection to a gully located further away. The gully base 1 has a base wall 2 and an outer circumferential wall 3, which in this example is substantially cylindrical. At the bottom edge of the circumferential wall 3, there is a covering plate 4 which closes off the space 5 beneath the base wall 2 formed. A pipe connection socket 7 is provided in the cicumferential wall 3 for connection of each of the pipes 6, one of which is shown in Figure 1. This pipe connection socket 7 connects the pipe 6 to the internal liquid-conveying chamber 8 of the gully base 1, which in this case comprises a connecting gutter which is delimited by the base wall 2 formed, is bent at right angles and is open at the top. The pipe connection socket 7 is in this case pivotably connected to the outer circumferential wall 3 of the gully base 1 via a pivot joint 10 which is provided with a passage for liquid. An annular part 11 is formed integrally in the circumferential wall 3 at the connection opening for a pipe. The part 11 delimits an internal annular first bearing surface 14, which first bearing surface 14 forms a ring segment of a spherical surface (with radius Rl) and is such that its internal diameter increases outwards . At or near its free end facing towards the circumferential wall 3, the pipe connection socket 7 has a section 12. The free end part 15 of the section 12 bears against the first bearing surface 14 of the part 11 of the circumferential wall 3 in any pivoted position of the pipe connection socket. The end part 15 is provided with an elastic sealing ring 16 which bears against the first bearing surface 14 of the part 11 in such a way as to form a seal. The pivot joint shown in Figures 1 and 2 is designed in such a way that the pivoting movement of the pipe connection socket 7 with respect to the circumferential wall 3 is substantially limited to a single plane, transversely with respect to the circumferential wall. This is done in this case in particular to ensure that the base 1 provides support for the pipes 6 connected thereto in the vertical direction. The circumferential wall 3 is furthermore provided with a fixed, annular wall part 13 which projects outwards in part, is positioned around the pipe connection socket 7 and has a larger diameter than the pipe connection socket 7 which fits into it. An annular attachment component 20, which is shown in detail in Figures 4-7, is arranged releasably in the projecting section of the wall part 13. The attachment component 20 on the one hand is used to attach the pipe connection socket 7 to the circumferential wall, and on the other hand forms part of the pivot joint. At a distance towards the outside with respect to the first bearing surface 14, the part 20 forms a passage opening 21 for the connection socket 7, this passage opening 21 in one direction, in this case the vertical direction, being of substantially the same size as the external diameter of that section of the connection socket 7 which fits through it, and in a direction perpendicular to this direction, is of a diameter which is greater than the external diameter of that section of the connection socket 7 which fits through it. This ensures that the connection socket 7 can pivot substantially only in a horizontal plane, while a substantially smaller pivoting movement is possible in the vertical direction. The part 20 furthermore forms an internal annular second bearing surface 22 for the connection socket 7, which second bearing surface 22 is located on the outside with respect to the first bearing surface 14, and which second bearing surface 22 is a ring segment of a spherical surface (with radius R2) , which is arranged in such a manner that its internal diameter decreases outwards . The connection socket 7 bears against the second bearing surface 22 by way of two external circumferential ribs 23. It can be seen from the figures 1,2 that the radius (R2) of the spherical surface associated with the second bearing surface 22 is greater than the radius (Rl) of the spherical surface associated with the first bearing surface 14. The part 20 is provided with click-in fingers 25 which are located diametrically opposite one another and engage in associated recesses in the wall part 13. The click-in fingers 25 in this case form a releasable snap connection, although it is also possible for the click-in fingers to be such that a permanent connection is produced. On the pipe connection socket 7, there are also two pivots 26 which lie diametrically opposite one another and project outwards. These pivots 26 each fit into an associated curved slot-like recess 27 in the part 20, the said slot-like recesses being positioned vertically above one another. In this way, the substantially vertical pivot axis is defined, and the pipe connection socket 7 is also prevented from rotating about its axis. Figure 2 also shows that the circumferential wall 3 of the gully base 1 is provided, at its top free end, with a supporting edge 28 for another component of the gully, in particular a shaft element, to be placed thereon. The outer circumferential wall 3 is also provided with reinforcement ribs 29 which extend around it. In this example, the pipe connection socket 7 is a simple insertion socket in which the pipe 6 is adhesively bonded in place. In this case, the transition to part 12 forms a stop for the insertion depth of the pipe. However, the pipe insertion socket 7 may also be of different design, for example may be provided with one or more internal sealing rings for a pipe to be inserted in a sealed manner. In the base according to the invention, any transitions in the wall of the flow passage for the liquid are preferably gradual, in particular sharp transition edges are avoided, in order in this way to ensure that there can be no settling of dirt, sand or other items, such as for example sticks and leaves, which are present in the liquid. The gully base is furthermore preferably designed in such a manner that, where two gullies are arranged at a distance from one another, connected by a pipe, it is possible to visually inspect the pipe from the gullies. In the case of a large gully, this visual inspection can be carried out by a person who has been lowered into the gully, while in the case of relatively small gullies it can be carried out, for example, using a type of periscope. Figures 8-12 show a second exemplary embodiment of a base 100 according to the invention, which is made from plastic, of a gully which is to be placed in the ground. Pipes can be connected to this base 100 at two diametrically opposite locations . The base 100 has a bottom wall 102 and an outer circumferential wall 103. In the inside of the base element 100, the bottom wall 102 forms a connecting gutter 104 which is open at the top . A pivotably arranged pipe connection socket 105 is provided in the circumferential wall 103 at each end of the connecting gutter 104, in order for a pipe to be connected to the base 100. These pipe connection sockets 105 are omitted in Figures 8-12, for the sake of clarity. Figures 13-16 show the pipe connection socket in detail. Each pipe connection socket 105 is attached to the circumferential wall 103 with the aid of an annular attachment component 108. The said component 108 is shown in detail in Figure 17, but is omitted in the other figures. At the connection opening for a pipe, an annular part 110 is formed integrally in the circumferential wall 103. The part 110 delimits an internal, annular first bearing surface 114, which first bearing surface 114 forms a ring segment of a spherical surface (with radius Rl) and is such that its internal diameter increases outwards . On or near its free end facing towards the circumferential wall 103, the pipe connection socket 105 has an end part 112 which interacts with the part 110 and is provided with an external annular sealing surface 115, which bears against the first bearing surface 114 of the part 110 of the circumferential wall 103 in a sealing manner in any pivoted position of the pipe connection socket 105. Particularly in the area of the sealing surface 115, the end part 112 may be of slightly flexible design and may be produced, for example, from a different material from the rest of the pipe connection socket 105. By way of example, the end part 112 may be made from a thermoplastic rubber, in which case the pipe connection socket 105 is preferably produced by means of the co-injection of suitable plastic materials. The sealing surface 115 is preferably designed as a ring segment of a spherical surface with a radius R2 which is virtually the same as the radius Rl of bearing surface 114. At the connection position for a pipe, the circumferential wall 103 is furthermore provided with an annular wall 120. The annular wall 120 has a greater internal diameter over its length than the radius Rl of the bearing surface 114, and in the fitted position of the base 100 the pipe connection socket 105 fits into the annular wall 120. In the vicinity of its free end, the annular wall 120 is provided with an attachment groove 121, into which the attachment component 108 can be click-fitted by means of an edge 122 thereof. The snap connection between the component 108 and the annular wall 120 is of the permanent type, which means that the connection can only be released through damaging the component 108. The annular wall 120 is not completely cylindrical on the inside and, on the inside, forms a ring segment 124 of a spherical surface of radius R3a, which radius R3a is greater than the radius Rl . In the ring segment 124, the internal diameter increases outwards with respect to the centre of the base. On the inside, the component 108 is provided with a ring segment 125 which forms part of a spherical surface of radius R3b. The radius R3b substantially corresponds to the radius R3a. If the component 108 is fitted in the circumferential wall 103, the ring segments 124 and 125 together form a second annular bearing surface of the circumferential wall 103, with a shape corresponding to a ring segment of a spherical surface of radius R3a, R3b. On its outer circumference, the pipe connection socket 105 is provided with a plurality of circumferential ribs 130. The radial end faces of these ribs 130 more or less delimit a ring segment of a spherical surface with radius R4, which radius R4 substantially corresponds to the radii R3a, R3b. In the fitted position, the pipe connection socket 105 bears against the ring segments 124, 125 by way of the said ribs 130, resulting in a ball joint. A sealing ring 132 is positioned between two ribs 130 and on the inside bears against a supporting rib 133. The pipe connection socket 105 may adopt a variable angular position in all directions with respect to the circumferential wall 103. In the embodiment illustrated, an angle of approximately 8° is possible with respect to the right- angled position. These pivoting options allow angular rotation of the pipes with respect to the gully in the event of the ground settling after the gully and the pipes have been installed, without this leading to undesirably high mechanical forces at the locations where the pipes are connected to the gully. As has been explained above, the pipe connection socket 105 is arranged releasably on the circumferential wall 103. This makes it possible to adapt the size of the pipe connection socket 105 to the size of the pipe which is to be connected. Preferably, a system is then also provided which comprises a base with a plurality of different pipe connection sockets, the sizes of the interacting parts of the circumferential wall and the pipe connection socket being identical in each case. This is because in practice pipes of different diameters and wall thicknesses are used for laying systems of pipes in the ground, in particular for drainage of rainwater and sewage water. Commonly used sizes are an external diameter of 280 millimetres with an internal diameter of 246 millimetres and an external diameter of 250 millimetres with an internal diameter of 235 or 220 millimetres. The invention allows the base to be suitable for connection to each of these sizes of pipes, in such a manner that there is no obstacle formed in the flow path of the liquid flowing through the pipe and the gully. To achieve this result, the centre axis 138 of the pipe insertion opening 139 of a pipe connection socket 105 is located eccentrically with respect to the centre of the radius R4. It can also be seen in Figure 14 that the centre of the radius R2 is vertically offset with respect to the centre of the radius R4. - li lt can be seen from Figure 12 that the centre of the radius R3a, and also of the radius R3b, is vertically offset with respect to the centre of the radius Rl . In combination with the pipe sizes referred to above as examples encountered in practice, the vertical offset is preferably 5.5 millimetres. This allows the following effect to be achieved: When connecting a pipe with an external diameter of 280 millimetres and an internal diameter of 246 millimetres, it is possible to use a pipe connection socket whose centre axis 138 coincides with the centre of the radius R3a. When connecting a pipe with an external diameter of 250 millimetres and an internal diameter of 235 millimetres, it is possible to use a pipe connection socket 105 whose centre axis 138 coincides with the centre of the radius Rl . When connecting a pipe with an external diameter of 250 millimetres and an internal diameter of 220 millimetres, it is possible to use a pipe connection socket whose centre axis is located 7.7 millimetres lower than the centre of the radius Rl . If there is a difference in height between the centre of the radius Rl, on the one hand, and the common centre of the radii R3a, R3b, as in the example shown, strictly speaking there is no longer a ball joint, but rather a pivoting joint with a vertical pivot axis. However, with the slight angular rotations which are intended here, play and marginal deformation of the components which bear against one another will also allow angular rotation of the pipe with respect to the gully about a horizontal axis. The flexibility of part 112 of the pipe connection socket contributes to this effect.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Base (1; 100) of a gully which is to be placed in the ground, to which base one or more pipes (6) can be connected, for draining away liquid which enters the base via a gully opening and/or for guiding through liquid which reaches the base via one or more pipes connected to the base to one or more further pipes which are, connected to the base, which base has a base wall (2; 102) and an outer circumferential wall (3; 103), which base furthermore comprises one or more pipe connection sockets (7; 105), each for connecting a pipe to the base, a pipe connection socket (7; 105) being pivotably connected, via a pivot joint (10), to the circumferential wall (3; 103) of the base (1; 100) , which pivot joint comprises an internal annular bearing surface (14; 114), which is provided on the circumferential wall (3; 103) and forms a ring segment of a spherical surface, and which pivot joint furthermore comprises an outer annular bearing surface, which is provided on the pipe connection socket, forms a ring segment of a spherical surface and bears against the internal annular bearing surface of the circumferential wall, characterized in that the circumferential wall (3; 103) is provided with an internal annular first bearing surface (14; 114) and with an internal annular second bearing surface (22; 124, 125), the first and second bearing surfaces each delimiting a ring segment of a spherical surface, the diameter (R2; R3a, R3b) of the spherical surface associated with the second bearing surface (22; 124, 125) being greater than the diameter (Rl; Rl) of the spherical surface associated with the first bearing surface (14; 114), the diameter of the first bearing surface increasing towards the outside and the diameter of the second bearing surface decreasing towards the outside, and the second bearing surface being located on the outside with respect to the first bearing surface, the bearing surface of the pipe connection socket bearing against the second bearing surface of the circumferential wall, and the pipe connection socket having a sealing surface (15; 115) , which in any pivoted position of the pipe connection socket bears against the first bearing surface (14; 114) of the circumferential wall. 2. Base according to claim 1, in which the second bearing surface (22; 124, 125) is formed at least in part by a separate attachment component (20; 108) which is designed to be arranged - after the pipe connection socket has been placed against the circumferential wall - on the circumferential wall, in such a manner that the pipe connection socket is pivotably secured to the circumferential wall. 3. Base according to claim 1 or 2, in which the pipe insertion socket (7; 105) has a cylindrical insertion opening for a pipe with an associated axis, and the centre of the external bearing surface of the pipe connection sleeve being located eccentrically with respect to the said axis. 4. Base according to claim 3, in which the centre of the spherical surface of the first bearing surface is vertically offset with respect to the centre of the spherical surface of the second bearing surface. 5. Base according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the pipe connection socket (105) is of flexible design in the area of the sealing surface (115) . 6. Base according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the pivot joint is designed in such a manner that the pivoting movement of the pipe connection socket with respect to the circumferential wall of the base is substantially or completely limited to a single plane. 7. Base according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the pivot joint is designed as a ball joint. 8. Base according to claim 2, in which the attachment component has a passage opening (21) for the pipe connection socket (7) , the passage opening, in one direction, being of substantially the same size as the external diameter of that section of the pipe connection socket (12) which fits through it, and in a direction which is perpendicular thereto being of a diameter which is greater than the external diameter of that section of the pipe connection socket which fits through it. 9. Base according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the pipe connection socket and the circumferential wall are coupled by means of two pivots (26) which lie diametrically opposite one another, in such a manner that the pipe connection socket can pivot in a plane defined by the pivots. 10. Base according to claim 2, in which the attachment component (20; 108) is fixed, via a snap connection (25; 121, 122), to the circumferential wall, which snap connection (121, 122) preferably creates a permanent attachment. 11. Base according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the circumferential wall (3; 103) of the base element is provided, at its top free end, with a supporting edge (28) for another component of the gully, in particular a shaft element, to be placed on. 12. Gully which is to be placed in the ground, provided with a base, which is arranged releasably thereon or is formed integrally thereon, according to one or more of the preceding claims.

Inventors: BESTEN MARKUS WILHELMUS JOHANN, VAN DIJK BEREND JAN, BESTEN, MARKUS, WILHELMUS, JOHANNES, VAN DIJK, BEREND, JAN
Applicants: BESTEN MARKUS WILHELMUS JOHANN, DIJK BEREND JAN VAN, WAVIN BV, BESTEN, MARKUS, WILHELMUS, JOHANNES, VAN DIJK, BEREND, JAN, WAVIN B.V.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: E03F5
IPC codes: E03F5