Composite sleeve-shaped sealing means

Abstract: Composite sleeve-shaped sealing means for the sealing of the annular space between two partly overlapping bodies (2,3) having walls of a different diameter, such as two pipes (2,3) or a line and a wall passage for it, in which the sealing means comprises a cylindrical casing composed of two or more similar longitudinal members (4) and an end flange (6) formed at one end of the casing (5), which are intended to be accommodated in the annular space and to be placed against the end edge of the widest pipe (2), respectively, the casing (5) at its outer surface being provided with a number of first circumferential ribs (7) spaced apart in axial direction, and at its inner surface being provided with a number of second circumferential ribs (8) spaced apart in axial direction, a final second circumferential rib (8a) being formed at said one end of the casing (5) at the inner circumference of the end flange (6), which rib substantially retains its shape.

Description: The invention relates to a sealing sleeve for sealing annular spaces which are formed at the location of the overlap of two bodies extending into each other and having a different diameter, such as for instance two different pipes. The situation in which a line, such as a pipe or a cable extends through a wider passage in for instance a floor or wall, is also a possibility here. In case of two different pipes which are in a fluid forwarding connection, these are usually used for transporting water, gas, oils, liquid chemicals etc. One of the pipes can for instance form a house connection and have a smaller diameter than the pipe which forms the main or which is a branch thereof. Contrary to what is the case in newly built buildings in a previously undeveloped area - where there is all the room for realising a house connection-, there is only very little working space in the ground near the building when making house connections in existing buildings. With such connections it is known to coaxially insert the narrow (house) pipe into the end of the wider main pipe and then to place a sealing plug consisting of two identical halves in the annular space formed. It does not matter here how far the narrow pipe extends into the wide pipe. A similar situation is present in walls of buildings, in particular foundation walls, floors but also roofs, in which by means of permanent synthetic pipe parts passages are left open in the poured concrete or after pouring wide passages are drilled out, after which the (continuing) lines, such as pipes for water or gas, or cables can be led through. The annular spaces between the line and the permanent pipe part or bore hole wall can later be closed off with the sealing plug consisting of two members. A sealing consisting of two halves or either a plug is easy to replace as well, when such should be necessary. From GB-A-2.032.015 or NL-A-79.09260 a composite sealing plug according to the preamble of claim 1 is known. Said plug, which is also commercially available, has a casing which on its outer surface has a series of integrally formed sharp, fin or saw tooth-shaped flexible circumferential profiles, and on the inner surface a series of integrally formed flat, low circumferential steps. The known sealing plug proved to function reasonably well in general. It appeared, however, that the pressures the plug is able to resist can be lower than desirable in certain uses. It may occur that because of the pressure of the ground material the plug is inserted too far into the annular space, after which the sealing is faulty. Also the sealing against the passage of water from outside the pipes to the inside may be insufficient. An object of the invention is to improve on at least some of these points. From one aspect the invention to that end provides an assembled sleeve-shaped sealing means as described in claim 1. With the abutment plane the final second circumferential rib forms a stable additional sealing of some length for a fluid leak along the narrow line to the outside of the flange and furthermore ensures early barrier of the (ground) moisture which may be in front of the end flange. Furthermore said second circumferential rib ensures stabilisation of the end flange as seen in a radial plane. Preferably said final second circumferential rib is substantially shape-retaining. Preferably the end plane of the end flange is formed a little conically sloping toward the outer edge, so that in case of a vertical arrangement no moisture accumulation can take place near the transition between the end flange and the line extending through it. Preferably the final second circumferential rib has an inclined plane facing the other end. Stability is further improved when the casing between the flange and the first circumferential rib situated in front of it has a larger thickness than in between the other first circumferential ribs. From another aspect the invention provides a sealing means of the kind mentioned in the preamble, which can be inserted more easily in the annular space. To that end it is provided that the other end of the casing is narrowed in relation to the rest of the casing and is substantially cylindrical. As a result of the narrowing the so-called other end is more complying than the rest of the casing. Moreover no material is used where it is not necessary. Preferably the narrowed portion extends from the other end to the next first circumferential rib. Insertion of the sealing means is improved when the primary first circumferential rib situated closest to the other end of the casing extends to a lower radial level in relation to the centre line of the cylindrical casing than the subsequent secondary first circumferential ribs. The insertion of the sealing means is further improved when the second circumferential rib situated closest to the other end of the casing is situated at a distance from said other end which is larger than the first circumferential rib situated closest to the other end. As a result the relatively flexible end part can by some tilting in the axial plane be urged against the inner pipe, which makes an inclined insertion possible. Preferably said second circumferential rib is at least almost radially aligned with the opposite secondary first circumferential rib. From a further aspect the invention provides a sealing means of the kind mentioned in the preamble, which at the location of the circumferential ribs realises an improved sealing. To that end it is provided that the first circumferential ribs are formed with a first axially oriented annular plane facing the other casing end, a second axially oriented annular plane facing the one end and a radially oriented outer surface connecting these planes to each other, in which the second annular surface extends radially beyond the first annular plane. Thus each first circumferential rib forms a kind of flexible radial flange, which after bending counter to the direction of insertion is sealingly clamped with the radial outer surface against the inner surface of the widest pipe. Preferably the radially oriented outer surface comprises an inclined portion facing the other end, which after said bending abuts the inner surface of the widest pipe. The seating is improved here when the radial outer surface has a substantially convex shape in axial cross-section. Sealing against the outer surface of the narrowest pipe is improved when at least some of the second circumferential ribs form a convex radially oriented inner surface. Preferably the sealing means according to the invention is made from a synthetic rubber, including gas and water sealing rubbers, such as EPDM, oil resistant rubbers, fire retardant rubbers, cold or warm temperature resistant rubbers and/or chemical resistant rubbers, with a Shore-A hardness of approximately 70 degrees or more in order to have good firmness and durability. From another aspect the invention provides an assembled sleeve-shaped sealing means for the sealing of the annular space between two partly overlapping bodies having walls of a different diameter, such as two pipes or a line and a wall passage for it, in which the sealing means comprises a cylindrical casing assembled from two or more similar longitudinal members and an end flange formed at the end of the casing, which are destined respectively, to be accommodated in the annular space and to be placed against the end edge of the widest pipe, in which at its outer surface the casing is provided with a number of first circumferential ribs spaced apart in axial direction, and at its inner surface is provided with a number of second circumferential ribs spaced apart in axial direction, in which at the one end of the casing, at the inner circumference of the end flange, a final second circumferential rib has been formed, which is substantially shape-retaining. Preferably the final second circumferential rib constitutes an axial abutment plane against the narrow pipe or line, as a result of which the length of the leakage path as well as the stability becomes optimal. From another aspect the invention provides an assembly of two bodies having walls of a different diameter which reach into each other in a coaxial manner to define an annular space to be sealed, such as two pipes of a different diameter or a line and a wall passage for it, in which the annular space is sealed by means of a sealing means according to the invention, in which the outer diameter of the first circumferential ribs and the inner diameter of the second circumferential ribs are adjusted such to the outer diameter of the smallest pipe or line and the inner diameter of the largest pipe or wall passage, that by means of pressing-in against the wall concerned of the largest pipe or passage, the circumferential ribs are sealingly clamped. The invention will now be elucidated on the basis of the exemplary embodiment of a sealing according to the invention, shown in the attached figures, in which: Figure 1 is a side view on a composite half of a sealing according to the invention consisting of two identical longitudinal members; and Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-section of an assembly of two overlapping pipes with a sealing formed by two longitudinal members according to figure 1. The half 4 of the cylindrical sealing or sealing body 44 is made of EPDM with a Shore-A hardness of 75 degrees. The sealing half 4 comprises a casing (half) 5 with an internal external main diameter of D1 (in this example 34 mm) and with at the one end an end flange 6 extending radially outwards with an outer diameter of D2 (in this example 61 mm) and with at the other end a narrowed end portion 15, which has a diameter of D3 (in this example 45 mm), which is a little smaller than diameter D4 (in this example 48 mm) of the rest of the casing 5. At the outside, the end portion 15 changes into a primary first circumferential rib 7a, which -as seen in the drawing- has a radial annular plane 9a oriented to the left, as well as a radial annular plane 10 oriented to the right, in which the annular plane 9a changes into radial annular plane 10 via inclined ascending annular plane 11 and convex annular plane 12. The circumferential rib 7a has a diameter D5 (in this example 55 mm). Behind the circumferential rib 7a a series of substantially identical circumferential ribs 7 are integrally formed on the casing 5, which circumferential ribs are situated at equal distances from each other and have a diameter D6 (in this example 57 mm) which is a little larger than D5. The far right circumferential rib 7b has a relatively narrow radial annular plane 10b, which ends in thickened casing portion 13 with diameter D7 (a little larger than D4, in this example 51 mm), which connects the circumferential rib 7b to the end flange 6. The circumferential ribs 7a, 7, 7b have a thickness of approximately 4 mm and extend 4 and 5 mm, respectively, from the casing 5 to the outside. They are flexible to such an extent, that some bending in the direction T is possible. At the inner circumference of the casing convex circumferential ribs 8 are integrally formed, which have an inner diameter of D8. The far left circumferential rib 8 is situated at a distance of S2 (in this example 10 mm) from the left end of the casing 5 and in the same radial area as the far left circumferential rib 7 but one. The far left circumferential rib 7a is situated at a distance of S1 from the left end of the casing 5, which amounts to approximately half S2 (in this example 5 mm). Finally at the location of the right end a special circumferential rib 8a is integrally formed on the inner plane of the casing 5, which rib has an inclined ascending annular plane 14 and a circumferential axial (namely extending in axial direction, as shown) annular abutment plane 16, which ends in the radial end plane 17 of the end flange 6. The circumferential rib 8a is substantially shape-retaining because of the material and in its width or either its low height, namely rigidly against bending in axial direction of the line which the rib 8a will abut, so that the abutment plane 16 will abut the outer surface of the pipe 3 tightly and level. In figure 2 two sealing halves 4 are arranged in the annular space 18 formed between coaxially inter-engaging pipe ends 2 and 3 in order to form sealing assembly 1. The inner diameter D11 of pipe 2 and the outer diameter D10 of pipe 3 are smaller than D5 and larger than D8, respectively. Furthermore D2 is almost the same as the outer diameter D9 of the pipe 2. When placing, the pipes 2 and 3 are already on the location indicated in figure 2. The sealing halves 4 can easily be inserted from the right to the left in the annular space 18, which action is facilitated by the narrowed end portion 15 and lowered circumferential rib 7a. During insertion of the sealing halves 4, the circumferential ribs 7a, 7, 7b will be bent backwards as a result of contact with the inner surface of the widest pipe 2, and be pressed against it with their surfaces 11. This is promoted by the presence of the circumferential ribs 8. When the sealing halves 4 are inserted so far that the end flange 6 abuts the end edge of the pipe 2, the sealing 4 will not only have sealed the leakage paths A and B, but as a result of circumferential rib 8a with the abutment plane 16 pressed against the pipe 3 and because of the thickened portion 13 which keeps the end flange 6 against the pipe end edge, also a leakage path along C and D will be prevented to a large extent. Because the end plane 17 of the end flange 6 slopes conically to the outside, in case the pipes 2 and 3 are arranged vertically no moisture will be left on the end plane and penetrate downwards via path C along the outer surface of the pipe 3. It will be understood that the pipe 3 can also be a (thicker) cable, and instead of pipe 2 a passage in a wall (wall, floor, roof) can be formed, through which the (then continuing) line 3 extends. It appeared that with the sealing according to the invention under circumstances similar to the ones with the known plug much higher pressures can be resisted.

Claims: Assembled sleeve-shaped sealing means (1,4) for the sealing of the annular space (18) between two partly overlapping bodies (2,3) having walls of a different diameter, such as two pipes or a line and a wall passage for it, in which the sealing means comprises a cylindrical casing (5) having an axis and being composed of two or more similar longitudinal members and an end flange (6) formed at one end of the casing, which are intended to be accommodated in the annular space and to be placed against the end edge of the widest pipe or line (2), respectively, the casing at its outer surface being provided with a number of first circumferential ribs (7) spaced apart in axial direction, and at its inner surface being provided with a number of second circumferential ribs (8) spaced apart in axial direction, characterized in that a final second circumferential rib (8a) is formed at said one end of the casing at the inner circumference of the end flange (6), which rib is provided with a circumferential, axially extending annular abutment plane (16) for abutment against the narrow line or pipe, in which before use the final second circumferential rib (8a) has a largest radial height in the end plane (17) of the flange (6), thereby forming a barrier is the end plane of the flange during use. Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to claim 1, in which the final second circumferential rib (8a) is substantially shape-retaining. Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to claim 1 or 2, in which the final second circumferential rib (8a) has an inclined pilot plane (14) facing the other end. Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the end plane (17) of the end flange is formed a little conically sloping toward the outer edge. Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the casing (5) between the end flange (6) and the first circumferential rib (7b) situated in front of it has a larger radial thickness than in between the other first circumferential ribs (7). Assembled sleeve-shaped Stealing means according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the other end (15) of the casing is narrowed in relation to the rest of the casing and is substantially cylindrical. Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to claim 6, in which the narrowed portion (15) extends from the other end to the next first circumferential rib (7a). Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to claim 6 or 7, in which the primary first circumferential rib (7a) situated closest to the other end (15) of the casing extends to a lower radial level in relation to the centre line of the cylindrical casing than the subsequent secondary first circumferential ribs (7). Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the second circumferential rib (8) situated closest to the other end of the casing is situated at a distance from said other end (15) which is larger than the distance between said other end and the first circumferential rib (7a) situated closest to said other end. Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to claim 9, in which said second circumferential rib (8) is at least almost radially aligned with the opposite secondary first circumferential rib (7a). Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the first circumferential ribs (7) are formed with a first axially oriented annular plane (9a) facing the other casing end (15), a second axially oriented annular plane (10) facing the one end and a radially oriented outer surface (11,12) connecting these planes to each other, in which the second annular plane extends radially beyond the first annular plane. Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to claim 11, in which the radially oriented outer surface comprises an inclined portion (11) facing the other end (15). Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to claim 11 and 12, in which the radially oriented outer surface (12) has a substantially convex shape in axial cross-section. Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least some of the second circumferential ribs (8) form a convex radially oriented inner surface. Assembled sleeve-shaped Sealing means according to any one of the preceding claims, made from a synthetic rubber with a Shore-A hardness of approximately 70 degrees or more. Assembly of two bodies (2,3) having walls of a different diameter which reach into each other in a coaxial manner to define an annular space to be sealed, such as two pipes of a different diameter or a line and a wall passage for it, characterized in that the annular space is sealed by means of an sealing means (1,4) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the outer diameter of the first circumferential ribs (7) and the inner diameter of the second circumferential ribs (8) are adjusted such to the outer diameter of the smallest pipe or line (3) and the inner diameter of the largest pipe or wall passage (2), that by means of pressing-in against the wall concerned of the largest pipe or passage, the circumferential ribs are sealingly clamped.

Inventors: ARIESE HENDRIKUS, ARIESE, HENDRIKUS
Applicants: ARTECH RUBBER B V, ARTECH RUBBER B.V.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: F16L5
IPC codes: F16L25, F16L17, F16L5