Abstract:
A method of lining an interior wall of a pipe is provided. Casting equipment such as a spin caster is used to centrifugally cast material onto the interior wall while the pipe is partially filled with liquid so as to form a coating on the wall above the liquid. In some embodiments the method further comprises diverting liquid from the pipe after the casting step, and then lining the wall of the pipe below the coating with material to form a continuous lining on the wall.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    This application is based upon U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/020,517 filed Jul. 3, 2014, the complete disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by this reference. 
     
    
       [0002]    Over time, culverts and sanitary sewer pipes deteriorate due to numerous factors. For example, corrugated metal pipes commonly used for culverts rust and buckle, and typically have a design life of 40-50 years. There are several options for replacement or repair of deteriorated pipes. One option is, pipe replacement, which requires digging, and in the case of under the road culverts, the road must be closed for excavation and laying of the new pipe. Another option is slip lining of the existing pipe, which often reduces the capacity by one-third or more. A third option is cured-in-place liners, which can be very costly in large diameters or non-round shapes. 
         [0003]    A fourth option for repairing deteriorated culverts and sewer pipes is centrifugally cast concrete pipe (CCCP), which is economical and durable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,853 issued on Sep. 26, 1995 which is hereby expressly incorporated by this reference generally discloses the CCCP process. The centrifugally cast concrete pipe rehabilitation method applies thin layers of a coating such as structural grout, epoxy mortar, or polymer coating to produce a smooth, tightly bonded, water proofed finished product which does not significantly reduce the inner diameter of the pipe or culvert. Thus, after the repair the flow through the pipe or culvert is substantially the same as (or sometimes even better than) with the original pipe. This CCCP method is typically used on pipes having diameters between 30 inches to 120 inches, or larger. 
         [0004]    The CCCP process begins with inspection of the pipe to be remediated to determine the thickness of the concrete to be applied inside the pipe, based on the depth, size, and shape of the pipe, depth of the local water table, water hydraulic pressure, and other factors. Then, flow through the pipe is stopped or diverted so that gravel, mud, roots and other debris can be removed from the pipe. The pipe interior is then scoured using a high pressure washer, and leaks and inverts are repaired, prior to concrete spin casting. The high speed concrete spin caster is then positioned in the pipe at the far end. The casting head moves through the pipe at a calculated speed to centrifugally cast a material evenly around the interior of the pipe to form a liner or coating. As used generally in the art, a “liner” is thicker than a “coating” and a “liner” is usually structural wherein a “coating” is protective but not structural. As used herein, however, the term “coating” includes both structural liners as well as non-structural protective coatings. The material used to form the coating may be a cementitious material, polymer, antibacterial agent, curing compound, or other suitable material or combination of materials. Regardless of the material used to form the coating, the resulting coating may be a thick structural layer or a thin protective layer. The spin caster can be stopped and started as needed, without joints or gaps. Depending on the desired thickness of the coating, multiple passes of the casting head may be required through the pipe to provide the desired strength. This coating can be applied to pipes made from any suitable material, including concrete, steel, plastic, corrugated metal pipe, and brick/mortar culverts. The coating cures or dries in place within a few hours, so that the culvert or sewer pipe can be quickly returned to service. The new coating water proofs, seals, and/or structurally reinforces the old pipe, and provides corrosion protection for sanitary and storm culverts or pipes, without trenching or digging, and at significant savings. 
         [0005]    One downside to the CCCP process is the time that flow through the original pipe must be stopped or diverted during the application process. Since the casting equipment is moved through the pipe relatively slowly in the CCCP process, flow diversion is costly, particularly if multiple passes of the casting equipment through the pipe is required to achieve a desired thickness and/or strength of the coating. 
         [0006]    Therefore, one objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved or modified centrifugally cast pipe liner process which minimizes flow diversion or stoppage time. 
         [0007]    Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a CCCP process wherein the centrifugal casting is accomplished without diverting flow through the culvert or pipe. 
         [0008]    A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a culvert and sewer pipe rehabilitation process which diverts water flow for a shorter time period than conventional CCCP processes. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    According to one aspect of the invention, a method of coating or lining an interior wall of a pipe is provided. Casting equipment such as a spin caster is used to centrifugally cast a material onto the interior wall while the pipe is partially filled with liquid so as to form a coating on the wall above the liquid. In some embodiments the method further comprises diverting fluid from the pipe after the casting step, and then lining the wall of the pipe below the coating with material to form a continuous lining on the wall. 
         [0010]    According to another aspect of the invention, a method for applying an uncured material to an interior surface of an enclosed pipe wall is provided. First, casting equipment such as a spin caster is placed within the enclosed pipe while the pipe is partially filled with liquid to create a wall portion above the liquid and a wall portion below the liquid. The spin caster has a rotatable spreader in fluid communication with a source of material. Next, the uncured material is introduced to the interior surface of the enclosed pipe wall through the rotatable spreader by rotating said rotatable spreader with sufficient velocity to cast material onto the interior surface so as to form a coating on the wall portion above the liquid. The coating is allowed to cure forming a cured coating on the wall portion above the liquid. In some embodiments the method further comprises diverting fluid from the pipe after the coating is formed, and then lining the interior surface of the enclosed pipe below the coating with material to form a continuous lining on the wall. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is an end view of a culvert or sewer pipe with a centrifugal casting head positioned therein for performing the centrifugal casting method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an end view of the pipe upon completion of the rehabilitation process according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a culvert or sewer pipe with a centrifugal casting head positioned performing the centrifugal casting method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    The culvert and sewer pipe rehabilitation process according to the present invention is a modification from the standard centrifugal cast concrete pipe rehabilitation process. In the modified process of the present invention, water (or other fluid) in the pipe  11  is not diverted or stopped, as in the first step of the conventional CCCP process. The water fills a portion of the pipe  11  volume to create a water line  14 . There is a portion of the inner pipe wall  12  which is above the water line  14  to receive a material  16  as described below. The material  16  may be a cementitious material, polymer, curing agent, antibacterial agent, or other suitable material or combination of materials. Regardless of the material used to form the coating, the resulting coating may be a thick structural layer or a thin protective layer. The water may fill any suitable portion of the volume of the pipe  11  including about one-sixteenth, about one-eighth, about one-sixth, about one-quarter, about one-third, or about one-half. The pipe wall  12  above the water line  14  is cleaned in any convenient manner, such as a pressure spin washer. Casting equipment such as a spin caster  10  is used to apply the material. The spin caster  10  has a rotatable spreader in fluid communication with a source of material. The rotatable spreader is positioned above the water line  14  and mounted on wheels or skids which allow it to move through the pipe  11 . The spin caster  10  moves through the old pipe  11  without diverting fluid flow through the pipe, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . The spin caster  10  may be pushed, pulled, or driven under its own power as it moves through the pipe  11 . The material is applied by the rotating casting head to the inner pipe wall  12  to form a coating  16  (e.g., a concrete or polymer layer) above the water line  14 . The casting head may be centered within pipe  11  ( FIG. 1 ) or it may be positioned off-center relative to the longitudinal axis of the pipe. Multiple passes of the spin caster  10  can be made, without diverting or stopping water flow in the pipe  11 . Since the spin caster  10  operates in a full 360° spray pattern, the material entering the water in the pipe  11  does not coat the pipe wall  12  below the water line  14 . The material sprayed into the water is diluted and is washed through the pipe to a downstream end wherein the water with suspended materials is removed or recycled by vacuuming the diluted material from the pipe  11  or by any other suitable means. Thus, the newly formed coating  16  on the old pipe wall does not cover the full 360° circumference of the inner pipe wall  12  because it does not coat the portion of the pipe wall  12  that is below the water line  14 . 
         [0015]    Then, if it is decided to line the lower portion of the pipe wall  12  below the water line  14 , the water flow is diverted or stopped, and the lower portion of pipe wall  12  is cleaned. Then, the lower, unlined portion of the pipe can be sprayed with material, without using the 360° casting equipment, to form a lower coating  18  layer. For example, an operator can walk through the pipe and manually spray the lower portion of the pipe with a hose which was below the water line  14  when the casting equipment  10  was moved through the pipe. The material used to create the lower coating  18  may by the same as or different from the material used to create the upper coating  16 . Together, the upper coating  16  and the lower coating  18  form a continuous lining on the inner pipe wall  12  as shown in  FIG. 2 . This coating of the lower wall of the pipe can be accomplished more quickly than the conventional 360° CCCP method, such that the time and cost for flow diversion from the pipe is minimized. Since the casting equipment is moved through the pipe relatively slowly in the CCCP process, flow diversion is costly, particularly if multiple passes of the casting equipment through the pipe is required to achieve a desired thickness and strength of the liner. 
         [0016]    As explained above, the material applied to the pipe wall  12  may be a non-structural surface coating such as a curing agent or an antibacterial agent. These types of surface coatings may be mixed with structural materials (such as cementitious materials or polymers) before application through the spin caster so that the resultant material applied to the pipe wall  12  is a mixture of structural and non-structural materials. In other embodiments non-structural surface coatings are applied after the upper coating  16  is formed. For example, a curing compound can be applied to the uncured material  16  after it has been sprayed onto the pipe wall  12  to prevent shrinkage cracking. Another example, before or after the lower layer  18  is added, an antibacterial agent can be applied to the upper layer  16 , above the water line  14 , to effectively prevent MIC and eliminate  Thiobacallius  bacteria on contact, and thereby prevent or minimize corrosion of the upper coating  16  layer.  Thiobacallius  bacteria metabolizes to convert oxygen and hydrogen gas into sulfuric acid, which quickly erodes or dissolves concrete and other materials. Therefore, application of an antibacterial agent will prevent or minimize such deterioration. One commercial antibacterial product is CON(MIC)SHIELD sold by Action Products Marketing Corp. CON(MIC)SHIELD is an EPA registered antibacterial agent that molecularly bonds to concrete, and will not wash off, peel off, delaminate, or pinhole. Some types of non-structural surface coatings such as CON(MIC)SHIELD can only be used in sanitary sewers due to environmental regulations. 
         [0017]    While the Figures show the inventive process used on a round pipe and culverts, it is understood that this process can also be used on non-round pipes and culverts such as elliptical pipes, arched pipes, square pipes, tapered pipes, and other structures where conventional CCCP is used. 
         [0018]    The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.