Improvements in Apparatus for Lining Pipes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1899-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Lining Pipes.
I, FRANK EUGENE KEYES, 140, West 150th Street New York City, Borough of
Manhattan, State of New York, Mechanical Expert, do hereby declare, the nature
of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for lining pipes and more
particularly to means for applying an insulating lining in pipes intended for use
as conduits for electrical purposes, the apparatus presenting a simple, cheap, and
effective manner of applying a lining or interior coating of non-conducting plastic
material which will quickly harden under a change of temperature.
In laying wires underground it is customary to insulate the wire which makes
it very inconvenient in handling, being necessarily of greatly increased bulk and
the insulation being liable to breakage; whereas by lining or coating the inner
side of the conduit a much better insulation is produced and the bare wires can be
more quickly handled.
In view of the advantages possessed by lining the conduits instead of insulating
the wires, I have devised an apparatus by which the plastic composition of non-
conducting material can be applied to the interior face of the pipe evenly and of
the desired thickness, the invention also contemplating a construction by which
the material is partly cooled or set during the process of spreading it, to thereby
insure against its running.
Having the above objects in view, my invention consists in providing a spreader
comprising a hollow body tapered from one end to the other and provided with
lateral wings or blades, the said body having an inlet opening and outlet passages.
The invention further consists in certain novel features of construction and com-
binations and arrangements of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in
the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing the several
parts of my invention arranged in position for operation. Figure 2 is an enlarged
sectional view of the spreader. Figure 3, is a transverse sectional view on the
line 3-3 of Figure 2.
In the operation of lining a pipe with my improved apparatus, the said pipe
is seated on end, and therefore an elevated platform 1 is provided upon which the
operator stands in manipulating the device after the parts have been assembled
ready for operation. The pipe is designated by the numeral 2 and when in position
rests upon a stand or base 3 having a vertical opening corresponding with the
opening in the pipe and a step or flange 4 in which the pipe is seated. The upper
part or end of the pipe extends through the platform 1 and is supported perpen-
dicularly by means of a clamp or vise 5 of any ordinary or approved construction.
A spreader 6 is used in lining or coating the pipe, and consists of a tapered body
the larger end or portion of which is of slightly less diameter than the inner
diameter of the pipe, the respective diameters being determined by the thickness
it is intended the lining shall be. The spreader is preferably hollow and provided
at its smaller end with a transverse opening 7 for connecting the operating rod or

page_text: cable thereto, and slightly in advance of the enlarged portion of the said spreader
is a series of wings S which project laterally beyond the plane of the sides and
are adapted to bear against the inner wall of the pipe to guide the spreader. The
larger end of the spreader is provided with a yoke or loop 9, and when said spreader
is made hollow, the part adjoining this yoke or loop has an inlet opening 10,
and the smaller end of the spreader is provided with a series of outlet passages 11
extending backward, as shown.
By providing the yoke or loop 9 an implement or hook can be connected to the
spreader for manipulating the same, the hook being also used to raise and handle
the pipe before and after it is lined.
In the operation of the device the spreader 6 is drawn from the lower end of the
pipe upward to the opposite end thereof, and for this purpose the operating
cable 12 is extended upward over a guide pulley 13 and from there downward to
a drum 14 mounted in suitable bearings and having the usual pawl and ratchet
mechanism. When the parts are arranged as shown in Figure 1, that is, with the
spreader at the lower end of the pipe, the non-conducting material or plastic com-
pound is poured into the upper end of the pipe and by pulling upon the operating
cable 12 the spreader will be drawn upward through the pipe, the wings serving
to center the same so that the larger end will properly spread or distribute the
material, the track or channel formed by the wings being obliterated by the
enlarged end on account of the slight space between the parts.
It will be understood that the tapered end of the spreader will force the material
outward, and any surplus that is carried up by the said spreader is caught in a
pan or receptacle 15 which encircles the upper end of the pipe.
Ordinarily a solid spreader will answer for spreading compositions, but in case
it is desired to provide for rapidly cooling the material as it is pressed against
the sides of the pipe, the said spreader is made hollow as herein before described,
and to the inlet opening 10 may be attached a flexible pipe for supplying cold
water, or in case it is desired to soften the material, the said pipe is used to conduct
steam, which, passing out through the outlet opening 11 will act to soften the
material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;
1. In an apparatus for lining pipes, a hollow tapering spreader, means for moving
and for guiding said spreader through a pipe and means for circulating fluid from
end to end of the spreader and permitting the discharge of said fluid into the pipe
from the smaller end of the spreader, substantially as set forth.
2. A spreader for distributing material in forming a lining within a pipe, com-
prising a hollow body tapered from its larger portion upward, wings projecting
from the tapered portion of the body, a loop or yoke at the butt end of said body,
and a pipe communicating with the said larger end, the upper or smaller end of
the spreader having a series of apertures inclined downward, substantially, as
shown and for the purpose set forth.
3. A device for distributing material in forming a lining for pipes or other
conduits, consisting of a hollow spreader tapered substantially as shown and
provided with an inlet opening at its larger end and outlet passages at its smaller
end, a yoke or cap at the larger end of the spreader, and wings or guides projecting
laterally from the tapered portion of the spreader, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 31st day of January 1899.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.