Patent ID: 8276636

Claim:
A system for joining pipes comprising: an extrudable adhesive that solidifies after it has been extruded, said extrudable adhesive having a solids content that is greater than or equal to 90% solids by weight; a first pipe having a socket with an inside diameter, said socket having a mouth that is an open end of the socket, a self-centering bottom and a substantially cylindrical wall, the substantially cylindrical wall having an inlet, an outlet, and an inner annular channel aligned with only one of the inlet and the outlet, wherein the inlet enables flow of the extrudable adhesive through the cylindrical wall, and the outlet allows entrained air to be expressed; a second pipe, the second pipe having an insertion section with a length, an outer annular channel and an end, where said insertion section of the second pipe is inserted into the socket of the first pipe, said second pipe having an outside cylindrical diameter that is less than the inside diameter of the socket, where the difference in diameters defines a gap and where, when inserted, the outer annular channel and the inner annular channel are in fluid communication with the inlet; and a flanged annular ring, the annular ring having an inside diameter sufficiently large to slide over the second pipe, a thickness that sets a uniformity of the gap, and a flange with a width sufficient to cap the mouth of the socket, wherein said flanged annular ring is slidable onto the second pipe with the flange away from the open end of the socket; wherein when the insertion section of the second pipe is inserted into the socket of the first pipe, so the end of the insertion section abuts the self-centering bottom of the first pipe, the self-centering bottom of the first pipe aligns the end of the second pipe, and the inner annular channel is aligned with the outer annular channel, wherein the flanged annular ring is positioned against the mouth of the socket and the annular ring is clamped into the gap so that the flange is flush with the mouth of the socket, thereby centering the full length of the insertion section in the socket and providing an unadhered pipe assembly prepared to receive the adhesive; wherein the extrudable adhesive is delivered to the unadhered pipe assembly using an extruding apparatus that can connect to the inlet and extrude the adhesive; wherein the extrudable adhesive is injected through the inlet and substantially fills the gap, wherein the inner annular channel and the outer annular channel together create an avenue for the extruded adhesive to distribute evenly around the circumference of the insertion section, and then flow longitudinally filling the gap and ultimately forming an interlocking keyway; and then the extruding apparatus is disconnected from the inlet, and the extruded extrudable adhesive becomes a strong solid adhesive which fixedly joins the pipes both adhesively and mechanically.