Abstract: An improved method for repairing a utility pipe such as underground sewer pipe to internally line the pipe with a tubular liner impregnated with a thermosetting resin, and in this method, a hot water hose having ejection holes is inserted in the tubular liner bag to eject hot water to effect hardening of the thermosetting resin and this hose is provided with numerous floats to float in the water even when the ejected water collects and floods inside the tubular liner bag; thus, efficient shooting of the hot water from the hot water hose is secured.

Abstract: A method of inspecting a pipe liner bag is provided for efficiently and accurately performing in parallel inspections for a hardened condition and air-tight sealing effect of the pipe liner bag. A main pipe and a branch pipe are lined with hardened pipe liner bags, and then all open ends of the pipe liner bags are air-tightly sealed by air plugs to define an air-tight sealed space S within the pipe liner bags. Then, while the pressure within the sealed space is decreased, the inspections are made for a hardened condition and air-tight sealing effect of the pipe liner bag. If the pipe liner bag includes incompletely hardened portions, such portions will be deformed due to compression buckling, so that the deformed portions can be readily found by a TV camera equipped with a light emitting unit. In this manner, a hardened condition of the pipe liner bag can be accurately inspected.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for lining a branch pipe is provided which can directly achieve an air-tight connection between a pressure bag and a branch pipe liner bag in a simple structure without employing a conventionally required sealed tube. An open end of the pressure bag is attached to a set nozzle made of a magnetic material coupled to a work robot which is movably installed in a main pipe. A branch pipe liner bag, impregnated with a thermosetting resin, is placed inside the pressure bag. The liner bag has a flange which includes a magnetic plate so as to be magnetically connected to the set nozzle by a magnetic force of a magnet provided for the work robot. With the flange being closely contacted to the inner wall of the main pipe around a branch pipe opening, compressed air is supplied into the pressure bag to evert and insert the branch pipe liner bag into a branch pipe.

Abstract: A method for repairing a tubular conduit by lining the inner wall of the tubular conduit with a tubular liner bag impregnated with thermosetting liquid resin, having the steps of: (a) everting the tubular liner bag in the tubular conduit; (b) closing the open end of the tubular liner bag with a stationary lid thereby forming a closed space inside the tubular liner bag and the lid; (c) inserting a heat-resistive hose into the closed space through the lid; (d) inflating the tubular liner bag by charging a pressurized fluid into the closed space; and (e) supplying hot water via the heat-resistive hose to thereby heat and harden the liner bag; wherein the heat-resistive hose is slidably inserted through the lid, and is connected to the lid via a flexible inflatable sealing device such that when the pressurized fluid is charged into the closed space the sealing device is pressed to inflate externally from the lid thereby forcing the heat-resistive hose to slide externally.

Abstract: A tubular liner bag is everted into a pipe to line the same, by first attaching an air hose end to the uneverted liner bag and then everting the tubular liner bag by water pressure provided into the manhole to the pipe. The head of the tubular liner bag is turned toward the pipe entrance when the head of the liner bag hits the inner wall of the pipe, and the tubular liner bag is everted into the pipe. The eversion is then stopped and the everted tubular liner bag is deformed to a J-shape with its head portion corresponding to the toe of the J-shape. Compressed air at a pressure not substantially greater than the pressure required to force the tubular liner bag to evert then exists in the toe section of the tubular liner bag but does not exist in the long-leg section.

Abstract: A pipe liner bag is provided for reliably lining a pipe into which water may penetrate. The pipe liner bag has a double layer structure including an inner layer of a tubular nonwoven fabric made of fine yarn of three deniers or less and an outer layer of a tubular nonwoven fabric made of fat yarn of 3-15 deniers. The tubular nonwoven fabric constituting the inner layer is impregnated with highly viscous and thixotropic hardenable resin mixed with granule fillers of a small diameter, while the tubular nonwoven fabric constituting the outer layer is impregnated with hardenable resin mixed with granule filler of a large diameter. After the pipe liner bag is everted and inserted into a pipe to be repaired by fluid pressure, the hardenable resin impregnated in the pipe liner bag is cured while maintaining the internal pressure thereof constant. When this pipe liner bag is used to repair a pipe from which a branch pipe is branched off, it can be integrated with a branch pipe liner bag.

Abstract: A branch pipe lining method of the invention utilizes a branch pipe liner bag impregnated with a hardenable resin and having a flange at one end thereof, wherein the flange is folded out and mounted to a fluid pressure sealing nozzle; the branch pipe liner bag is everted and insertied into a branch pipe; an upper end of the branch pipe liner bag is pulled up by a rope or the like with the flange thereof being secured on the inner wall of the main pipe; the fluid pressure sealing nozzle is removed from the branch pipe liner bag; a sealing pressure bag introduced into the main pipe is expanded to seal a lower opening of the branch pipe liner bag with the sealing pressure bag; the upper end of the branch pipe liner bag is closed, and the branch pipe liner bag is pressed against the inner wall of the branch pipe with a fluid pressure; and the hardenable resin impregnated in the branch pipe liner bag is hardened while the branch pipe liner bag is continuously being pressed against the inner wall of the branch pipe

Abstract: A branch pipe lining method ensures a reliable air-tight connection between a branch pipe liner bag and a fluid pressure sealing nozzle with a simple structure so that the branch pipe liner bag can be inserted into a branch pipe without fail. A branch pipe liner bag impregnated with a hardenable resin and having a flange at one end thereof is used for the branch pipe repair. The flange of the branch pipe liner bag is folded out to be mounted to a fluid pressure sealing nozzle. A close contact between the flange and the fluid pressure sealing nozzle is held by vacuum pressure. The branch pipe liner bag is then everted and inserted from a main pipe into a branch pipe toward the ground by a fluid pressure. The branch pipe liner bag is pressed onto the inner wall of the branch pipe by a fluid pressure, and the hardenable resin impregnated in the branch pipe liner bag is hardened while the bag itself is kept pressed onto the inner wall of the branch pipe.

Abstract: An improved method for impregnating a tubular lining material with a hardenable liquid resin employed in a pipe repair operation by lining the pipe internally with the lining material; the method comprises (a) supplying about the same amounts of the same hardenable liquid resin to two mixing baths, (b) mixing the hardenable liquid resin with an agent to retard hardening and another agent selected from catalyst to facilitate hardening and hardener in one of the mixing baths, and, at the same time, mixing the hardenable liquid resin with a hardening accelerator in another one of the mixing baths, (c) supplying predetermined amounts of these mixtures to a static mixer from the respective mixing baths, (d) mixing these mixtures together in the static mixer to obtain a final mixture of hardenable resin, (e) supplying the final mixture to the tubular lining material, and (f) impregnating the tubular lining material with the final mixture.

Abstract: A method for lining a branch pipe comprising the steps of: preparing a tubular liner bag by sewing a rectangular nonwoven resin-absorbent fabric into a tubular shape with one end closed; attaching an impermeable plastic film over the external surface of this tubular liner bag; soaking the nonwoven resin-absorbent fabric with a hardenable fluid resin; everting the liner bag into the branch pipe until the eversion head of the liner bag is stopped by the inner wall of the main pipe; forcing the eversion head of the liner bag to turn downstream in the main pipe, thus allowing the the liner bag to evert entirely; hardening the hardenable fluid resin while inflating the liner bag; and removing that portion of the liner bag which protrudes into the main pipe.

Abstract: A tubular liner for lining the inner wall of a pipe such as sewer pipe made up of a flexible tubular resin-absorbent fabric to be impregnated with a thermosetting liquid resin and a tubular plastic film welded on the external surface of the tubular resin-absorbent fabric; also disclosed are the methods for making such tubular liner and for impregnating such tubular liner with the thermosetting liquid resin, and in particular the impregnation method is characterized by using a plurality of vacuum suction hoses.

Abstract: An improved method for impregnating a tubular lining material with a hardenable liquid resin employed in a pipe repair operation by lining the pipe internally with the lining material; the method comprises (a) supplying about the same amounts of the same hardenable liquid resin to two mixing baths, (b) mixing the hardenable liquid resin with an agent to retard hardening and another agent selected from catalyst to facilitate hardening and hardener in one of the mixing baths, and, at the same time, mixing the hardenable liquid resin with a hardening accelerator in another one of the mixing baths, (c) supplying predetermined amounts of these mixtures to a static mixer from the respective mixing baths, (d) mixing these mixtures together in the static mixer to obtain a final mixture of hardenable resin, (e) supplying the final mixture to the tubular lining material, and (f) impregnating the tubular lining material with the final mixture.

Abstract: A method for repairing a pipe comprising the steps of:(a) coating a resin-absorbable tubular liner, at least one side thereof which becomes the inner side eventually, with a hermetic film;(b) inserting the resin-absorbable tubular liner into the pipe to be repaired;(c) impregnating the thermosetting resin into the resin-absorbable tubular liner;(d) closing one end of the tubular liner and passing a sprinkler means in the tubular liner to extend from the closed end to the open end of the tubular liner;(e) sending pressurized air into the tubular liner from the open end thereof to thereby inflate the tubular liner to fit closely in the pipe;(f) sending in the sprinkler means a hot liquid of a temperature sufficiently high to cause the thermosetting resin impregnated in the tubular liner to harden, to thereby sprinkle the hot liquid onto the tubular liner to thereby harden the thermosetting resin impregnated therein; and(g) cutting off the ends of the tubular liner.