Abstract: A mechanism for restraining pipe against both internal and external forces at a pipe or fitting connection and to join and seal at least two pipes to form a pipeline featuring an improved restraint mechanism. The restraint mechanism includes a circumferential casing and a companion grip ring, both of which are received within a mating groove provided in the belled end of a female pipe. The grip ring is made up of a series of arc-shaped gripping elements which are interconnected by discrete elastomeric segments. The gripping elements are separated by gaps so that a flexible hinge region is created by the elastomeric segments between adjacent gripping elements. The elastomeric segments provide both axial and radial spring action to the assembly.

Abstract: A restrained pipe joining system for plastic pipe is shown comprising male and female ends each having aligned circumferential grooves which form a canal for passage of a locking keystrap. The keystrap can be formed of PEEK or PEEK reinforced with glass fiber. During manufacture, the female belled end is sequentially formed over a Rieber style gasket and then over a ring-shaped casing member. The casing member is also formed from polymeric composite materials. In some cases, the casing is reinforced with an internal metal band.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a sealing gasket is shown for use in a pipe sealing system. A pair of mating upper and lower mold plates are provided each having an exposed molding surface in the form of a spiral cavity. A length of pre-extruded elastomeric material in the shape of the near final form of the spiral mold cavity is laid into the mold cavities to substantially fill the cavities. The material may have hardened gripping elements incorporated therein. The upper and lower mold plates are closed to compress the elastomeric material within the spiral cavities and thereafter the material is cured to form a spiral strip. The spiral strip is then cut into given lengths having opposing free ends and the free ends are spliced to form completed sealing gaskets of a desired size.

Abstract: A sealing gasket is shown which is used to seal the belled end opening of a female ductile iron pipe to a mating male pipe having an interior surface and an exterior surface. The sealing gasket has an annular gasket body made of a resilient elastomeric material which is bonded to a hard plastic reinforcing band. The annular gasket body is installed within a raceway provided in the mouth region of the female ductile iron pipe so that an outer circumferential region forms a seal with the female pipe mouth region and an inner circumferential region forms a sealing surface for the exterior surface of the mating male pipe. The reinforcing band has a circumferential body which is made of a synthetic polymer which has a greater hardness than the elastomeric material of the remainder of the gasket body.

Abstract: A pipe sealing gasket is shown which is designed to be received within a raceway provided within the female, belled end of a section of plastic pipe which is assembled with a mating male pipe end to form a plastic pipe joint. The gasket is a two-component gasket having a softer, elastomeric portion and a harder, plastic ring portion. A splicing technique is used to form the softer, elastomeric portion with the harder, plastic portion being injection molded over the previously formed elastomeric portion.

Abstract: A mechanism for restraining pipe against both internal and external forces at a pipe or fitting connection and to join and seal at least two pipes to form a pipeline featuring an improved restraint mechanism. The restraint mechanism includes a circumferential casing and a companion grip ring, both of which are received within a mating groove provided in the belled end of a female pipe. The grip ring is made up of a series of arc-shaped gripping elements which are interconnected by discrete elastomeric segments. The gripping elements are separated by gaps so that a flexible hinge region is created by the elastomeric segments between adjacent gripping elements. The elastomeric segments provide both axial and radial spring action to the assembly.

Abstract: A method is shown for manufacturing a hardened gripping element for a sealing and restraint system used for forming a pipe joint in a fluid pipeline. Instead of machining the gripping elements used in the system from a metal stock, a special series of metal injection molding steps are utilized. A metal polymer composite mix is first formed having a metal particulate phase and a polymer phase. A green metal composite article is formed by either extruding the composite mix or molding the composite mix into a metal polymer composite article having at least one gripping surface having a plurality of gripping teeth. The composite article is subjected to thermal debinding and sintering to produce a finished or near finished hardened gripping element.

Abstract: A pipe sealing gasket is shown which is designed to be received within a raceway provided within the female, belled end of a section of plastic pipe which is assembled with a mating male pipe end to form a plastic pipe joint. The gasket is a two-component gasket having a softer, elastomeric portion and a harder, plastic ring portion. A splicing technique is used to form the softer, elastomeric portion with the harder, plastic portion being injection molded over the previously formed elastomeric portion.

Abstract: A pipe belling process where a heated thermoplastic pipe end is forced over a sealing gasket on a forming mandrel, with the pipe being subsequently cooled to retain the gasket in an internal groove simultaneously formed in the pipe end. The sealing gasket is a two-component gasket with an elastic component and a plastic component. The elastic component is stretched over a portion of the plastic component during assembly with the plastic component acting as a belling ramp for the gasket during the subsequent pipe belling operation.

Abstract: A pipe sealing gasket is shown which is designed to be received within a raceway provided within the female, belled end of a section of plastic pipe which is assembled with a mating male pipe end to form a plastic pipe joint. The gasket is a two-component gasket having a softer, elastomeric portion and a harder, plastic ring portion. A splicing technique is used to form the softer, elastomeric portion with the harder, plastic portion being injection molded over the previously formed elastomeric portion.

Abstract: A cap assembly is shown for a right of way line marker which includes a cap body with a conical exterior and an end opening. A mounting assembly including a lower, stationary disk and an upper, sliding disk are received within the end opening of the cap body. The lower disk has a T-shaped aperture therein for receiving an upper exposed end of a T-shaped vertical support member. The upper sliding disk is positionable within the cap open interior upon contact with the upper end of the support member to thereby securely mount the cap assembly about the right of way line marker.

Abstract: A pipeline sphere is shown which houses an electronics package. The sphere is formed as a hollow elastomeric body having a predetermined wall thickness and an initially void interior. A carrier tube is positioned within the initially void interior of the sphere and is supported by oppositely arranged carrier plates which are themselves embedded within oppositely arranged end openings of the sphere. A removable inflation valve is contained in one of the valve plates at a first end of the carrier tube. The carrier tube has a plurality of apertures formed through its wall to enable inflating or deflating the sphere. One electronics package that can be used is an electrical tracking device.

Abstract: A cap assembly is shown for a right of way line marker which includes a cap body with a conical exterior and an end opening. A mounting assembly including a lower, stationary disk and an upper, sliding disk are received within the end opening of the cap body. The lower disk has a T-shaped aperture therein for receiving an upper exposed end of a T-shaped vertical support member. The upper sliding disk is positionable within the cap open interior upon contact with the upper end of the support member to thereby securely mount the cap assembly about the right of way line marker.

Abstract: A method is shown for manufacturing a hardened gripping element for a sealing and restraint system used for forming a pipe joint in a fluid pipeline. Instead of machining the gripping elements used in the system from a metal stock, a special series of metal injection molding steps are utilized. A metal polymer composite mix is first formed having a metal particulate phase and a polymer phase. A green metal composite article is formed by either extruding the composite mix or molding the composite mix into a metal polymer composite article having at least one gripping surface having a plurality of gripping teeth. The composite article is subjected to thermal debinding and sintering to produce a finished or near finished hardened gripping element.

Abstract: A pipe sealing gasket is shown which is designed to be received within a raceway provided within the female, belled end of a section of plastic pipe which is assembled with a mating male pipe end to form a plastic pipe joint. The gasket is a two-component gasket having a softer, elastomeric portion and a harder, plastic ring portion. A splicing technique is used to form the softer, elastomeric portion with the harder, plastic portion being injection molded over the previously formed elastomeric portion.

Abstract: A pipeline sphere is shown which houses an electronics package. The sphere is formed as a hollow elastomeric body having a predetermined wall thickness and an initially void interior. A carrier tube is positioned within the initially void interior of the sphere and is supported by oppositely arranged carrier plates which are themselves embedded within oppositely arranged end openings of the sphere. A removable inflation valve is contained in one of the valve plates at a first end of the carrier tube. The carrier tube has a plurality of apertures formed through its wall to enable inflating or deflating the sphere. One electronics package that can be used is an electrical tracking device.

Abstract: A pipe joining system and pipe joint are shown m which two sections of molecularly oriented pipe are joined using heat shrinking techniques. A first section of pipe is provided having a straight, pre-formed socket with an internal diameter and with an end opening having enough clearance to allow a mating spigot section having a given external diameter to be inserted into the socket end opening. After the spigot end is inserted to a given depth, the socket is heated sufficiently so that the internal diameter of the socket end comes into contact with the external diameter of the spigot end, the molecularly oriented pipe being in a rubbery state and exhibiting a low elastic modulus which allows the socket end to conform tightly to the spigot end external diameter without deforming the spigot end.

Abstract: A sealing gasket is shown which is used to seal the belled end opening of a female ductile iron pipe to a mating male pipe having an interior surface and an exterior surface. The sealing gasket has an annular gasket body made of a resilient elastomeric material which is bonded to a hard plastic reinforcing band. The annular gasket body is installed within a raceway provided in the mouth region of the female ductile iron pipe so that an outer circumferential region forms a seal with the female pipe mouth region and an inner circumferential region forms a sealing surface for the exterior surface of the mating male pipe. The reinforcing band has a circumferential body which is made of a synthetic polymer which has a greater hardness than the elastomeric material of the remainder of the gasket body.

Abstract: A pipe joining system and pipe joint are shown in which two sections of plastic pipe, particularly molecularly oriented pipe, are joined. A ring-shaped elastomeric body is installed within a mating groove provided in a mouth region of female pipe section. The ring-shaped body is formed of an injection molded elastomeric material which is joined to a series of arcuate gripping segments which have teeth on an inner surface thereof which are designed to engage an outer surface of a mating male pipe section to restrain movement of the male pipe after assembly of a pipe joint. The gripping segments are separated by a gap which is open prior to assembly, but which closes during assembly. Each of the segments also has a positive stop feature to prevent over travel of the male pipe section relative to the female pipe section.

Abstract: A pipeline sphere is shown which houses an electronics package. The sphere is formed as a hollow elastomeric body having a predetermined wall thickness and an initially void interior. A carrier tube is positioned within the initially void interior of the sphere and is supported by oppositely arranged carrier plates which are themselves embedded within oppositely arranged end openings of the sphere. A removable inflation valve is contained in one of the valve plates at a first end of the carrier tube. The carrier tube has a plurality of apertures formed through its wall to enable inflating or deflating the sphere. One electronics package that can be used is an electrical tracking device.