Abstract: A pipe lining method is provided for simply positioning a flange of a branch pipe liner bag to a branch pipe opening of a main pipe in a short period of time, and preventing the branch pipe liner bag from having a locally insufficient strength. A branch pipe liner bag is everted and inserted into a branch pipe with a fluid pressure. With the branch pipe liner bag pressed onto the inner wall of the branch pipe, a hardenable resin impregnated in the branch pipe liner bag is hardened to line the branch pipe. Then, a main pipe liner bag is everted and inserted into a main pipe with a fluid pressure. With the main pipe liner bag pressed onto the inner wall of the main pipe, a hardenable resin impregnated in the main pipe liner bag is hardened to line the main pipe. The fluid pressure acting inside the main pipe liner bag is adjusted such that a portion of the hardenable resin impregnated in the main pipe liner bag is oozed out. The oozed hardenable resin is introduced into a clearance space, and hardened therein.

Abstract: A pipe lining method provides for precise cutting of a main pipe liner bag along a branch pipe opening using a cutter while preventing the inner wall of a branch pipe and the cutter from damages. After a cutting protection member is attached along the periphery of a branch pipe opening of a main pipe, the main pipe is lined using a main pipe liner bag. Then, a cutter of a cutting robot introduced into the main pipe is driven to cut away a portion of the main pipe liner bag covering a branch pipe opening. Since the cutting protection member functions as a guide for the cutter when cutting the portion of the main pipe liner bag covering the branch pipe opening as well as functions as a protection member for protecting the inner wall of the branch pipe, thereby making it possible to precisely cut the main pipe liner bag along the branch pipe opening using the cutter and to prevent the inner wall of the branch pipe and the cutter from damages.

Abstract: A method for impregnating a resin-absorbable tubular liner with a hardenable liquid resin: (a) a hose is connected to a vacuum pump; (b) the hose is inserted into the liner in a manner such that the open end of the hose comes close to, but sufficiently distant from, one end of the liner; (c) the other end of the tubular liner is closed over the hose in a manner such that the hose can freely slide through the closed end of the tubular liner; (d) a predetermined amount of the hardenable liquid resin is injected into the tubular liner through the open end of the tubular liner; (d') the open end of the tubular liner is substantially closed by placing it between a pair of rollers; and (e) the vacuum pump is operated to evacuate the hose while at the same time the hose and/or the resin-absorbable tubular liner are moved in a manner such that the length of the hose inside the liner is reduced.

Abstract: A pipe liner bag is provided with improved anti-peeling and anti-bursting properties by ensuring a high anti-peeling strength of the plastic film to be employed. The pipe liner bag has a tubular resin absorbent material, the outer surface of which is coated with a highly air-tight plastic film, and a hardenable resin impregnated in the tubular resin absorbent material. The tubular resin absorbent material is formed of tubular unwoven fabric subjected to the needle punching processing, where a side of the tubular unwoven fabric having stuck-out needles protruding therefrom is exposed to the outside to serve as an outer surface of the tubular resin absorbent material. The outer surface is coated with a plastic film.

Abstract: A method for lining an underground sewer pipe: (a) preparing a tubular liner made of a tubular fabric layer soaked with a thermosetting liquid resin and two layers of airtight film with which inner and outer walls of the fabric layer are covered; (b) inserting the liner assembly into the tubular conduit from the front end by pulling the front end with a rope; (c) inflating the tubular liner assembly after closing the front and the rear ends thereof; (d) heating the thermosetting resin to thereby harden the fabric layer of the liner assembly; and (e) removing those portions of the tubular liner assembly which do not partake in lining the tubular conduit.

Abstract: A flexible tubular manhole liner soaked with a curable liquid resin is inserted into a manhole; this liner is already equipped with a number of bolts or sleeve nuts protruding or exposed from the liner surface, so that it is possible later to attach to the inner wall of the tubular liner a number of ladder steps and a hose for injecting liquid filler to the gap created between the manhole wall and the liner; there is provided a method to line the manhole with such an inventive liner.

Abstract: A branch pipe liner bag is provided for reliably lining a branch pipe even having a curved portion. The branch pipe liner bag has a tubular resin-absorbent material having a flange formed at one end thereof, the outer surface of which is covered with a highly air-tight film. The tubular resin-absorbent material is impregnated with an unhardened hardenable resin, and a separable tube is attached to the flange. According to this invention, since the separable tube is attached to the previously hardened flange of the branch pipe liner bag, the separable tube will never be torn or cut even if the branch pipe liner bag is everted and inserted into a branch pipe having a curved portion with a high fluid pressure, or even if the film covering the branch pipe liner bag is heated and therefore softened by a heat medium or heat generated by the hardening of the thermosetting resin.

Abstract: A tubular branch pipe liner is proposed, which has a rigid collar at its end and to this collar is attached a protector consisting of a first portion which is out-spread downwardly and curved to fit on the lower face of the collar and is fixed thereto, a second portion which is roughly cylindrical and fitted into the inner peripheral face of the collar and the inner wall of a little part of the tubular branch pipe liner which is immediately continuous from the collar, and a third portion which extends downwardly and terminates in an annular end face at a location substantially lower than the joint where the first portion and the second portion meet; also proposed is a pipe lining method, which comprises the steps of preparing a branch pipe liner with a collar; and attaching the above-mentioned protective member to the collar; and lining a branch pipe with the tubular branch pipe liner; and lining the main pipe with a conventional main pipe liner; and cutting a hole through that circular portion of the main pi

Abstract: A method of everting a pipe liner bag into a pipeline which enables smooth eversion of a pipe liner bag using a minimally required amount of lubricant. When a pipe liner bag including a resin absorbent material impregnated with a hardenable resin and a plastic film covering the outer surface of the resin absorbent material is everted into a pipeline using a fluid pressure, the pipe liner bag is applied with oil (lubricant) on the outer surface thereof. Since the application of oil is performed immediately before everting the pipe liner bag, the pipe liner bag can be smoothly everted into the pipeline only using a minimally required amount of oil.

Abstract: A mobile cutter robot for making a hole is equipped with a rotary grinder assembly consisting essentially of an abrasive body having an axis of rotation, a ball bearing coaxially embedded in the surface of the abrasive body, and a tubular connector by which the rotary grinder assembly is detachably connected to a drive shaft of the cutter robot.

Abstract: A tubular liner, for lining the inner wall of a pipe, comprises a plurality of composite liner tubes, each liner type contains an inner layer of a resin-absorbable sheet and an outer layer of hermetic plastic film. The composite liner tubes are joined by spirally stitched abutting ends. In an embodiment, the inner resin-absorbable sheets are joined. An adhesive can be applied to the inner and outer walls of the resin-absorbable sheet along the stitched spiral seam.

Abstract: A bent pipe lining method which can get rid of bulky creases of the liner commonly formed at the bends of the pipe, and the method is characterized by a use of a flat belt that is hitched to the sewn-end of the liner bag, which pulls the flat belt inside itself as it is everted into the bent pipe; when the liner bag is hardened the flat belt is kept stretched so as to keep the bulky creases compressed and bent flatly.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a liner bag used for lining used underground pipes: (i) a long tube of a rectangular resin absorbent sheet, whose outer face is hermetically coated with a plastic film, is formed with a long cavity along the entire length of its seam by attaching a first reinforcer cover strip to the inner face of the resin absorbent sheet tube across the seam by welding only the lateral long side portions thereof; (ii) a second reinforcer strip is fixed in the long cavity by welding it to the resin absorbent sheet and the first reinforcer strip in a manner such that the second reinforcer strip is trapped between the resin absorbent sheet and the first reinforcer strip at a location underneath the seam; (iii) then, a first adhesive tape is applied to the surface of the plastic film in a manner so as to cover up the entire length of the seam and a wider second adhesive tape is applied to the surface of the plastic film over the first adhesive tape, the back of the first adhesive tape having a releasi

Abstract: A branch pipe lining method 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 conventional sealed tube. An open end of the pressure bag is attached to a set nozzle attached 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 is removably attached to the set nozzle by fitting a protrusion formed on a surface of the flange into a concave groove formed in the set nozzle. 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 is proposed for lining a branch pipe from the main pipe; in particular a special sealing mechanism is adopted in attaching the collar of a liner bag onto the flange of a fluid pressure sealing nozzle: stopper tacks are embedded in the collar at appropriate locations, each of the stopper tacks having its bottom end exposed from the back face of the collar and connected with a string; the back face of the collar of the branch pipe liner bag is faced with the upper face of the flange of the fluid pressure sealing nozzle, which comprises a hollow cylindrical part, the flange extending perpendicularly from the side of the cylindrical part, at least one endless sealant laid on the upper face of the flange, and a string puller provided in the flange; the strings are engaged with the string puller; the string puller pulls the strings so that the collar and the flange are moved toward each other until sufficient sealing effect is obtained.

Abstract: A resin injection method and a pipeline repair method are provided for smoothly and rapidly performing setting of an open liner and for completing works such as eversion and insertion of the open liner even for a steeply inclined pipeline. An end portion of an open liner is everted such that the end is attached to one end of a pipe liner bag which has been introduced into a pipeline to be repaired. A resin is injected into the open liner from the other end thereof while the pipe liner bag is evacuated, thus injecting the resin into the pipe liner bag through the open liner. After the resin has been injected into the pipe liner bag 1 in the above-mentioned method, the open liner is everted by fluid pressure to be inserted into the pipe liner bag, whereby the resin is impregnated into the pipe liner bag. Then, the pipe liner bag is pressed against the inner wall of the pipeline 4, in which state the resin impregnated in the pipe liner bag is cured to repair the pipeline.

Abstract: A cutter robot used to operate in a horizontal pipe having a horizontally extending main body, a stand gear to support the main body aloft, and a head bearing a rotary grinder assembly, and this head consists of: (i) a motor having an upward output shaft to bear the grinder assembly locked about its end, (ii) two holders, and (iii) two vertically held piston cylinders, which are arranged such that the first piston cylinder connected to the main body has an upward piston rod, and the first holder means supported at the end of the upward piston rod of the first piston cylinder holds the second piston cylinder, and the second holder means supported at the end of the downward piston rod of the second piston cylinder holds the motor.

Abstract: An eversion nozzle used in the operation of repairing an underground tubular conduit by lining the inner wall of the tubular conduit with an everted tubular liner bag impregnated with a hardenable liquid resin: the inventive eversion nozzle is a hollow straight cylinder and its length L and inner diameter D hold:D/5<L<2D;a novel eversion method is also provided wherein the above eversion nozzle is utilized.

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.