Abstract: An economical branch pipe liner bag is provided. The branch pipe liner bag allows for a reduction in manufacturing cost, stabilized quality, and mass-production, and does not have any portion to be wasted when used. One end of a tubular resin absorbent material impregnated with an unhardened hardenable resin is outwardly folded and pressed to form an extension which is sandwiched between separate flange forming members to form a flange at the one end of the tubular resin absorbent material, thus constructing the branch pipe liner bag. Since the branch pipe liner bag has the flange formed at one end by integrally coupling the flange forming members, which are members separate from the tubular resin absorbent material, the flange forming members can be mechanically mass-produced independently of the tubular resin absorbent material, with the result that a manufacturing cost of these flange forming members is reduced, and consequently a manufacturing cost of the branch pipe liner bag is reduced.

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 branch pipe liner bag and a pipe lining method are provided for ensuring to securely joining a flange and a main pipe liner bag to provide a reliable integrated structure. The branch pipe liner bag comprises a tubular resin-absorbent material impregnated with an unhardened hardenable resin. The tubular resin-absorbent material is formed at one end thereof with a rigid flange which is formed with a plurality of bores. In the pipe lining method using the branch pipe liner bag, a portion of unhardened hardenable resin oozing from a main pipe liner bag enters the bores formed through the flange of the branch pipe liner bag and is hardened therein, so that the flange is securely joined with the main pipe liner bag, thereby preventing a gap from being formed therebetween. In addition, the bores may be arranged on concentric circles on the flange, and cords made of a resin-absorbent material may be passed through the bores along the inner or outer periphery of the flange.

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: An apparatus and a method for lining an underground pipe are proposed: the pipe is plugged at a location upstream to a manhole; a three-pronged passage is installed whose first end penetrates the plug and opens in the interior of the pipe upstream to the plug and whose second end opens in the manhole at the level of the pipe, and whose third end opens in the atmosphere at a substantially high level; then the second end of the three-pronged passage is closed to cause the drain water to rise and go toward the third end of the three-pronged passage; the drain water is let to fall from the down-looking third end of the three-pronged passage into an upper end of a vertical eversion conduit provided in the manhole, thereby effecting eversion of a tubular liner into the vertical eversion conduit means; the tubular liner everting in the vertical eversion conduit is guided by a guide device such that at the lower end of the vertical eversion conduit the eversion head of the tubular liner is caused to turn orthogonally

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 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: A cutter apparatus comprising an on-the-sleigh robot, a motor having a vertical output shaft and capable of shifting vertically, a rotary cutter detachably connected at the end of the output shaft of the motor, and a cordless TV camera installed on the robot. In particular, the rotary cutter has a disk-shaped support plate, whose side surface is abrasive, upper and lower disks parallel to each other, which are arranged in a row in axial direction to sandwich the support plate inbetween and whose exposed faces, respectively, are abrasive, a tapered reamer extending axially upward from the center of the upper disk, and a binder assembly to bind the tapered reamer, the upper and lower disks, and the support plate together and to fix the rotary cutter about an output shaft of 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.

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 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: A lining assembly for lining the inner wall of a branch pipe connected to a main pipe having a flexible tubular resin-impregnated liner that has one end externally reversed to form a collar to fit the inner wall of the main pipe. A first hermetic film covers the internal wall of the tubular liner and a second hermetic film covers the external wall of the tubular liner. An annular resin-absorbent flat felt backs the collar.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a pipe liner with which a pipe is internally lined,forming a tubular body from a lengthy rectangular belt of a resin-absorbable flexible material by sewing the longer sides of the rectangle together; andcoating either the inner or outer surface of the tubular body with an airtight plastic film, for example, by:(a) inserting the tubular resin-absorbable flexible material into the airtight plastic film tube;(b) wrapping the two-layer tube with a tubular film of release means;(c) inserting an inflatable bag into the multi-layer tube;(d) pneumatically inflating the inflatable bag to thereby radially press the multi-layer tube from inside to thereby cause the multi-layer tube to become cylindrical;(e) causing the airtight plastic film to adhere closely to the resin-absorbable flexible material by removing the air trapped between the resin-absorbable flexible material and the airtight plastic film tube by drawing the air from the resin-absorbable flexible material by means of a suction mea

Abstract: An apparatus for reversing a tubular bag for internally lining a utility pipe installed underground, which includes a container for defining a closed space and containing a liquid body, constructed such that an amount of a liquid body therein has first and second level surfaces, the first partially defining the closed space and the second being exposed to atmospheric air; a compressor to supply compressed air to the closed space; and the tubular bag to be reversed. The tubular bag is primarily arranged in a manner such that it penetrates through the liquid body passing the first and second level surfaces and also penetrates through the closed space, with one end portion of the bag placed in atmospheric air and the other end portion thereof reversed and fixed, and some of the reversed portion partially defining the closed space so that when the pressure in the closed space is increased that portion of the tubular bag which is defining the closed space is forced to inflate and be reversed further.