Method and Assembly for Sealing Off a Pipe
A method and assembly is provided for repairing and sealing off the juncture between two pipes. The assembly includes a main liner member, a bladder assembly, and a sealing member. The main liner member is made of resin absorbent material. The sealing member may be a hydrophilic rubber gasket or gasket of similar impermeable compressible material. The sealing member is secured to the liner. The sealing member surrounds a portion of the main liner member and is positioned between the host pipes and the liner assembly in operation. The main liner is moved through the main pipe line to a position where the sealing member and the main liner extend across the access opening to the lateral pipe line. The bladder is expanded to urge the liner and sealing member against the pipe then the liner cures and hardens to permanently seal the junction between the main pipe and lateral pipe.
1 . An assembly for sealing an opening in a first pipe, said assembly comprising:
an inflatable bladder;
a liner of a resin absorbent material having an outer surface, wherein the liner is at least partially surrounding the bladder;
a sealing member secured to the outer surface of the liner, said sealing member adapted to extend across the opening in the first pipe and between the liner and the first pipe.
2 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the sealing member is a gasket made of a hydrophilic material capable of swelling in reaction to contact with a liquid.
3 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the sealing member is disk-shaped.
4 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the sealing member is tubular and surrounds a portion of the liner.
5 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the opening is the junction between a first pipe and a second pipe.
6 . The assembly of claim 5 wherein the first pipe is a main pipe and the second pipe is a lateral pipe.
7 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the sealing member is secured to the liner by snaps.
8 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein the sealing member is larger than the opening so that a portion of the sealing member contacts a portion of the first pipe around a periphery of the opening.
9 . An assembly for sealing an opening formed at a junction between a main pipe and a lateral pipe, said assembly comprising:
a launcher device;
an inflatable bladder combined with the launcher;
a liner of a resin absorbent material at least partially surrounding the bladder;
a sealing member secured to the liner, said sealing member made from a hydrophilic material and adapted to extend across the opening formed at the junction between the main pipe and the lateral pipe so that a portion of the sealing member contacts a portion of the first pipe around a periphery of the opening.
10 . The assembly of claim 9 wherein the sealing member is disk-shaped.
11 . The assembly of claim 9 wherein the sealing member is tubular and surrounds a portion of the liner.
12 . The assembly of claim 9 wherein the sealing member is secured to the launcher by hydrophilic straps extending over the sealing member and around the launcher.
13 . A method for sealing a junction opening between a first pipe and a second pipe comprising:
taking a repair assembly having a bladder, a resin impregnable liner, and a sealing member;
impregnating the liner with a curable resin;
securing the sealing member to the liner;
positioning the liner at least partially over the bladder;
positioning the repair assembly at the junction opening between the first pipe and the second pipe so the sealing member extends across the junction opening and contacts a portion of the first pipe around a periphery of the opening;
inflating the bladder to urge the liner and sealing member into contact with the first pipe;
allowing the resin impregnated liner to cure and harden.
14 . The method of claim 13 further comprising removing the bladder from the first pipe.
15 . The method of claim 13 further comprising securing the sealing member to the liner using snaps.
16 . The method of claim 13 further comprising securing the sealing member to the liner by placing hydrophilic bands over the sealing member and around the liner.
17 . The method of claim 13 wherein the first pipe is a main pipe and the second pipe is a lateral pipe.
18 . The method of claim 13 wherein the repair assembly is positioned by pulling the assembly into the first pipe.
19 . The method of claim 13 wherein the repair assembly is positioned by inverting the assembly into the first pipe.
20 . The method of claim 13 wherein the sealing member is a gasket made of a hydrophilic material capable of swelling in reaction to contact with a liquid.