According to the present invention, there is provided a pipe forming apparatus for forming a pipe at an installation site. The apparatus includes a former upon which material is wound, and a mold for receiving the former bearing the wound material. An applicator is provided for applying curable liquid within the mold. Advantageously, the pipe is formed at site to provide for efficient formation of a pipeline. A transported ISO container providing the material and curable liquid to the site can produce 800 metres of pipeline section, compared with 60 metres in the prior art, representing a significant increase in efficiency.

A molded concrete U-wall construction block including a molded concrete U-wall construction block structure formed from cured concrete poured about a block cage made from reinforcing material during a block manufacturing process. The block cage includes an open aperture formed in each of its stem reinforcing portions. During the block manufacturing process, the first and second support members of a support mechanism are inserted within the open apertures formed in the stem reinforcing sections of the block cage, and cooperate with the open apertures of the block cage so as to (i) support the block cage when being loaded into a block manufacturing machine, (ii) define central apertures molded in each stem portion of the concrete U-wall construction block structure, and (iii) lift the molded concrete U-wall construction block when being unloaded from the machine.

A permeable surface covering unit comprises a top surface, a bottom surface and at least two pairs of sides. A cavity is formed in the unit from the top surface to the bottom surface, and has side walls. The cavity may be a side cavity between units and/or a core cavity within the unit. An undercut is provided in the cavity. Pervious material plugs fill the cavity and extend into the undercut. Thereby the plug is locked into the cavity like a rivet and resists being dislodged by mechanical or hydraulic forces.

A pocket former includes a pocket former body and a keyway former. The pocket former is adapted to form a void in a concrete member allowing access to the stressing end of a post-tensioning tendon. The keyway former is adapted to form a keyway in the concrete to allow grout to be more securely retained in the void.

A molding tool and method for making the molding tool by additive manufacturing is provided. The molding tool includes a tool body having a tooling surface for molding a part, the tool body comprising a eutectic alloy. The method for making the molding tool by additive manufacturing includes forming a first layer of eutectic alloy, the forming comprising depositing the eutectic alloy in liquid form and then cooling for form a solid eutectic alloy; forming an additional layer of the eutectic alloy on the first layer, the forming of the additional layer comprising depositing the eutectic alloy in liquid form and then cooling to form the solid eutectic alloy; and repeating forming an additional layer of the eutectic alloy on the first layer, the forming of the additional layer comprising depositing the eutectic alloy in liquid form and then cooling to form the solid eutectic alloy, and repeating one or more times to form a structure comprising a tool body having a tooling surface.

A molding tool and method for making the molding tool by additive manufacturing is provided. The molding tool includes a tool body having a tooling surface for molding a part, the tool body comprising a eutectic alloy. The method for making the molding tool by additive manufacturing includes forming a first layer of eutectic alloy, the forming comprising depositing the eutectic alloy in liquid form and then cooling for form a solid eutectic alloy; forming an additional layer of the eutectic alloy on the first layer, the forming of the additional layer comprising depositing the eutectic alloy in liquid form and then cooling to form the solid eutectic alloy; and repeating forming an additional layer of the eutectic alloy on the first layer, the forming of the additional layer comprising depositing the eutectic alloy in liquid form and then cooling to form the solid eutectic alloy, and repeating one or more times to form a structure comprising a tool body having a tooling surface.

An apparatus and method for manufacturing precast concrete pipe couplings used in municipal and infrastructure systems includes a mold apparatus particularly configured for the formation of monolithic, unitarily formed concrete pipe couplings that facilitate the joining of intersecting and/or bending sections of straight concrete pipes. The mold apparatus comprises a base, adjustable mold walls, and primary and secondary mold cores that shape the internal flow channels of the couplings and that allow for the creation of complex geometries without the need for scoring, cutting, or rejoining pipe sections, resulting in couplings with smooth internal surfaces that enhance fluid flow and reduce maintenance requirements. A monolithic concrete pipe coupling formed by the foregoing method and apparatus exhibits flat external surfaces, facilitating easy stacking, storage, and installation.

An apparatus and method for manufacturing precast concrete pipe couplings used in municipal and infrastructure systems includes a mold apparatus particularly configured for the formation of monolithic, unitarily formed concrete pipe couplings that facilitate the joining of intersecting and/or bending sections of straight concrete pipes. The mold apparatus comprises a base, adjustable mold walls, and primary and secondary mold cores that shape the internal flow channels of the couplings and that allow for the creation of complex geometries without the need for scoring, cutting, or rejoining pipe sections, resulting in couplings with smooth internal surfaces that enhance fluid flow and reduce maintenance requirements. A monolithic concrete pipe coupling formed by the foregoing method and apparatus exhibits flat external surfaces, facilitating easy stacking, storage, and installation.

Devices and methods for forming voids or cavities in concrete such that reinforcing bars can be used to connect different pours of concrete, the devices including an insert having a base and an elongate member extending from the base, and the method including coupling the insert to formwork, pouring concrete into the formwork, which surrounds the insert, allowing the concrete to partially cure, such that it retains its shape, removing the formwork and insert to form a void in the partially cured concrete, inserting a reinforcing bar into the void, applying adhesive to adhere the reinforcing bar to the concrete, and pouring concrete around the reinforcing bar, such that the reinforcing bar joins the two pours of concrete together via the void and adhesive.

Devices and methods for forming voids or cavities in concrete such that reinforcing bars can be used to connect different pours of concrete, the devices including an insert having a base and an elongate member extending from the base, and the method including coupling the insert to formwork, pouring concrete into the formwork, which surrounds the insert, allowing the concrete to partially cure, such that it retains its shape, removing the formwork and insert to form a void in the partially cured concrete, inserting a reinforcing bar into the void, applying adhesive to adhere the reinforcing bar to the concrete, and pouring concrete around the reinforcing bar, such that the reinforcing bar joins the two pours of concrete together via the void and adhesive.