Abstract
A support assembly for constructing and staging a pipeline for installation in a trench. The support assembly includes one or more stacks of support segments. A support segment for the support assembly. Method of using and making the support segments.
Claims
1. A method of constructing and staging a pipeline alongside of an in ground trench, the method comprising: assembling spaced apart stacks of rectangular prism shaped support segments alongside the trench; placing sections of pipe on top of the stacks of support segments; centering the sections of pipe on top of the stacks of support segments; orienting the support segments transverse relative to the sections of pipe; welding the sections of pipe together to construct a pipeline supported on top of the stacks of support segments.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention consisting of an assembly functional to support a portion of a large pipe segment;
(2) FIG. 2 is a clear perspective view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1 supporting a pipe segment;
(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention similarly functional to support a portion of a large pipe segment as shown in FIG. 1;
(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a component beam utilized in forming the support assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 or 3;
(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective view an alternate component beam that may be utilized in forming a support assembly as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 or 3;
(6) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a component beam utilized in forming the support assembly shown in FIG. 3;
(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate component beam that may be utilized in forming the a support assembly shown in FIG. 3;
(8) FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along lines 8-8 in FIG. 6, illustrating the composition of the internal structure of the beam shown in FIG. 6 and comparable to the compositions of the structure of each of the component beams utilized in any of the disclosed beam assemblies;
(9) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention consisting of another assembly functional to support a portion of a large pipeline segment;
(10) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a component utilized in forming a tier of the assembly shown in FIG. 9; and
(11) FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a component similar to the component shown in FIG. 10, provided with an elongated recess having a curved cross sectional configuration which may be provided in an upper tier of an assembly as shown in FIG. 9 to receive and support a portion of a pipeline segment.
(12) FIG. 12 is a vertical partial longitudinal cross-sectional detail view of the core of the support segment shown in FIG. 10.
(13) FIG. 13 is a partial exploded detailed view showing the detailed construction or arrangement of the core of the support segment shown in FIG. 12.
(14) FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a stack of the various support segments shown in FIG. 10, 16-18, or 20-22.
(15) FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another support segment.
(16) FIG. 16 is a vertical longitudinal view of a further support segment.
(17) FIG. 17 is a vertical longitudinal view of an even further support segment.
(18) FIG. 18 is a vertical longitudinal view of another further support segment.
(19) FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a stack of round support segments.
(20) FIG. 20 is a partial broken away perspective view of another support segment.
(21) FIG. 21 is a partial broken away perspective view of a further support segment.
(22) FIG. 22 is a partial broken away perspective view of an even further support segment.
(23) FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing the support assembly for constructing and staging a pipeline.
(24) FIG. 24 is a diagrammatic view showing the making of a support segment.
(25) FIG. 25 is a diagrammatic view showing the making of another support segment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(26) Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a first embodiment of the invention including a support assembly 10 supporting a portion of a pipeline segment 11, providing a base tier 12 and a set of upper tiers 13, 14 and 15, each provided with a set of beams 16, as shown in FIG. 4. As best shown in FIG. 4, each beam 16 is generally shaped as a rectangular prism configured with an elongated rectangular surface 17 provided with a pair of spaced recesses 18 and 19 disposed adjacent the ends thereof and a centrally disposed recess 20 between recesses 18 and 19. Base tier 12 of assembly 10 includes a set of three (3) parallel, spaced apart beams 16 with the recesses 18, 19 and 20 of each of the beams aligned with comparable recesses in each of the other two beams of the tier. Each of the upper tiers 13, 14 and 15 includes a set of three parallel, spaced beams 16, with the recesses 18, 19 and 20 of each of the beams aligned with comparable recesses in each of the other two beams of the tier, with each of the beams being disposed at a right angle relative to a beam in a lower tier and received in and seated in an aligned set of recesses in a set of beams of a lower tier.
(27) In lieu of a set of beams, as shown in FIG. 4, in forming an assembly as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a beam 21 shown in FIG. 5 may be used. Such beam is provided with a first set of recesses 22, 23 and 24 in an upper surface 25, comparable to recesses 18, 19 and 20 of beam 16, and a second set of recesses 22a, 23a and 24a in an opposite surface, comparable and aligned, respectively, with recesses 22, 23 and 24 in the upper surface thereof. A plurality of beams 21 may be assembled together as described with respect to beam 16 to form an assembly similar to that shown in FIG. 3. In such modified assembly, the recesses on the underside of beams 21 are aligned to receive portions of the beams in upper and/or lower beams to provide a greater rigidity to the assembly.
(28) Referring to FIG. 3 of the drawings, there is disclosed a perspective view of another support assembly of a further embodiment of the invention. This support assembly uses only two beams per tier. The beams include a configuration as provided in a beam 30 shown in FIG. 6, and a configuration as provided in a beam 40, as shown in FIG. 7. Beam 30 is configured similarly to the configuration of beam 16 shown in FIG. 4 including a pair of spaced recesses 31 and 32 in a surface 33, with a curved, shallow depression 34 centered between recesses 31 and 32 in lieu of a recess as provided in beam 16. Beam 40 is configured similarly to the configuration of either beam 16 or 21, omitting any centered recess or depression and providing a spaced set of recesses 41a and 42a in an opposite surface, each aligned with a recess 41 or 42, respectively. Beams 30 and 40 may be assembled in a manner as described with respect to beams 20 and 21 to form an assembly, as shown in FIG. 3, with two (2) spaced beams in each tier. The beams of each upper tier being disposed at right angles to the beams of a successive tier and either of the beams being provided in the uppermost tier with the uppermost beams preferably consisting of beam 30 with the depressions 34 being aligned to provide a resting surface for a portion of a pipeline segment.
(29) Referring to FIG. 8, each of the beams described is formed of a plurality of plies 50 of corrugated cardboard, secured together with a biodegradable adhesive and coated with a biodegradable material providing a durable casing. The adhesive may consist of Dextrin, starched based glues, Casein glues or Mucilage. The coating may consist of natural rubber, latex, India rubber, polyisoprene, polymers of isoprene, polyisoprene elastomers, polymer cis-1, 4-polyisoprene, 2-octylcyanoacrylate, cyanoacrylate esters or vinyl identified by CAS numbers by the Chemical Abstracts Service, a division of the American Chemical Society.
(30) In the use of the beams as described, they may be initially stored at an offsite location, manually loaded on vehicles and transported to selected use sites, manually unloaded and stacked at such selected use sites, manually transferred to selected sites along a pipeline route and assembled as described for mounting a pipeline segment, disassembled after removal of the pipeline segment possibly shredded and disposed of either by burial or other means upon ineffectiveness or deterioration in use. Such construction, handling and disposition of such beams provides not only for a minimal cost of production of such beams but in a facilitation and low cost of usage thereof. The fabrication of such beams provides a low cost, the reduced weight thereof permits manual handling thereof and the disposal aspect thereof eliminates further handling and transportation thereof, substantially reducing the cost in the use of such beams.
(31) Referring to FIGS. 9 through 11 of the drawings, there is shown another embodiment of the invention as a further support assembly 60 comprising a stack of one or more lower tier support segments 61 each configured, as shown in FIG. 10, and an upper tier segment 62 configured, as shown in FIG. 11. Each lower tier segment 61 is shaped as a rectangular prism configured, preferably measuring 30 inches wide, 48 inches long and 6 inches thick, formed of a biodegradable material. It includes a set of plies of corrugated cardboard adhesively secured together, coated about the periphery thereof. Such adhesive and coating materials are similar to those used with respect to the previously described embodiments of the invention above.
(32) Each upper tier segment 62 is configured and constructed similarly to segment 61 in terms of width, length, thickness and internal construction, and further is provided with a curved recess 63 in a planar surface 64 thereof, extending from one long edge thereof to an opposed edge thereof. Such recess is positioned and configured for effectively receiving and supporting a portion of a pipeline segment, when mounted on a stack of lower tier segments 61 as shown in FIG. 9. As partially shown in FIG. 10, the internal construction of each segment 61 and 62 is similar to the internal construction of each of the components of the previously described embodiments as shown in FIG. 8. The support segments 61 and 62 are usable similarly to the use of the beam members provided in the aforementioned embodiments, are intended to be stacked and stored at an off-site location, transported to one or more sites along a pipeline trench and manually unloaded, and then manually hauled to spaced sites along and adjacent the trench where they are stacked to provide a support for end portions of pipes to be welded together. Each of such stacks would consist of a selected number of lower tier support segments 61 and an upper tier segment 62 positioned on the uppermost segment 61 with the length of recess 63 therein disposed substantially parallel to the trench.
(33) Referring to FIG. 12 of the drawings, each of the support segments 61 and 62 can be formed of a plurality of plies 70 of corrugated cardboard, secured together with one or more adhesives (e.g. biodegradable adhesive) to form a core 72. The core 72 is at least partially enclosed (e.g. one or more exposed portions or encapsulated) with an outer covering 74. For example, the outer covering 74 can be a coating, laminate, wrap, molded layer, or combination thereof. The material (e.g. biodegradable material) of the outer covering 74, for example, can be selected to provide a durable outer covering 74 while also being biodegradable.
(34) The adhesive, for example, can be applied to provide adhesive layers 76 located between adjacent plies 70, as shown in detail in FIG. 13. Specifically, each ply 70 comprises a pair of sheets 70a sandwiching a corrugated layer 70b.
(35) The adhesive for adhering the plies 70 together can be Dexatrin, starched based glues, Casein glues or Mucilage. The coating can comprise or consist of natural rubber, latex, India rubber, polyisoprene, polymers of isoprene, polyisoprene elastomers, polymer cis-1, 4-polyisoprene, 2-octylcyanoacrylate, cyanoacrylate esters or vinyl identified by CAS numbers by the Chemical Abstracts Service, a division of the American Chemical Society.
(36) The assembly 60′ shown in FIG. 14 comprises multiple (e.g. three (3)) segments 61′ stacked one on top of the other. The segments 61′ can be stacked free standing (i.e. without any connection therebetween), or can be stacked and connected together using adhesive between segments 61′, using double sided tape between segments 61′, using tape on one or more edges of the segments 61′, and/or using a mechanical fastener (e.g. one or more metal stakes, one or more metal or nylon bands wrapping around assembly 60′, one or more clamps, etc.).
(37) Another segment 161 comprising a core 172 and a covering 174 is shown in FIG. 15. This segment 161 includes an upside down triangular-shaped recess 163 configured to prevent a pipe from rolling off center therefrom when supporting the pipe for welding or staging.
(38) The core 172 can be made of multiple plies adhered together like segment 61 shown in FIG. 13. Alternatively, the core 172 can be made of one or more honeycomb panels such as manufactured by Packaging Corporation of America (PCA), 1955 West Field Court, Lake Forest, Ill. 60045 (800-456-4725) or HEXACOMB panels manufactured by Hexacomb Corporation, 1650 Lake Cook Road, Suite 400, Deerfield, Ill. 60015 (800-323-9161).
(39) The outer covering 174 can be a coating, laminate, panel, wrap (e.g. Tyvek), shrink wrap, or other suitable covering material (e.g. biodegradable) applied to the core 172. For example, the outer covering 174 is a fiberboard wrap applied to the core 172.
(40) The flat linerboard(s) of the fiberboard can be coated to be waterproof on at least the outside or both outside and inside surfaces. Alternatively, the outer covering 174 can be wrapped with biodegradable sheet material and taped, shrink wrapped, or vacuum sealed.
(41) A further segment 261 is shown in FIG. 16. The segment 261 comprises blocks 280a, 280b spaced apart by three (3) separate cores 272a, 272b, 272c, which can be made of the same or different core materials or panels and assembled together (e.g. adhered together). The blocks 280a, 280b, for example, can be made of wood, hard foam blocks, plastic or composite blocks, hard plastic honeycomb blocks, or other suitable block material and configuration to resist compression. The inner blocks 280b are located inside the segment 261, and capture and maintain the pipe centered on top of the segment 61 to prevent the pipe from rolling off therefrom. The blocks 280a are located adjacent to the ends of the segment 261, and prevent the ends of the segment 261 from compressing or crushing to maintain the stability of a stack of these segments 261. The outer covering 274 can be a coating, laminate, panel, wrap (e.g. Tyvek), shrink wrap, or other suitable covering material (e.g. biodegradable) applied to the assembled core
(42) Another further segment 361 is shown in FIG. 17. The segment 361 comprises three (3) separate cores 372a, 372b, 372c assembled together (e.g. adhered together). Alternatively, the core 372 is a single core. A cavity 382 is provided in the core 272b, and configured to collapse or compress when a pipe is centered on top of the segment 361. For example, the cavity 382 can be made before or after assembly of the core 372b (e.g. core 372b is assembled, formed, or machined to provide the cavity 382).
(43) An even further segment 462 is shown in FIG. 18. The segment 461 comprises three (3) separate cores 472a, 472b, 472c assembled together (e.g. adhered together). Alternatively, the core 472 is a single core. Cavities 482a, 482b, 482c are provided in the core 472b, and configured to collapse or compress when a pipe is centered on top of the segment 461. For example, the cavities 482a, 482b, 482c can be made before or after assembly of the core 472b (e.g. core 472b is assembled, formed, or machined to provide the cavity 482). The core 472b includes supports 484 provided to support the outer covering 474 located above the cavities 482a, 482b, 482c from deforming (e.g. bowing) down into the cavities 482a, 482b, 482c during storage or use.
(44) The segments shown and described above have the shape of a rectangular cuboid. However, the segments can have other different shapes such as a cube, parallelepiped, cylinder, pyramid, or other suitable shape and configuration. For example, the assembly 560 comprises three (3) circular-shaped segments 561 stacked on top of each other, as shown in FIG. 19.
(45) The outer covering 574 can be a coating, laminate, panel, wrap (e.g. Tyvek), shrink wrap, or other suitable covering material (e.g. biodegradable) applied to the core 572. For example, the outer covering 574 is a fiberboard wrap applied to the core 572.
(46) Another segment 661 is shown in FIG. 20. The segment 661 comprises a single core 662 made of a honeycomb panel such as manufactured by Packaging Corporation of America (PCA), 1955 West Field Court, Lake Forest, Ill. 60045 (800-456-4725) or HEXACOMB panels manufactured by Hexacomb Corporation, 1650 Lake Cook Road, Suite 400, Deerfield, Ill. 60015 (800-323-9161). The core 672 comprises a honeycomb layer 672a disposed between liner boards 672b
(47) The outer covering 674 can be a coating, laminate, panel, wrap (e.g. Tyvek), shrink wrap, or other suitable covering material (e.g. biodegradable) applied to the core 672. For example, the outer covering 674 is a fiberboard wrap applied to the core 672.
(48) Another segment 761 is shown in FIG. 21. The segment 761 comprises a core 762 made of multiple (e.g. three (3)) honeycomb panels 762a, 762b, 762c such as manufactured by Packaging Corporation of America (PCA), 1955 West Field Court, Lake Forest, Ill. 60045 (800-456-4725) or HEXACOMB panels manufactured by Hexacomb Corporation, 1650 Lake Cook Road, Suite 400, Deerfield, Ill. 60015 (800-323-9161). The panels 762a, 762b, 762c can be unattached, or connected together (e.g. by adhesive, mechanical fastener, tape, band(s), wrapped, etc.).
(49) The outer covering 774 can be a coating, laminate, panel, wrap (e.g. Tyvek), shrink wrap, or other suitable covering material (e.g. biodegradable) applied to the core 772. For example, the outer covering 774 is a fiberboard wrap applied to the core 772.
(50) A further segment 861 is shown in FIG. 22. The segment 861 comprises a core 862 made of single or multiple (e.g. three (3)) honeycomb panel(s) 862 such as manufactured by Packaging Corporation of America (PCA), 1955 West Field Court, Lake Forest, Ill. 60045 (800-456-4725) or HEXACOMB panels manufactured by Hexacomb Corporation, 1650 Lake Cook Road, Suite 400, Deerfield, Ill. 60015 (800-323-9161). The panel(s) 862 can be unattached, or connected together (e.g. by adhesive, mechanical fastener, tape, band(s), wrapped, etc.).
(51) The core 872 is provided with a cavity 882 (e.g. rectangular-shaped, square-shaped) as shown in FIG. 22. The cavity 882 is configured to collapse when a pipe is centered on top of the segment 861 to prevent the pipe from rolling off therefrom.
(52) The outer covering 874 can be a coating, laminate, panel, wrap (e.g. Tyvek), shrink wrap, or other suitable covering material (e.g. biodegradable) applied to the core 872. For example, the outer covering 874 is a fiberboard wrap applied to the core 872.
Method of Using
(53) The support segments 61 and 62 are usable similarly to the use of the beam members provided in the aforementioned embodiments, they are intended to be stacked and stored at an off-site location, transported to one or more sites along a pipeline trench, manually unloaded, and then manually hauled to spaced sites along and adjacent the trench where they are stacked to provide a support for end portions of pipes to be welded together. For example, each of the stacks would include a selected number of segments 61, as shown in FIG. 23, stacked one on top of the other, and oriented transverse relative to the pipe 11. Alternatively, Each of such stacks would consist of a selected number of lower tier support segments 61 and an upper tier segment 62 positioned on the uppermost segment 61 with the length of recess 63 therein disposed substantially parallel to the trench. In this embodiment the top segment 61 of each stack can be replaced with the segment 62 having the curved recess 63 to accommodate the pipe and prevent the pipe from rolling off the stack. It is noted that other embodiments of the segments shown and described herein can be substituted for the segments 61 and 62.
(54) The benefits of the segments as described and shown are that they are simple in design, simple and comparatively inexpensive to produce, easily and economically transportable from an offsite location to an end use site, and lightweight allowing workmen to manually lift, carry, stack and disassemble repeatedly.
Method of Making
(55) A method of making the segment 661 (FIG. 20) is shown in FIG. 24. The other embodiments of segments described above and shown in the drawings can be made by the same or similar method.
(56) The method begins by providing a supply of honeycomb core sheet material 673, cutting the sheet material 673 into individual cores 672, loading an individual core 672 into a container 675, and closing the container 675 to complete assembly of the segment 661. It is noted that the container 675 acts as the outer covering 674 of the segment in the assembled segment 661.
(57) The container 675, for example, comprises self-sealing flaps 675a, 675b, which seal or adhere together when the flaps 675a, 675b are closed. For example, the outer surface of the flap 675b is provided with a layer of self-adhering adhesive, which adheres to the inner surface of the flap 675a when placed in contact therewith when closing the flaps 675a, 675b of the container 675. Alternatively, or in addition, tape 677 is applied to seal the flaps 675a, 675b closed to complete the assembly of the segment 661.
(58) The container 675 can be sealed, for example, by using a pair of sealing roller 681 sequentially moving towards each other. The sealing rollers 681a mounted on actuator arms 681b can be actuated by hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, and/or electrical actuators (not shown).
(59) The assembled segments 661 can be loaded into a container 679 for shipment thereof. For example, the segments 661 are stacked inside the container 679 until full. For example, the container 679 is lowered an increment each time a segment 661 is loaded into the container to stack the segments 661 inside the container 679. The container 679 can have flaps or a cover for closing same. Alternatively, the stacked segments can be shrink wrapped for shipment thereof.
(60) The container 672 can be a fiberboard or cardboard (e.g. corrugated cardboard) container. The other surface, and optionally the inner surface, can be treated or coated to make same waterproof; however, still biodegradable.
(61) Another method of making the segment 661 (FIG. 20) is shown in FIG. 25. The other embodiments of segments described above and shown in the drawings can be made by the same or similar method. This method begins by providing a supply of honeycomb core sheet material 673, cutting the sheet wrapping material 673 into individual cores 672, and wrapping an individual core 672 using a sheet material 683 to complete assembly of the segment 661. It is noted that the sheet material 683 acts as the outer covering 674 of the segment in the assembled segment 661.
(62) The sheet wrapping material 683 can be provided with a self-adhering layer provided on one side thereof so that the sheet wrapping material 683 adheres to the outer surface of the core 672 when applied thereto. Alternative, or in addition, tape 677 can be applied to seal the sheet wrapping material 683 when wrapped around the core 672.
(63) The sheet wrapping material 683, for example, can be supplied on a roll 685 to provide a continuous supply thereof. The sheeting wrapping material 683 is unrolled from the roll 685 using a friction roller 687, which drives the sheet wrapping material 683 past a cutter 689 to cut same into individual sheets thereof. The individual sheets of the sheet wrapping material 683 are wrapped around the core 672, for example, using a wrapper 691. For example, the wrapper 691 comprises a U-shaped platen 693 configured to wrap the sheet around the lower edges of the core 672 as shown. A pair of rollers 695a mounted on actuating arms 695b are moved together by hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, and/or electrical actuators (not shown) to wrap the sheet material around upper edges of the core 672 to assemble the segment 661.
(64) The assembled segments 661 are lowered into a container 697 for shipping thereof. The container 697 can include self-adhering flaps 697a for sealing same when the flaps 697a are closed. Alternatively, or in addition, the flaps 697 can be taped closed to secured seal the container 697.
(65) From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that there are a number of changes, adaptations and modifications of the present invention that come within the province of those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the following claims.
