The present invention relates to a method for making joints between pipes, wherein: the first pipe part to be connected is made of plastic material, and it has an original inner diameter which is smaller than the outer diameter of the second pipe part to be connected; the end section of the first pipe part is enlarged in such a way that its expanded inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the second pipe section; the first and second pipe parts are placed one within the other; and, because of the influence of the memory of the plastic material, the expanded section is allowed to deform back towards its original dimensions when it presses against the second pipe part, thus forming a shrinkage joint between the pipe parts. The present invention also relates to a special type of pipe part used in this method.

The publication WO-93/20381 describes generally a pipe element manufactured of plastic by injection moulding. This element contains a female part of a sleeve joint in its other end and a male part in the other end. This is especially suitable for a glide pipe. For this purpose, the sleeve joint of the publication has two pairs of support surfaces, which receive the high pressing forces occurring during the glide. In order to make it possible to use the pipe joint for gliding, it must contain at least one pair of support surfaces, i.e. precise countersurfaces which rest on each other in adjoining sections and which extend transversely to the length of the pipe. When the diameter of such an injection-moulded pipe increases, the mould costs and other machine costs rise heavily, and the price of the pipe element becomes high. Because machines suitable for injection moulding of large plastic pipe elements can only be found in relatively few localities and only in relatively large factories, transportation costs rise very high because of long transport distances and because the pipes take up so much space.

Extrusion-moulded plastic pipes generally made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) again are available also in large diameters, at a reasonable price and at low transport costs in several loca¬ tions. This is principally because devices required by this manufacturing technology are cheap and thus more widely used than injection moulding machines. However, it is problematic to make expansion joints, such as pipe joints, to these pipes. If, for example, a female sleeve part is made to a PVC pipe by heating the pipe to the softening temperature of the plastic and by forming this female part in this temperature from the pipe material itself, while the material remains in the formed shape upon cooling, one ends up with a conventional pipe joint used in sewers; this joint contains no pair of support surfaces but merely rounded shapes which, for example, upon attempted gliding become interfitting, breaking thus the pipe elements. If again it is attempted to provide an extrusion-moulded pipe with joint parts or equivalent parts by turning, one ends up with two impracticable alternatives. If the wall thickness of the pipe is chosen to be suitable in practice, it is so thin that it is not possible to machine joint parts that can withstand e.g. gliding forces. If again the pipe wall is chosen to be so thick that strong enough joint parts can be turned, the costs rise too high because of the excess material in other parts of the pipe. In addition, turning of an extrusion-moulded pipe results in parts with poor measuring accuracy, which is due to the inner stresses breaking within the pipe.

The publication WO-93/05332 describes a method for joining end parts of the same size to each other so that the inner diameter of one end of the plastic pipe, the original size of which, naturally, is larger than the outer diameter of the plastic pipe, is expanded to be larger than the outer diameter of the plastic pipe, whereafter the end part of the second plastic pipe in the original state is pushed into the expanded end section. After this, the memory of the plastic material is allowed to reset the expanded end section of the pipe part towards its original dimensions, and it presses against the outer surface of the second pipe, thus forming a shrinkage

joint between the pipe parts. This produces a very simple final structure and a relatively strong joint between the pipes. However, this solution has some considerable drawbacks. First, it limits the choice of pipe materials, because the said plastic material memory only occurs in some pipe materials. Thus, it is e.g. not possible to use this method to manufacture shrink joints of PVC pipes, because PVC does not have the said memory, i.e. transformation resetting. Second drawback is that it is necessary to use a special machine for expansion of the plastic pipe end on the installation site, which requires availability of energy and the use of a relatively expensive machine on all installation sites. Third, the installation slows down on the installation site, because every pipe end has to be expanded. Fourth drawback is formed by the problems caused by variations in the outdoor temperature. If the outdoor temperature falls below 0°C, as often is the case in Finland, the method of the reference publication cannot be used as such, but the pipe end to be expanded has to be heated very evenly in order to make the even expansion possible and to prevent breaking of the pipe end section upon expanding. In addition, the ingoing pipe section of the joint of the reference public¬ ation is bevelled and the design is equivalent to that of the above described sleeve joint, thus having the same drawbacks. If the joint of the reference publication were used for connecting relining pipes, the large longitudinal force caused by relining procedure would very probably make the inner pipe to protrude deeper into the pipe containing the female sleeve, thus causing the pipes to break.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a method and equipment for connecting pipes of any material to each other. Another object of the invention relates to a method and equipment with the help of which the pipe joint thus made is able to withstand e.g. a large longitudinal force generated during relining without damaging any part of the joint or without the joint beginning to leak. The third object of the invention relates to a method and equipment with which it would be very fast and simple to make the pipe joint on the

installation site and with which it would not be necessary to carry out work requiring high precision or to use any compli¬ cated or expensive machines on the site. The fourth object relates to such a method and equipment which result in low manufacturing costs and transport costs to the installation site. The fifth object relates to such a method and equipment with which the pipes and the joint parts contain as little material as possible, or advantageously no material at all which is not necessary for strength, and with which the waste of material in the manufacture of joint parts is as small as possible, or advantageosly, does not occur at all. Further, it is an object of the invention to provide such a connection method and equipment that enable a joint thus made to be used for relining as well as for other pipe joints.

The drawbacks described above can be removed and the objectives defined above can be reached by the method of the present invention, the characteristics of which have been defined in the featuring part of the claim 1, and by a pipe part according to the invention, which has been defined in the featuring part of the claim 5.

The most important advantage of the invention is that the method and the pipe part of the invention can be used to join together pipes of any material simply by using the pipe part of the invention, without it being necessary to carry out any expansion of component diameters or any controlled heating on the installation site. Thus, work on the installation site can be done very quickly. Second advantage is that with the method and pipe part of the invention the pipe end sections joined together are in a most advantageous case brought directly against each other in a butting contact, and the joint can then withstand even a large push force, for example, during relining. Third advantage is that the joint of the present invention is suitable for use in several various applications. Fourth advantage is that the pipe ends are joined together tightly and that, in many cases, the joint remains reliably tight also without any special seals.

In the following, the invention is described in more detail referring to the attached drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of an advantageous embodiment of a pipe part of the present invention along the line I-I of fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on the pipe part of fig. 1 along the line II-II; and

Fig. 3 shows the pipe part of figures 1 and 2 after a second pipe to be connected to the pipe part of the invention is allowed to join it and visualized as in figure 1.

The first pipe part of the invention is made of plastic mater¬ ial with a memory effect, i.e. after transformation, it resets or deforms back towards its original dimensions. Such plastics are some crystalline thermoplastics, and especially olefin- homomers or copolymers, and combinations of these, and poly- amides. Preferable of these are e.g. polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) , because of their sufficient strength and low price. Naturally, also some other olefin- polymers or various combinations can be used. Amorphous, i.e. non-crystalline plastics and, for example, PVC do not have the memory properties required by the invention. Expansion or enlarging according to the invention and the following resetting are to be carried out in a temperature area within which the plastic is at least partially in a crystalline form, but which is above the vitrification point. Thus, the temperature of the plastic material has to be below both the softening temperature and the crystallization limit (which sometimes is called crystalline melting point below which the plastic may be crystalline) , because above the latter temperature, the material is amorphous and does not have a memory, even though its softening point has not been reached. These critical temperature limits, within which the plastic material is in the desired crystalline form, vary considerably depending on the material; temperatures may become uniform or be different, so no exact limits can be set. For the sake of speed and costs of the present invention it is, however, expedient to avoid extreme temperatures, so that, in practice,

it is advantageous to keep the temperature of the plastic material between about 0°C and 100°C. Generally, the crystalline melting point is 100°C - 150°C, below which the temperature of the plastic material to be moulded must remain. The softening temperature is higher. Expansion and resetting may often be carried out in a normal room temperature, such as about 10°C - 40°C, when the resetting usually occurs within a few minutes, or at least a few hours from the beginning of the resetting phase. The given temperature limits concern conven- tional polypropylene and high-density polyethylene. The resetting may be accelerated by heating the expanded section during resetting, maintaining, however, at the same time the above-mentioned temperature limits. In this connection, heating does not have to be even. High temperatures should be avoided, because they shorten the durability of the parts. There is no critical transformation speed for the expansion, but a few seconds or some tens of seconds are practicable, depending on the material temperature. Thus it is essential that the first pipe part 1 according to the invention is manufactured of one of the above-mentioned plastic types with dimensional resetting abilities.

Advantageously, the billet for the first pipe part 1 may be made by cutting a piece of desired length from an injection- moulded or extrusion-moulded plastic pipe manufactured of a plastic material described above. The billet of which the first pipe part 1 of the invention is manufactured, has an original inner diameter Dl, which is smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the pipes to be joined, i.e. of the second pipe parts 2. In order to produce the first pipe part 1, both end sections 11 of the billet are expanded for the length SI to such an inner diameter D3 which is larger than the outer diameter D2 of the second pipe parts 2. Thereafter, support pieces 3a and 3b, their effective outer diameter D4 corresponding to the said enlarged inner diameter D3 of the first pipe part, is pushed into the expanded end sections 22 of the first pipe part 1. These support pieces 3a, 3b are thus meant to fit relatively tightly within the large inner diameter D3, thus preventing the

resetting or deforming back of the end sections 11 of the first pipe part towards the original dimensions. Naturally, the expanded sections 11 of the first pipe part tend to shrink towards the original dimensions, but their inner surfaces 6 meet the outer surfaces 5 of the support pieces 3a, 3b fitted inside, and press against them, but the support pieces prevent them from shrinking further. The expanded sections 11 of the first pipe part thus remain in an unstable or quasi-stable state, due to the influence of the support pieces; however, they tend to reset to their original dimensions Dl because of their memory, but are unable to do so, because of the support pieces.

In figures 1 and 2, there is shown a pipe part 1 according to the invention, which has been expanded from both ends 4A and

4B for the length SI of the end sections 11. Both end sections

11 include the said support pieces 3a and 3b to prevent the resetting of the diameter dimensions of the first pipe part.

The dashed line in figure 1 shows a billet with the original inner diameter Dl. The first pipe part 1 (drawn with unbroken line) is formed from the said billet by said expansion and by using the support pieces 3a, 3b. In the other margin of the figure there is shown a small part of the pipe end, i.e. the second pipe part 2 which, at a later stage, will be fastened with the help of the first pipe part 1.

In the embodiment of figures l and 3, the total length L of the first pipe part is slightly larger than two times the length SI of the shrink joint 10 to be made, thus corresponding to the length SI of the expanded end section 11. So, in this case, there is a short distance 7 between the expanded end sections. In the most advantageous embodiment, the said distance 7 is very short or it does not occur at all, the length L of the first pipe part 1 being 2*S1. In this case, the support pieces 3a and 3b are in contact with each other or at least very close to each other generally in the middle of the length L of the first pipe part. When necessary, the length L of the first pipe part may be 3*S1 or even 5*S1, but when second pipes of the

same size are joined together, this larger length is of no use. In the case that the first pipe part 1 of the invention is used for joining second pipes 2 of different diameters, it may be expedient to use such a longer first pipe part 1. For this kind of use it may be necessary to make the original diameters Dl in the end sections 4a and 4b of the first pipe part unequal in size and/or to expand different end sections in the end parts to different-sized expanded inner diameters D3 so that the first pipe part can efficiently adhere to different-sized second pipes 2 in the way described below.

In accordance with the present invention, the first pipe part has to be expanded to inner diameter D3, which is at least 2% - 2 4%, typically 3% - 16% larger than the original inner diameter Dl for providing a sufficient aperture diameter D3 for the second pipe part 2 and for providing sufficient pressing against the outer surface 5 of the second pipe part in the final joint. In fact, the expansion has to be made originally in the inner diameter D3a, not shown in the drawings, where- after a small clearance required by the installation of the support piece, and with time, a small resilience allowed by the support piece 3a, 3b, due to the force generated by the tendency of the expanded part 11 of the first pipe part to deform back, results in the inner diameter D3b (not shown in the drawings) in the first pipe part when the support pieces are in place. The inner diameter D3b is slightly smaller than the inner diameter D3a, the difference being 0.5% - 2%, according to present views. The difference is naturally depen¬ dent substantially on the dimensions and material of the support piece, but the value mentioned is suitable for an annular plastic support piece in a first pipe part with a relatively large diameter.

A pipe part according to the invention may include one or several support pieces 3a, 3b in each expanded end section 11 in a way not shown in the drawings, e.g. in order to facilitate the removal of the support pieces described later. Thus, the

length SI of each end section 11 may have several support pieces, or interfitting concentric support pieces may be used.

Support piece 3a and 3b of the present invention may be a fixed ring or a plate section (which is not shown in the drawings) , the thickness of which is equivalent to the length SI of the expanded end section 11 and the outer diameter D4 of which is as close as possible to the expanded inner diameter D3 so that the support piece can be pushed in place shortly after the expansion. However, removal of such a support piece for installation may be difficult. Thus it is most advantageous to make the support piece 3a, 3b of a material strip 8, the width S2 of which is as large as the desired depth SI of the expanded end section 11 and the length F of which is approximately as large as the circumferential length formed by the inner diameter D3 of the expanded end section. A material strip of this length is bended to a ring so that the ends 13a and 13b transversal to the length F are situated end to end in an abutting manner, thus forming a ring equipped with a break point 9 with an effective diameter D4. This annular support piece is pushed into the expanded end section 11. In order to facilitate fitting, the strip length F can be proportioned to the circumferential dimensions of the diameter D3 so that, at this stage, a very small gap remains between the ends 13a, 13b. This gap closes while the expanded end section 11 of the first pipe part tends to reset towards its original dimensions. The factual support pieces 3a, 3b of the first pipe part 1 do not have a noteworthy gap but merely a break or point of un- continuity 9, which in figure 2 has been drawn for descriptive purposes only. After this, the effective diameter D4 of the support piece 3a, 3b, which has become annular and which is formed by the strip 8, keeps the inner diameter D3 of the end section 11 in the desired large value which is larger than the outer diameter D2 of the second pipe parts. It depends on the thickness, rigidity and other dimensions of the strip 8, how much the largest expanded diameter D3a of the first pipe part l decreases resulting in the unstable expanded diameter D3b maintained by the support piece. This kind of support piece 3a,

3b equipped with a break line 9 is especially easy to remove during further measures described later. In order to facilitate the removal of the support piece it is also of advantage if its outer surface 5 is as smooth as possible.

As it is, the support piece can be made practically of any suitable material, such as plastic, metal, wood, or a combina¬ tion of these. The removal of the support piece 3a, 3b may also be made easier by making their width S2 slightly larger than the depth SI of the expanded end section 11, when the support piece projects outside the outer surface 12 of the first pipe part, thus making it easily graspable for removal. A thickness which is about half of the wall thickness H2 of the first pipe part is usually sufficient for the thickness HI when parallel with the radius of the support piece made from the material strip 8, if the material strip is made of plastic. If the thickness HI of the strip is less than a third or a quarter of the wall thickness H2, the support piece may yield too much and/or become dented. The strip thickness Hi may be of equal size or larger than the wall thickness H2, but this will raise the costs. Naturally, the dimensions are also dependable on the hardness and, of course, the price of the material.

The first pipe part according to the invention is used for making joints 10 between pipes in the following way. First pipe parts 1 and long second parts of pipes 2 are brought to the installation site; the ends of the second pipe parts or pipes have been cut in a simple manner and advantageously straight. Their outer diameter is D2, which is larger than the original inner diameter Dl of the first pipe parts, but smaller than their expanded inner diameter D3. On the installation site, e.g. a second support piece 3a is removed from the first pipe part 1 of the invention, for example by using a screwdriver which bends the other side 13a or 13b of the circumferential length F of the support piece towards the middle line 14 in the area of the break 9, i.e. towards the middle of the first pipe part, which makes the said edge to snap totally away from the second edge in direction of the middle line 14, whereafter the

support piece 3a or 3b is disengaged and it can then be easily pulled out from the expanded end section 11. Next the end of the second pipe part 2 is pushed deeply into the first pipe part from the end 4a, from which the support piece was removed. After this the dimensions of the end section 11 of the said end 4a of the first pipe part are allowed to reset towards the original dimensions by the memory of the plastic material, thus forming a shrinkage joint 10 between the first pipe part 1 and the second pipe part 2 described on the right side of figure 3. Then the second support piece 3b is removed, and the corresponding end of the opposite second pipe part 2 is pushed into the other end 4b of the first pipe part as deep as possible, whereafter this end section is allowed to reset towards its original dimensions by the memory of the plastic material, thus forming a shrinkage joint between the said second pipe part 2 and the first pipe part 1. This pipe 2 to be joined is schematically described on the left side of figure 3. This way, two pieces of second pipe parts 2 have been joined to each other with a first pipe part 1.

Especially when the said first pipe part is short and its total length L is nearly the same as the sum of the two expanded end sections 11 and thus also of the sum of the lengths SI of the shrink joint 10, the end parts 15a and 15b set against each other e.g. during relining so that no forces are exerted to the first pipe part, which thus guarantees the durability and tightness of the joint. In order to produce this good durability against the longitudinal force during gliding, it is expedient to arrange the end parts 15a, 15b of the second pipe parts or pipes 2 perpendicular to the middle line 14 and straight, as is shown in figure 3. Likewise, in order to reduce the longitudinal forces during relining, it is advantageous to make the end surfaces 16 of the first pipe part 1 oblique, i.e. conical so that the certices of the cone point to opposite directions, as is shown in figure 3. In other applications, the end parts of the first pipe part 1 may possibly be of some other shape, such as straight, as in figure 1.

In practice, when the support piece 3a, 3b is removed from the expanded end section 11, the end section usually resets im¬ mediately slightly to the inner diameter D3c (not shown in the figures) and continues then the resetting movement. The expan- sion of the end sections 11 and their supporting with the support pieces mus be such that the last mentioned inner diameter D3c is larger than the outer diameter D2 of the second pipes or pipe parts 2. Because differences in the dimensions D3a, D3b and D3c are small, it is normally possible to handle only the inner diameter D3, as is the case in the description in general. Normally, the outer diameter D2 of the second pipe part is 1% - 12% and possibly 2% - 8% larger than the original inner diameter Dl. As one example of the first pipe part the original inner diameter Dl is 310 mm; this is expanded to the value 330 mm of the diameter D3a, the inner diameter of which immediately after the removal of the support piece is 323 mm and which presses on the second pipe 2, the outer diameter D2 of which is 317 mm. It is evident that the method and the first pipe part of the present invention are applicable to pipes of any size.

Other pipes or pipe parts of the joint or other possible components may be manufactured of any suitable material, such as similar type materials as the first pipe part, or of PVC or plastic reinforced with fibreglass (e.g. polyester-fibreglass- composite) , or ceramics or metal, etc. It is advantageous that the outer surface 17 of the second pipe part is coarse and/or possibly grooved at least in the area protruding into the end sections 11 in order to improve the adhesion between the inner part 6 of the first pipe part and the outer surface 17 of the second pipe part.

Normally, a shrinkage joint 10 manufactured according to the invention does not require seals. When desired, seals may, however, be used e.g. in the following way. A relatively flat sealing tape or elastic piece of hose is placed on the second pipe part before pushing the pipe part into the end section 11 of the first pipe part, and the seal presses between the inner

surface 6 of the first pipe part 1 with reset dimensions and the outer surface 5 of the second pipe part. A circumferential groove may also be formed near then end 15a, 15b of the second pipe part on its outer surface, and an O-ring or other seal may be placed in the groove, the said seal being pressed between the inner surface 6 of the reset first pipe part 1 and the outer surface 5 of the second pipe part. For example, an X-seal may be placed between the opposite ends 15a and 15b of the second pipe parts 2, the arms of which pointing outwards are pressed between the inner surface 6 of the first pipe part with reset dimensions and the outer surface 5 of the second pipe part, as is described above. Such a seal prevents the medium flowing in the pipe from coming into contact with the first pipe part, which may be desirable when certain chemicals are flowing in the pipe.