NL8402419A - Cleaning pig for pipe-line bore - has open cell foam core with glued in brushes in spiral pattern - Google Patents

Abstract

The pig has metal brushes with a textile backing. The bushes are secured with a glue which stays pliable, and they follow a helical pattern. The brushes are glued into a soft foam core. When under heavy strain the brushes move inwards and sideways, thus damage to the brushes is prevented. On both sides of the brushes are wear resistant elastomer strips.

Description

f - 1 - if

Pipeline cleaning plug.

ψ

Method for manufacturing a pipeline cleaning plug, intended to be moved through the pipeline to be cleaned by means of a pressure gradient.

The invention relates to increasing the efficiency of a pipeline cleaning plug consisting of open-cell plastic foam (see Fig. 1) by movably attaching brush belts in the surface thereof.

Pipeline cleaning plugs, the open-cell foam body of which are coated in whole or in part with an elastomer layer to improve scraping effect and wear resistance, are known, inter alia, from the US patent 3-309-417-

In addition, there are cleaning plugs, also with an open-cell foam body, on which brush belts 15 have been applied, in addition to an optional elastomer coating, to improve the cleaning effect. These brush belts, consisting of a textile belt in which steel staples or pins are anchored, are glued to the foam body with the textile backing.

Such plugs are known from, inter alia, the ÏÏ.S. patent 3,204,274, but always with a full brush casing or 20 with brushes embedded on the side of the plastic, so that the brushes are fixed quite rigidly in relation to the direction of movement of the plug, and tear under heavy local load without sharp contamination, deposits or to be able to carry through welding.

In the present invention, this drawback is overcome by granting the brushes freedom of movement in the lateral direction by gluing it only at the bottom in a spiral groove by means of an intermediate between the textile backing of the brush belt, for instance a teasel belt, and the open-celled belt. foam of the plug body applied elastic strong glue; preferably with a moisture-curing polyurethane with an elastomer character. As a result, if the load is too high, the brush belt can also move inwardly, also, and especially laterally, and thereby remain undamaged, or at least almost completely intact, as a wall scraper.

8402419 - 2 - 6 *

The brush band (see Fig. 3) is preferably slightly deepened and applied spirally (see Fig. 2) to the foam body, partly to effect a rotational movement of the plug and thereby increase the cleaning effect of the cleaning plug 5.

Between the helically arranged belts there are wider belts of the foam surface (see fig. * 0) which, however, can be partially coated with a wear-resistant elastomer in order to increase the abrasion resistance of the cleaning plug.

10 These elastomer layers (see fig. 5) must hold sufficiently far from the brushes to allow lateral movement of the brush belts (see fig. 6) ·

The foam body must be flexible enough to allow movement of the brush belts, on the other hand it must also be resilient enough to keep the brush belts pressed against the pipeline wall to be cleaned.

ft 8402419

Claims (4)

Pipeline cleaning plug according to the type having an open-cell foam core with elastomeric surface elements, characterized in that mesh elements provided with a textile backing are glued in suitable grooves, strips of uncovered material between the textile backing and the elastomeric surface elements foam core. Pipeline cleaning plug according to claim 1, characterized in that the screen elements are arranged in a spiral. Pipeline cleaning plug according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the brushes consist of metal wire. Pipeline cleaning plug according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that an elastic glue is used for fixing the brush belts. 8402419