GB2199060A - Stopvalve chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

A stopvalve chamber comprising a base, two opposed upstanding walls (9) located on the base and defining therebetween a passage for receiving pipe sections, means for receiving and supporting an access section, and a generally V-shaped resilient abutment (19) connected at the edge of one of its arms at or adjacent and parallel to each upright end of each wall, the abutments being arranged so that the apexes (23) of the abutments on the same wall point towards each other and each abutment on each wall is opposed to an abutment on the other wall. <IMAGE>

Description

STOPVALVE CHAMBER The present invention relates to a stopvalve chamber for use in distribution systems for gas or water.

Gas or water is generally supplied to domestic and some commercial users through a main which serves a number of users. Generally, the main is tapped for each user and a stopvalve is located in the supply pipe leading from the main to the user's premises. The stopvalve is provided so that each individual user's supply can be turned of f separately.

Since the main and the supply pipe are located underground, the stopvalve is inevitably also located underground. In order to enable the stopvalve to be accessed, it is necessary to provide an access shaft and a cover.

Originally, the access shaft comprised a length of drain pipe, which was usually a ceramic pipe, located over the stopvalve. This arrangement was not satisfactory as the drain pipe had a tendency to fill with silt and the stopvalve tended to rotate about the supply pipe's longitudinal axis. It was thus difficult to obtain access to the stopvalve.

It therefore became the practice to support the stopvalve between two bricks and to locate the drain pipe on the bricks. Although to a certain extent this alleviated the problems of silting and turning, it did not by any means solve the problems completely.

There have therefore been developed a number of stopvalve chamber systems aimed at solving the above problems of silting and turning.

One such stopvalve chamber system; which is shown in GB-A-2 148 997, comprises a stopvalve chamber adapted to receive one or more access sections. The uppermost access section receives a top member which in turn supports a ground level entry member. The stopvalve chamber comprises a circular base having two upstanding part-circular walls which define opposed openings for receiving the sections of pipe on either side of the stopvalve. A step element is formed on the concave side of each wall and these between them define an upwardly facing recess for receiving the stopvalve and holding it in an upright position. The step elements may have formed in them recesses for receiving a retaining member placed around the stopvalve. The tops of the step elements are designed so that they can receive the lowermost access section.

This chamber has the limitation that the size of the upwardly facing recess determines both the size of the stopvalve and the size of the pipe which can be received therein.

A system working on a similar principle is currently commercially available from the present Applicants. In the Applicants' system, the step elements define a U-shaped elongate channel for receiving the pipe on either side of the stopvalve.

Two V-shaped clips are provided in Opposition on the upright walls of the channel for receiving the stopvalve therebetween. In this system the size of the channel does not completely determine the size of the pipes or stopvalves which can be used.

Although the two systems described above work satisfactorily in most respects, they have the drawback that a given size of stopvalve chamber can only accommodate a limited number of sizes of stopvalves. For instance, Applicants' stopvalve chamber is designed to accommodate a restricted range of conventional domestic water supply stopvalves, cannot be used for substantially smaller or larger stopvalves, and cannot be used with gas supply isolating valves.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a stopvalve chamber which can be used with a large range of stopvalve systems.

The present invention provides a stopvalve chamber comprising a base, two opposed upstanding walls located on the base and defining therebetween a passage for receiving pipe sections, means for receiving and supporting an access section, and a generally V-shaped resilient abutment connected at the edge of one of its arms at or adjacent and parallel to each upright end of each wall, the abutments being arranged so that the apexes of the abutments on the same wall point towards each other and each abutment on each wall is opposed to an abutment on the other wall.

It will thus be seen that the free arms of the abutments define between them a generally rectangular space into which a stopvalve may be inserted. Due to the resilience of the abutments, the chamber can receive and support a large variety of sizes of stopvalve, for both gas and water supply. This is highly advantageous since it means that only a single type of stopvalve chamber is required to meet all possible uses.

Preferably, the stopvalve chamber includes two opposed part-circular walls having a horizontal arcuate lip or step therein for receiving and supporting an access section.

The abutments may be connected directly to the part-circular walls. Alternatively a panel is connected between the ends of each part-circular wall and the abutments are connected to the panels.

The abutments may be resilient because of the inherent resilience of the material from which they are made. In such cases the apex of the V-shape may be somewhat rounded, Preferably, however, each abutment is made resilient by providing a flex line therein at the apex of the V-shape. Advantageously, a flex line is also provided at the point of connection of the abutment to its wall or panel. In this case it is preferred that the abutments are made of a plastics material which is relatively inflexible when thick and relatively flexible when thin. The flex lines can then be provided by having thin sections of plastics at the apex and optionally at the point of connection.

Advantageously, the bottom of each abutment is parallel to the top of the base and each abutment decreases in depth from its line of connection to its free edge.

Preferably, an ear is located on the upper edge of each abutment adjacent its free edge, the ear being internal of the V-shape and generally perpendicular to the free arm.

The shape of the top of the abutment and/or the provision of ears serves to direct the stopvalve into the centre of the space defined by the abutments.

Conveniently, the walls of the chamber are reinforced by external ribs connected to the base.

The external ribs may be provided with stepped portions for receiving a larger access section, or the chamber may be provided with other means for this purpose as disclosed in our co-pending application No. filed on 5th November 1986.

Preferably, the stopvalve chamber is made from a plastics material, such as polypropylene.

Advantageously, the chamber is made as a one piece moulding.

It will be appreciated that the stopvalve chamber of the present invention can be designed so that it can be used with any of the access sections, top members and ground level entry members which are available at present.

One embodiment of a stopvalve chamber according to the present invention is now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the stopvalve chamber; Figure 2 is a plane view thereof; and Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a stopvalve chamber according to the present invention made as a single moulding from polypropylene.

The stopvalve chamber comprises a base having a cylindrical section 1. An external flange 3 extends out from the bottom edge of the cylindrical section 1. Two parallel vertical wall sections 5 extend across the cylindrical section 1 and there are sector sections 7 defined by the cylindrical and wall sections 1,5.

The chamber further comprises two opposed upstanding part-circular walls 9. Each wall 9 extends around one of the parts of the base between the ends of the wall sections 5. Each wall 9 is reinforced by a pair of triangular ribs 11 which are connected to both the flange 3 and the cylindrical section 1. The walls 9 are also reinforced by corner sections 12. The reinforcements prevent the walls 9 from deflecting when a stopvalve is inserted as will hereinafter be described.

A horizontal arcuate lip 15 is formed towards the middle of each wall 9 for receiving and supporting thereon an access section (not shown).

A panel 17 is located across the lower part of each wall 9, the top of each panel 17 being at the same height as the top of the arcuate lip 15.

The panels 17 and the wall sections 5 define a generally square opening, as viewed in Figure 2.

The stopvalve chamber includes four abutments 19 connected to the panels 17. Each abutment 19 is generally V-shaped, as viewed in Figure 1 and has flex lines 21,23 at its line of connection to its panel 17 and at its apex. Each flex line 21,23 comprises a thinner section of the polypropylene from which the chamber is formed.

The bottom of each abutment 19 is parallel to the plane of the flange 3 and is located at the same level as the top of the wall sections 5. Each abutment 19 decreases in depth from its line of connection to its panel 7 to its free edge 25. An ear 27 is located on the upper edge of each abutment 9. Each ear 27 is internal of the V-shape and is generally perpendicular to the free arm 29.

The abutments 9 are connected to the panels 17 such that the apexes 23 of the abutments 19 on the same panel 17 point towards each other and each abutment 19 on each panel 17 is opposed to an abutment 19 on the other panel 17.

The free arms 29 of the abutments 19 thus define an almost rectangular space, as shown by the chain lines in Figure 2.

In use, the stopvalve is located into the almost rectangular space until the supply pipe or the stopvalve seats on the sector sections 7. This process is facilitated by the downward tapering of the top of each abutment 19 and by the ears 27 on the abutments.

As the stopvalve is positioned into the space, the abutments will resiliently deform by flexing about flex lines 21,23 to accommodate whatever size of stopvalve and pipe is being used.

The resilience of the abutments will also ensure that the stopvalve is firmly held and constrained to remain generally upright.

It will be noted that, since the distance between the panels 17 is inevitably greater than the distance between the opposed free ends of the abutments, the size of the pipe will place no constraints on the use of the chamber. Whether the chamber can be used will only be determined by the size of the stopvalve. However, in general this will place no constraint on the use of the chamber, since a chamber of this design having a flange diameter of 25 cm will be able to accommodate stopvalves ranging from 0.5 inch nominal isolating gas valves to 2 inch nominal water stopvalves. This covers the range commonly used in water and gas supplies. It can thus be seen that only one type of chamber needs to be stocked to meet a complete range of uses.

It will be appreciated that the present inventions has been described above purely by way of example, and that modifications of detail can be nade within the scope of the invention

Claims (18)

1. CLAIMS 1. A stopvalve chamber comprising a base, two opposed upstanding walls located on the base and defining therebetween a passage for receiving pipe sections, means for receiving and supporting an access section, and a generally V-shaped resilient abutment connected at the edge of one of its arms at or adjacent and parallel to each upright end of each wall, the abutments being arranged so that the apexes of the abutments on the same wall point towards each other and each abutment on each wall is opposed to an abutment on the other wall.
2. 2. A stopvalve chamber according to claim 1 which includes two opposed part-circular walls having a horizontal arcuate lip or step therein for receiving and supporting an access section.
3. 3. A stopvalve chamber according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the abutments are connected directly to the part-circular walls.
4. 4. A stopvalve chamber according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein a panel is connected between the ends of each part-circular wall and the abutments are connected to the panels.
5. 5. A stopvalve chamber according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the abutments are resilient due to the inherent resilience of the material from which they are made.
6. 6. A stopvalve chamber according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the apex of the V-shape is somewhat rounded.
7. 7. A stopvalve chamber according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each abutment is made resilient by providing a flex line therein at the apex of the V-shape.
8. 8. A stopvalve chamber according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a flex line is provided at the point of connection of the abutment to its wall or panel.
9. 9. A stopvalve chamber according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the abutments are made of a plastics material which is relatively inflexible when thick and relatively flexible when thin.
10. 10. A stopvalve chamber according to claim 9 wherein the flex lines are provided by having thin sections of plastics.
11. 11. A stopvalve chamber according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the bottom of each abutment is parallel to the top of the base and each abutment decreases in depth from its line of connection to its free edge.
12. 12. A stopvalve chamber according to any one of the preceding claims wherein an ear is located on the upper edge of each abutment adjacent its free edge, the ear being internal of the V-shape and generally perpendicular to the free arm.
13. 13. A stopvalve chamber according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the walls of the chamber are reinforced by external ribs connected to the base.
14. 14. A stopvalve chamber according to claim 13 wherein the external ribs are provided with stepped portions for receiving an access section.
15. 15. A stopvalve chamber according to any one of the preceding claims which is made from a plastics material.
16. 16. A stopvalve chamber according to claim 15 which is made from polypropylene.
17. 17. A stopvalve chamber according to claim 15 or claim 16 which is made as a one piece moulding.
18. 18. A stopvalve chamber substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.