US20110008108A1

US20110008108A1 - Structure and method for manhole wall sealing

Info

Publication number: US20110008108A1
Application number: US12/459,741
Authority: US
Inventors: Clifford O. Clevenger
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-07-07
Filing date: 2009-07-07
Publication date: 2011-01-13

Abstract

Structures and methods for repair of leaks in the walls of manhole assemblies are provided through use of at least one repair panel comprising a structural member and a sealing member attached to one another. In some embodiments, a plurality of repair panels as provided are present in an end-to-end configuration to yield a seal the extends coextensively with the inner wall surface of a manhole assembly. In some embodiments, a plurality of repair panels as provided are present in an side-by-side configuration on the inner wall surface of a manhole assembly.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to manhole assemblies used in conjunction with underground utilities. More particularly, it relates to already-installed manhole assemblies used in relation to effluent water streams present in sub-terranean conduits, and providing remedies for groundwater leaks into or out of such structures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Manholes are commonly constructed to enable access from ground level at various points along a buried underground conduit, such as a sewer pipe, to allow workmen to access the contents of sewer lines and the like, for various purposes including analysis of waters contained therein, and general inspection purposes.
As with many concrete structures, some settling over time occurs with manhole assemblies and often faults develop in the walls of manhole assemblies which can enable ambient ground water to penetrate into the interior portion of such manhole structures. Such infiltration is generally regarded as undesirable, and the present disclosure provides remedies for such faults.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Interlocking repair panels useful for sealing an interior wall of a manhole assembly sufficient to prevent groundwater seepage into the manhole, comprising a structural member having a convex face and a plurality of mounting holes disposed therethrough and a sealing member having a concave face and a plurality of mounting holes disposed therethrough. The sealing member and the structural member are attached to one another with the concave face of the sealing member facing the convex face of the structural member, and the sealing member and the structural member are dimensioned sufficiently to provide the repair panel as having at least a first mating lip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, the preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a cutaway view of a manhole assembly according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 shows a front perspective view of a repair panel according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a rear perspective view of a repair panel according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows an overhead view of a repair panel according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows a frontal view of a repair panel according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 shows a rear view of a repair panel according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a pair of interlocked repair panels according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a pair of interlocked repair panels disposed on the interior wall of a manhole assembly according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is an overhead view of a plurality of interlocked repair panels disposed coextensively about the interior wall of a manhole assembly according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows a front view of a repair panel according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 shows a front perspective view of a repair panel according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 shows a rear view of a repair panel according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 shows a rear perspective view of a repair panel according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of a repair panel according to one embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 15 show a plurality of interlocked repair panels provided according to one embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION INCLUDING PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting the same, FIG. 1 illustrates cutaway view of a manhole assembly 30 according to the prior art. A typical prior art manhole assembly 30 includes a portion disposed above or at the surface of the ground 5 and includes a manhole cover 3, as is well-known. A manhole assembly 30 often includes a first manhole segment 7 a and a second manhole segment 7 b, and sometimes a third or more manhole segments such as 7 c, with each of the segments being stacked atop one another and forming interfaces 9 at the joints of the segments. Typically, at or near the bottom of the manhole, there is a liquid inlet 15 a and a liquid outlet 15 b that are frequently sewer pipes that can contain industrial and/or household waste effluents.
During construction it is sometimes the case that known joint sealant materials, such as concrete, mortar, grout, construction adhesives and sealers, etc., are applied at or around the interfaces 9 to prevent groundwater 11 from seeping into the manhole. However, due to faulty installation or with the passage of time it has been seen to be the case that many of these joint sealant materials physically degrade, providing a compromised joint of the manhole segments at the interfaces 9. Once compromised, ground water 11 may then penetrate the interface, providing seepage 13 into the manhole. This is undesirable since many municipal, state, and other codes forbid manhole assemblies which permit seepage from their exteriors into their interior as it contributes to the burden of water treatment plants.
In accordance with the presently described embodiments there is shown in FIG. 2 a front perspective view of a repair panel 10 according to one embodiment of the disclosure. Repair panel 10 in one embodiment is a bi-layer structure comprising a sealing member 17 and a structural member 19.
The structural member 19 of a repair panel 10 as provided herein functions to provide structural support for a repair panel 10 according to the disclosure, and is preferably comprised of a rigid material. Suitable materials from which a structural member 19 according to the disclosure may be fabricated include, without limitation, metals and metallic alloys, polymeric materials including thermoset resins, thermoplastic resins, thermoplastic vulcanizates, reinforced polymeric materials, fiberglass, composites, etc., with polyethylene, polypropylene, alpha olefin copolymers, PVC resins, CPVC resins, ABS resins, being exemplary suitable materials. In one embodiment the structural member 19 of a repair panel 10 according to the disclosure be fabricated from PVC resin. In some embodiments, depending on temperature variation and other factors present in a manhole, the structural member is comprised of a material that has a tensile modulus between about 100 to 200 Kpsi. In other embodiments the structural member is comprised of a material that has a tensile modulus less than about 100 Kpsi. In other embodiments the structural member is comprised of a material that has a tensile modulus more than about 200 Kpsi. A structural member 19 as provided according to some embodiments herein has a curved (concave) interior face, a curved (convex) exterior face, a first end portion, a second end portion, a top edge portion, and a bottom edge portion.
The sealing member 17 of a repair panel 10 as provided herein functions to provide a sealing surface present on a surface of the structural member 19 to which sealing member 17 is attached, sufficient such that when repair panel 10 is affixed to the inner wall W of a manhole assembly over an interface 9 with the sealing member 17 in contact with the inner wall W, the repair panel 10 effectively seals the interface 9 to prevent ground water on the exterior of the manhole assembly from seeping through the interface 9 at the point at which the repair panel 10 is attached, to the interior of the manhole assembly. A sealing member 17 as provided according to some embodiments herein has a curved (concave) interior face, a curved (convex) exterior face, a first end portion, a second end portion, a top edge portion, and a bottom edge portion.
The sealing member 17 may be comprised of any material recognized in the art as being useful as a gasketing or sealing material, capable of preventing water penetration, when contacted to inner wall W of manhole assembly 30, which inner wall W is typically concrete. Suitable materials from which sealing member 17 may be comprised include without limitation organic polymeric materials such as foam rubber, polyurethane foam materials, polyurea foam materials, foamed polyolefins, and foams made using styrene as a monomer.
In one embodiment, the shapes of the structural member 19 and that of the sealing member 17 are substantially the same, as shown in some of the figures, both being somewhat reminiscent of a non-planar rectangle, sufficiently arced or curved to substantially match the contour of the inner wall W of a manhole assembly. The sealing member 17 can therefore be affixed to the structural member 19 so that more than about 90% of the surface area of a face of the sealing member 17 is in contact with a face of the structural member.
In preferred embodiments, the sealing member 17 is attached to the structural member 19 by an adhesive present between the two and in effective adhering contact with each. For this, conventional adhesives known in the art suitable for adhering a sealing member material to a structural member material to one another are suitable, including without limitation epoxy adhesives, resin emulsion adhesives, and cyanoacrylate adhesives. In other embodiments, the sealing member 17 is attached to the structural member 19 solely by conventional fasteners. In a preferred embodiment, the curved interior face of the sealing member 17 is attached to the curved exterior face of structural member 19, as shown.
FIG. 2 also shows that a repair panel 10 according to some embodiments includes a first mating lip A and a second mating lip B disposed along the width dimension of the repair panel 10. The purpose of first mating lip A and second mating lip B is to enable interlocking sealing contact of two or more adjacently-disposed repair panels 10 as provided herein with one another, the first mating lip A of a first repair panel 10 being configured to sealingly receive a second mating lip B of a second repair panel 10 disposed adjacent to the first repair panel 10. By such provision and appropriate selection of the length dimension L (FIG. 6) of a repair panel 10, this disclosure provides for the complete sealing of interfaces 9 in manhole assemblies, even years after their initial installation by provision of a ring of repair panels 10 attached to the interior wall W of a manhole assembly.
In some embodiments a repair panel 10 as provided herein comprises a plurality of mounting holes 21 commonly disposed through both the sealing member 17 and structural member 19. Such provision enables a repair panel 10 as provided to be affixed to the interior wall W of a manhole assembly using conventional fasteners, including screws designed for use in concrete and other materials from which a manhole assembly may be comprised. This includes the use of TAPCON® fasteners, RAMSET® fasteners, anchor bolts, and any other known fasteners.
For installation of a repair panel 10 to an interior wall W of a manhole assembly, the repair panel 10 is placed over the interface that is desired to be sealed and points are marked on the inner wall W which coincide with the mounting holes 21 of the repair panel 10. These points are in one embodiment suitably drilled, the repair panel 10 appropriately placed on the wall W, and fasteners used to affix the repair panel 10 to inner wall W with the sealing member 17 in contact with inner wall W. This procedure can be repeated over any length of an interface 9 as is desired by the user, which may include installation of a complete ring of repair panels 10 on the interior wall W, leaving no portion of an interface so treated remaining exposed, thus providing a complete seal for the interface 9 present on a manhole assembly.
FIG. 3 shows a rear perspective view of a repair panel 10 according to one embodiment of the disclosure, showing the respective locations of sealing member 17, structural member 19, and mounting holes 21.
FIG. 4 shows an overhead view of a repair panel 10 according to one embodiment of the disclosure and the respective locations of sealing member 17, structural member 19, first mating lip A and second mating lip B;
FIG. 5 shows a frontal view of a repair panel 10 according to one embodiment of the disclosure including the respective locations of structural member 19, mounting holes 21, and first mating lip A;
FIG. 6 shows a rear view of a repair panel 10 according to one embodiment of the disclosure including the respective locations of sealing member 17, mounting holes 21, and second mating lip B;
FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a pair of interlocked repair panels 10 according to one embodiment of the disclosure. In this FIG. 7 the first mating lip A of a first repair panel is shown to be sealingly engaged with a second mating lip B of a second repair panel sufficiently that at least one of the mounting holes (marked with an asterisk *) of the first repair panel is aligned with one of the mounting holes of the second repair panel to enable a single fastener to pass through the sealing member 17 and structural member of a first repair panel and only the sealing member 17 of a second repair panel, and into the inner wall W of a manhole assembly. The joint at which the first provided repair panel and second provided repair panel overlap one another is labeled J.
In FIG. 8 is illustrated a perspective view of a pair of interlocked repair panels 10, such as those shown in FIG. 9, disposed on the interior wall W over an interface 9 of a manhole assembly according to one embodiment of the disclosure. In this FIG. 8 are shown the fasteners 23 to be disposed through mounting holes 21 on the repair panels 10.
FIG. 9 is an overhead view of a plurality of interlocked repair panels 10 disposed coextensively about the interior wall W of a manhole assembly over an interface according to one embodiment of the disclosure. In this exemplary, non-limiting pictorial description, there are six repair panels having length dimensions sufficient to enable all of the repair panels to sealingly interlock with one another at their first mating lips A and second mating lips B, as previously described. The locations of the sealing members 17 and structural members 19 are shown in this embodiment which provides a complete seal about an interface over which the repair panels are so mounted.
FIG. 10 shows a front view of a repair panel 20 according to another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, wherein the structural member 19 and sealing member 17 are again attached to one another on their face portions, such as by an adhesive, but this time disposed so that two edges of the perimeter are provided with interlocking capabilities respecting repair panels placed adjacent to one another in an installation on the interior wall W of a manhole assembly. As shown in FIG. 11, such a construct is again curved to substantially coincide with the contour of an inner wall W to which the repair panels are to be affixed, using conventional fasteners through mounting holes (not shown) in the repair panels. FIG. 12 shows a rear view of a repair panel according to this embodiment of the disclosure, and FIGS. 13 and 14 show a rear perspective view and another perspective view, respectively of such a repair panel.
FIG. 15 show a plurality of interlocked repair panels provided according to the embodiment of the disclosure shown and described in relation to FIGS. 10-14, disposed on an interior wall W of a manhole assembly over an interface 9. As in earlier embodiments, such repair panels 20 are affixed to interior wall W using conventional fasteners 23 disposed through mounting holes 21 in the repair panels 20, that pass into the material from which the manhole assembly is constructed, typically concrete. In preferred embodiments the mounting holes on the repair panels are placed so that a single fastener 23 may pass through the structural member 19 and sealing member 17 of a first repair panel 20 and simultaneously through the sealing member 17 of a second repair panel 20 adjacently disposed to the first repair panel 20.
Mounting holes 21 as described herein are shown disposed in locations depicted in the accompanying drawings; however, the present disclosure provides that these mounting holes may be provided at any desired location on repair panels herein provided. It is preferred that at least some holes be present substantially along the perimeter of a repair panel as provided and at the location of joints of repair panels, along the joints length dimension, and preferably centered on such joints. As regards the length and width dimensions of repair panels provided herein, these parameters may be selected by the end user to accommodate the geometry of a given manhole assembly they are to be applied to, such sizing being readily within the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art.
Generally speaking, the thickness of a structural member 19 is any thickness in the range of between about five millimeters and about fifty millimeters, including all ranges of thicknesses and millimeter thicknesses therebetween. In one embodiment, the thickness of the structural member 19 is about 20 millimeters. The thickness of the structural member 19 may be readily altered to suit a given end use application by material selection, as appreciated by those of ordinarily skill in this art.
Generally speaking, the thickness of a sealing member 17 is any thickness in the range of between about one millimeter and about fifteen millimeters, including all ranges of thicknesses and millimeter thicknesses therebetween. In one embodiment, the thickness of the sealing member 17 is about 4 millimeters. The thickness of the sealing member 17 may be readily altered to suit a given end use application by material selection, as appreciated by those of ordinarily skill in this art. The present disclosure includes the use of sealing members 17 which are smooth in texture, as well as those which have any degree of surface roughness desired, including ribbed surfaces.
Although various embodiments of the teachings herein have been described in relation to manhole structures comprising concrete, the present disclosure shall not be limited by such disclosure since the principles of the methods and structures as herein shown and described are applicable to other vessels in or through which a fluid substance may be transmitted or contained, including pipes, tanks, pools, reservoirs, basins, containers, railcars, tank trucks, seagoing vessels, reactor cores, etc., made from various materials of construction other than concrete and including without limitation metals and metallic alloys, organic materials including polymers mentioned, composite materials, ceramics, fired clays, etc. Moreover, use of a structure shown and/or described herein is not limited to leaks present at joints present in a manhole structure, as the provisions of the disclosure are suitable for providing a remedy for many types of compromises in the walls of manhole and other vessels, conduits, etc. mentioned above substantially regardless of their location. Although some embodiments are described herein as being provided with a plurality of mounting holes 21, it is within this disclosure to omit the presence of such holes 21 until the time of installation of a structure provided herein.
Consideration must be given to the fact that although this invention has been described and disclosed in relation to certain preferred embodiments, equivalent modifications and alterations thereof may become apparent to persons of ordinary skill in this art after reading and understanding the teachings of this specification, drawings, and the claims appended hereto. The present disclosure includes subject matter defined by any combinations of any one or more of the features provided in this disclosure with any one or more of any other features provided in this disclosure. These combinations include the incorporation of the features and/or limitations of any dependent claim, singly or in combination with features and/or limitations of any one or more of the other dependent claims, with features and/or limitations of any one or more of the independent claims, with the remaining dependent claims in their original text being read and applied to any independent claims so modified. These combinations also include combination of the features and/or limitations of one or more of the independent claims with features and/or limitations of another independent claims to arrive at a modified independent claim, with the remaining dependent claims in their original text or as modified per the foregoing, being read and applied to any independent claim so modified. The present invention has been disclosed and claimed with the intent to cover modifications and alterations that achieve substantially the same result as herein taught using substantially the same or similar structures, being limited only by the scope of the claims which follow.

Claims

1. A repair panel construct useful for sealing an interior wall of a manhole assembly sufficient to prevent groundwater seepage into said manhole, comprising:

a) a structural member having a convex face; and

b) a sealing member having a concave face,

said sealing member and said structural member being attached to one another with said concave face of said sealing member facing said convex face of said structural member, and wherein said sealing member and said structural member are dimensioned sufficiently to provide said repair panel with at least a first mating lip.

2. A repair panel according to claim 1 wherein said first mating lip is located along an end portion of said repair panel.

3. A repair panel according to claim 1 wherein said structural member comprises a plurality of mounting holes disposed therethrough.

4. A repair panel according to claim 1 wherein said sealing member comprises a plurality of mounting holes disposed therethrough.

5. A repair panel according to claim 3 wherein at least some of said mounting holes present on said structural member are located substantially along the perimeter of said structural member.

6. A repair panel according to claim 4 wherein at least some of said mounting holes present on said sealing member are located substantially along the perimeter of said sealing member.

7. A repair panel according to claim 3 wherein said sealing member comprises a plurality of mounting holes disposed therethrough.

8. A repair panel according to claim 7 wherein at least some of said mounting holes present on said sealing member are located substantially along the perimeter of said sealing member and coincide with the locations of the mounting holes present on said structural member.

9. A repair panel according to claim 1 wherein said structural member and said sealing member are attached to one another with an adhesive.

10. A repair panel according to claim 1 wherein conventional fasteners are present to hold said structural member and said sealing member attached to one another.

11. A repair panel according to claim 1 wherein said first mating lip is configured to receive and sealingly engage a second mating lip present on a second repair panel provided in accordance with claim 1, when said second repair panel provided is disposed adjacent thereto, to form a joint.

12. A repair panel according to claim 1 further comprising a second mating lip.

13. A repair panel according to claim 12 wherein said first mating lip is located along an end portion of said repair panel, and wherein said second mating lip is located along the length portion of said repair panel.

14. A repair panel according to claim 1, dimensioned sufficiently to provide an interlocked construct when combined with additional repair panels according to claim 1 in an end-to-end configuration.

15. A repair panel according to claim 1, dimensioned sufficiently to provide an interlocked construct when combined with additional repair panels according to claim 1 in an side-to-side configuration.

16. A plurality of panels according to claim 14, said panels being disposed on an interior wall of a vessel capable of containing a fluid substance, said panels being disposed in a substantially continuous end-to-end configuration sufficient to remedy a compromise of integrity present on said wall.

17. A plurality of panels according to claim 16, said panels being disposed coextensively with a dimension of said vessel selected from the group consisting of: the vessel's diameter and the vessel's perimeter.

18. A manhole assembly comprising a seal comprising a plurality of repair panels according to claim 1, disposed on the inner wall of said manhole assembly.