AND ASSEMBLIES

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the production of thermal and/or acoustic insulation for its installation onto pipes. Embodiments of the present invention find application, though not exclusively, in buildings having piping that that must be thermally insulated because it carries hot and/or cold water or acoustically insulated so as to muffle sound emanations.

BACKGROUND ART

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed in Australia or elsewhere before the priority date of this application.

Typically the prior art production method involves various manufacturing steps, some of which are carried out at a production facility, with others being carried out at an installation site that is geographically remote from the production facility. The outer casing is

manufactured at the production facility and the insulation material is prepared at the installation site. More particularly, the following steps are usually performed at the production facility: drawing of the casing pattern; cutting of the casing material, which is typically sheet metal; rolling of the casing material, swaging of the casing material and drilling of the casing material. The casing is transported from the production facility to the installation site, where the following steps are usually performed: drawing of the insulation pattern; cutting of the insulation material using the casing as a guide; installation of the insulation material onto the pipe; and gluing and taping to hold the segments of installation material onto the piping. At this point the casing is installed over the insulation material and secured in place with fasteners such as rivets, screws, etc.

In practice, a degree of adjustment is often required to properly fit the insulation to the pipes and the casing to the insulation that has been applied to the piping. The installer typically makes use of an adjustment kit comprising: sheet metal scissors; a knife / saw and a ruler.

In general, a degree of skilled labour is required to install insulation onto piping in accordance with the prior art methods.

It has been appreciated by the inventors of the present invention that the prior art methods for producing and installing thermal insulation are labour intensive and inefficient from a time and costs perspective.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome, or substantially ameliorate, one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of producing a component of an insulation assembly for installation onto piping, the method including the steps of: providing a piece of elongate insulation material defining an outer surface and an inner surface shaped to receive piping; providing an elongate casing material having an inner surface shaped to mate with the outer surface of the insulation material; and adhering the inner surface of the casing material to the outer surface of the insulation material.

In one embodiment both the insulation material and the casing material are semicircular, the inner surface of the casing material being concave and the outer surface of the insulation material being convex.

Preferably the casing material is formed from at least one of: a metallic material; a plastics material; or a composite material.

Preferably the insulation material is at least one of: polyethylene; polystyrene;

polyurethane; fibreglass; rockwool; cellular glass; polyester; calcium silicate; ceramic materials, polyisocyanurate; or phenolic foam.

In one embodiment the outer surface of the insulation material includes a vapour barrier in the form of a foil layer. Preferably the inner surface of the casing material is adhered to the outer surface of the insulation material at a production facility that is geographically remote from the installation site.

In a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a component of an insulation assembly for installation onto piping, the component being manufactured in accordance with the method described above.

In a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of producing an insulation assembly including: producing a pair of components, each being produced in accordance with the method as described above; mating the pair of component so as to define first and second joints extending along the elongate dimension of each of the components; and applying a flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape along the first joint so as to effectively form a hinged interconnection between the components.

In one embodiment the adhesive tape is a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive tape having an ionomer backing.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided an insulation assembly being manufactured in accordance with the method described above.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided an insulation assembly including: a first piece of insulation material having a casing material adhered to an outer surface thereof; a second piece of insulation material having a casing material adhered to an outer surface thereof; and at least one length of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape interconnecting the first and the second pieces of insulation material.

In a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of installing insulation onto piping, the method including: providing an insulation assembly as described above; hingedly opening the insulation assembly so as to separate the pair of components and positioning the insulation assembly about the piping; hingedly closing the insulation assembly so as to receive the piping into the inner sides of the insulation materials of the pair of components; and applying a flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape along the second joint so as to retain the insulation assembly about the piping and so as to vapour seal the second joint. Preferably the method includes the step of cutting one or more insulation assemblies to form a plurality of cut pieces and using the flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape to assemble the cut pieces into at least one of: an elbow; a tee; a segmented bend; or other such fittings.

In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of installing insulation onto piping, the method including: providing a pair of components, each being produced in accordance with the method as described above; mating the pair of components about the piping so as to define first and second joints extending along the elongate dimension of each of the components; applying a flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape along the first and second joints so as to retain the insulation assembly about the piping and so as to vapour seal the first and second joints.

Preferably the method further includes the step of strapping a band about an external surface of the casing to further secure the insulation to the piping.

In yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided piping upon which insulation has been installed in accordance with the method as described above.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, provided by way of example only, together with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a pre-assembly perspective view of an insulation assembly according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of the insulation assembly having a single piece of tape applied to one of the joints;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the insulation assembly of figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the insulation assembly of figure 2 whilst in a hingedly open configuration;

Figure 5 is an end view of the insulation assembly of figure 2 whilst in a hingedly open configuration;

Figure 6 is an end view of an insulation assembly having a pair of pieces of tape respectively applied to each of the joints;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the insulation assembly of figure 6;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an elbow bend according to the invention;

Figure 9 is an end view of the elbow bend of figure 8;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the elbow of figure 8, with the left and right hand components being separate from each other;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the elbow of figure 10 in which a single piece of tape is being used to hingedly interconnect the left and right hand components in a hingedly open configuration;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an elbow bend according to the invention with the upper and lower components being separate from each other;

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the elbow bend having pieces of tape applied to each of the joints;

Figure 14 is a perspective view of a tee according to the invention;

Figure 15 is an end view of the tee of figure 14;

Figure 16 is a side view of the tee of figure 14;

Figure 17 is a perspective view of the tee of figure 14 in which a single piece of tape is being used to hingedly interconnect the upper and lower components in a hingedly open configuration;

Figure 18 is a perspective view of a segmented bend according to the invention with the left and right hand components being separate from each other;

Figure 19 is an end view of a reducer plate with tape applied thereto;

Figure 20 is a perspective view of the reducer plate of figure 19;

Figure 21 is a perspective view of the two components forming the reducer plate, however without any tape applied thereto; Figure 22 is a perspective view of a piping system that has been insulated with embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 23 is a perspective view of the insulated piping system of figure 22, with the view being taken from a different direction as compared that of figure 22;

Figure 24 is a flow chart showing steps involved in the production of components and in the production of insulation assemblies;

Figure 25 is a flow chart showing steps involved in the installation of insulation onto piping according to a first preferred method;

Figure 26 is a flow chart showing steps involved in the installation of insulation onto piping according to a second preferred method;

Figures 27A, 27B and 27C are each plan views of a pair of insulation assemblies arranged such that their ends abut each other; and

Figures 28A, 28B and 28C are each isometric views the pair of insulation assemblies shown in figures 27A, 27B and 27C respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

As shown for example in figures 2 to 7, the insulation assembly 1 includes a first piece of insulation material 2 having a casing material 3 adhered to an outer surface 7. A second piece of insulation material 4 also has a casing material 5 adhered to an outer surface 8. A length of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 6 interconnects the first and the second pieces of insulation material 2 and 4.

In this document an individual piece of insulation material 2 having a casing material 3 adhered to an outer surface thereof is referred to as a component 9. Once two components 9 and 10 have been interconnected by at least one length of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 6, it is referred to as an insulation assembly 1.

Once the piping that is to be insulated has been measured and the insulation plan has been finalised, the production of a component 9 commences at Step 1 as shown in figure 24, which entails sourcing pieces of elongate semi-circular insulation material 2 and 4. The pieces of insulation material 2 and 4 each have a convex outer surface 7 and 8 and also each have a concave inner surface 11 and 16 that is shaped to receive the outer diameter of the piping onto which the insulation is to be installed. The insulation material 2 and 4 may be any material providing suitable mechanical and thermal properties, such as: polyethylene; polystyrene; polyurethane; fibreglass such as glass wool; rockwool; cellular glass such as foamglas™; polyester; calcium silicate; ceramic materials, polyisocyanurate; or phenolic foam, for example. The outer surfaces 7 and 8 of the insulation material 2 and 4 include a vapour barrier in the form of a foil layer, which is generally referred to by those skilled in the art as foil facing. If necessary, the insulation material 2 and 4 is cut to size at this step.

Alternatively, the insulation material 2 and 4 may be any material providing suitable mechanical and acoustic properties, such as: a polyurethane acoustic foam; or a composite sound absorbing material, for example.

At Step 2 of figure 24 it is necessary to source material to use for the casing 3 and 5. In the preferred embodiment the casing material 3 and 5 is a metallic material such as:

aluminium; stainless steel; high tensile steel, e.g. ColorBond™, galvanised steel, etc.

However, other materials having suitable properties are used in other embodiments, such as: plastics materials including PVC, HDPE and PEEK; and composite materials such as polyweave, carbon fibre, glass fibre, epoxy, etc. If necessary, the casing material 3 and 5 is cut to size at this step. In yet other embodiments the casing material 3 and 5 is selected for its acoustic properties, such as a composite sound absorbing barrier material, for example.

The production of components 9 and 10 also requires the pieces of elongate casing material 3 and 5 to have inner surfaces 12 and 13 shaped to mate with the outer surfaces 7 and 8 of the pieces of insulation material 2 and 4. This is achieved at Step 3 by running the pieces of sheet metal casing material 3 and 5 through rollers which create a curvature of the inner surfaces 12 and 13 that matches the curvature of the outer surfaces 7 and 8 of the pieces of insulation material 3 and 5.

At Step 4 the inner surfaces 12 and 13 of the casing materials 3 and 5 are adhered to the respective outer surfaces 7 and 8 of the pieces of insulation material 2 and 4. To manufacture the preferred embodiment a pressure sensitive adhesive such as TensorGrip® H30 is used, which is a synthetic rubber multi-purpose adhesive. For other embodiments a curing adhesive, such as Sikaflex-252 is used, which is a polyurethane-based adhesive. In general, it is preferable if the adhesive is environmentally friendly and does not contain any solvents because some solvents may dissolve the insulation material. This is of particular importance if the insulation material is polystyrene.

Once a pair of components 9 and 10 have been produced using the method outlined above, at Step 5 the pair of component 9 and 10 are mated to each other. This involves pressing the exposed faces 14 and 15 of the two pieces of insulation material 2 and 4 against each other such that the two semi-circular pieces of casing material 3 and 5 together approximately define a circle when viewed from either end, shown for example in figure 2. The lines along which the two casing materials 3 and 5 meet each other defines first and second joints 14 and 15 that extend along the elongate dimension of each of the components 9 and 10.

At Step 6 of figure 24 a first length of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 6 is applied along the first joint 14 so as to effectively form a hinged interconnection between the components 9 and 10. The hinging occurs due to the flexibility of the adhesive tape 6, as illustrated in figs. 4 and 5. The flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 6 is a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive tape having an ionomer backing. It is available commercially from 3M™ and is referred to as Extreme Sealing Tape 441 IN™.

Steps 1 to 6 of figure 24 are preferably performed at a production facility that is geographically remote from the proposed installation site. This is generally beneficial because typically the production facility can be equipped and configured for the efficient performance of these steps. In contrast, the typical enclosures housing piping in a typical building may be cramped and generally less suitable for undertaking production Steps 1 to 6. An exception to this may relate to Step 6 of figure 24, whereby the flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 6 may, in some circumstances, be applied to the first joint 14 during installation at the installation site. The decision as to whether to apply the tape 6 at the production facility or the installation site depends upon the manner in which the insulation is proposed to be installed onto the piping and will be described in further detail below.

Once the insulation assemblies are transferred from the production facility to the installation site, the method of installing the insulation onto the piping commences at Step 1 of figure 25 by hingedly opening the insulation assembly 1 so as to separate the pair of components 9 and 10, as illustrated for example in figures 4 and 5. This exposes the pair of inner surfaces 11 and 16, which are sized to receive the piping.

At Step 2 the insulation assembly is positioned about the piping so that the pair of inner surfaces 11 and 16 are generally aligned with the piping.

At Step 3 the insulation assembly 1 is hingedly closed so as to receive the piping into the inner sides 11 and 16. Thus, the two pieces of insulation material 2 and 4 now encircle the relevant length of piping and the two pieces of casing material 3 and 5 substantially meet up opposite the hinge to form the second joint 15.

At Step 4 of figure 25 a second length of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 17 is applied along the second joint 15 so as to mechanically attach the insulation assembly 1 about the piping and vapour seal the second joint 15. This is illustrated in figures 6 and 7 (although the piping has been omitted for clarity).

The above installation methodology is suitable for instances in which the surroundings of the relevant piping provide sufficient space for the hingedly open insulation assembly 1, as shown for example in figures 4 and 5, to be correctly positioned relative to the pipe.

However, in some circumstances access to the piping may be cramped to the extent that the hingedly open insulation assembly 1 cannot fit or cannot be hingedly closed onto the pipe. In these circumstances, an alternative installation methodology may be used, as illustrated in figure 26. This method commences at Step 1 of figure 26 with the provision of a pair of components 9 and 10 that have not yet been interconnected by the first length of adhesive tape 6. Hence, the two components 9 and 10 are physically independent of each other. It will be recalled that this possibility was foreshadowed above in relation to Step 6 of figure 24.

Due to the physical independence of the two components 9 and 10, there is likely to be an increased number of options for placing them onto the piping such that they mate together about the piping, which takes place at Step 2 of figure 26. Once the two independent components 9 and 10 have been mated together around the piping, this defines the first and second joints 14 and 15 extending along the elongate dimension of each of the components.

At step 3 of figure 26 two separate lengths of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 6 and 17 are respectively applied along the first and second joints 14 and 15 so as to mechanically attach the insulation assembly 1 about the piping and vapour seal the first and second joints 14 and 15.

For the installation methods shown in figures 25 and 26, a degree of adjustment may be required to properly fit the insulation to the pipes. This is similar to the adjustments required when using the prior art installation methods and similar tools and techniques may be used in the present invention to make any necessary adjustments.

Figures 27 A to C and 28 A to C illustrate two adjacent insulation assemblies 29 and 30 having ends that abut against each other. The piping is not shown for the sake of clarity. In figures 27A and 28 A, the second length of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 17 has not been applied to either of the insulation assemblies 29 and 30 and hence the second joints 15 are visible. Also, the joint 31 at which the ends of the two insulation assemblies 29 and 30 abut is visible. In figures 27B and 28B the second lengths of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 17 is shown as having been applied to the second joints 15 of the two insulation assemblies. Additionally, another length of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 32 has been applied around the circumference of joint 31 between the adjacent assemblies 29 and 30 for the purposes of vapour sealing, as shown in figure 27B.

It is believed that the adhesive tape 6, 17 and 32 alone will provide sufficient vapour sealing and mechanical strength to retain the insulation assemblies 29 and 30 in place over a typical operational life span. However, if it is desired to add additional mechanical strength, a metallic band 28 may be strapped around the external surface of the casing to further secure the insulation assembly 1 to the piping, as shown in figures 27C and 28C. Although illustrated as being applied over the tape 32, and therefore over the joint 31, the metallic band 28 may also be applied at other positions along the lengths of the insulation assemblies 29 and 30.

In order to insulate the various shapes and objects that are likely to be encountered in a piping system, the method also includes the step of cutting one or more straight insulation assemblies 1 to form a plurality of cut pieces. The cuts are typically made at specific predetermined angles so as to allow the cut pieces to be assembled using the flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 6 into various shapes as discussed in more detail below. As shown in figures 8, 9, 10 and 11, the cut pieces may be assembled into an elbow configuration 18. To achieve this the straight insulation assembly 1 is cut at a 45° angle and one of the cut pieces is rotated by 180°. A portion 19 of the flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape is used to assemble the cut pieces into the elbow configuration.

The elbow shown in figures 8 to 11 has a hinging interconnection along a rear vertical plane as best shown in figure 11. This allows the elbow to be installed onto a bend in the piping in the manner described above with regard to figure 25. However, the elbow 35 illustrated in figures 12 and 13 splits along two planes at right angles to each other and is suited to installation onto the piping in the manner described above with regard to figure 26.

Figures 14 to 17 illustrate a tee configuration 24 that is formed by making a pair of cuts in a straight insulation assembly 1. Each of the cuts are at 45° to the elongate dimension of the insulation assembly 1 and they are at right angles to each other. Figure 17 best illustrates the hinging interconnection that is made along the base of the tee configuration 24.

As an alternative for the construction of the tees in which there is a substantial differential in the radius of the tee portions, it is possible to commence with a straight insulation assembly 1, such as that illustrated in figure 7 for example, and modify it to form the part of the desired tee configuration. This modification may be performed at the production facility or at the installation site. In one such example the straight insulation assembly 1 will form the larger diameter portion of the tee. The modification typically involves cutting into the straight insulation assembly 1 using hand tools such as a step drill and/or a hole saw to form a hole that is approximately equal to, or slightly greater than, the radius proposed for the smaller diameter tee portion. Similarly, the hand tools are used to shape the end of smaller diameter tee portion so that it will mate smoothly with the hole. A length of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 6 is then used to interconnect the larger and small diameter portions so as to form the tee.

Figure 18 illustrates a segmented bend 33 that is formed by making a plurality of cuts into a straight insulation assembly 1. The hinged interconnection, if required, may be made along the top j oint 20, the upper slanted j oint 21 or the rear vertical j oint 22.

Some types of insulation, and in particular polystyrene, may feature an interlocking shape 34 at the interface between the two components. This is shown, for example, in figures 28A to C. When forming elbows 18, segmented bends 33 and tees 24 with such insulation, the individual segments must be aligned during the cutting step and the assembly step. If incorrectly aligned, the resultant article may be difficult or impossible to hingedly open. In many contexts the use of such a zig-zagged interlocking shape 34 is optional. Hence, when forming elbows 18, segmented bends 33 and tees 24, it may be preferable to dispense with the interlocking shape 34 and instead use pieces of insulation material that have flat facing surfaces, such as the pieces of insulation material 2 and 4 illustrated in figure 1 for example. This simplifies the connection of the pieces by negating the aforementioned alignment issue.

Figures 19 to 21 illustrate a reducer plate 23 that may be utilised when the piping reduces in diameter and it is desired for the diameter of the insulation to also reduce. As shown in figure 21, the reducer plate 23 is formed from a pair of semicircular sheet metal components 25 and 26. As shown in figures 19 and 20, these components are attached to each other, and to the two varying diameters of casings by lengths of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 27.

Housings for valves, flanges and the like may be manufactured in an identical manner to that outlined above with regard to the straight insulation assembly 1 shown in figure 7, however with the use of insulation materials having larger inner and outer diameters, along with the use of casing materials of a matching size. This allows the inner diameter of the insulation materials to be large enough to house the valve, flange or the like.

Figures 22 and 23 illustrate an embodiment of piping onto which insulation has been installed an accordance with the methods outlined above. Examples of straight sections 1, elbows 18, segmented bends 33, tees 24 and reducer plates 23 are all depicted in these two figures.

It is believed by the inventors that the methods for installing the insulation according to the present invention are likely to be more time and cost efficient, particularly in relation to the time spent at the installation site, as compared to the prior art methods. The adhering of the casing material 3 and 5 to the insulation material 2 and 4 at the time of production of the insulation assemblies 1 is anticipated to significantly streamline the installation process because the installer can install both the insulation and the casing in one step rather than the prior art method of firstly installing the insulation and then separately installing the casing. Additionally, the use of flexible vapour sealing adhesive tape 6, 17 and 32 to provide: a hinged interconnection; mechanical attachment; and vapour sealing, provides a solution that is easy and quick to use and which can be implemented by lesser skilled installation staff as compared to the prior art arrangements. Finally, the invention allows for the concentration of the production steps at a production facility and therefore reduces the amount of activity that must be undertaken at the installation site, which also has the potential to contribute to improved efficiencies and costs savings. In general, it is believed that implementation of the present invention may allow for efficiency improvements of up to approximately 25%.

While a number of preferred embodiments have been described, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.