Cherne Industries Incorporated

Randy D Smith

Allen D Mathison

An assembly process for inflatable fabric bag plugs used to seal low pressure pipelines. The assembly process steps include marking and cutting coated fabric elements from a predetermined woven fabric and a plurality of sealing strips. The fabric elements and sealing strips include a plug body portion, main seam cap strips and first and second end seam cap strips. The process steps further include forming a flat tubular plug body from the plug body portion and bonding sealing rib extrusions thereto. A first end closure is formed in the plug body, a first tethering assembly is bonded over the first end closure and ports are installed therethrough for receiving an inflation assembly and a gauge assembly. A second end closure is formed in the plug body and an opposing tethering assembly is formed and attached thereover. The main seam cap strips, the first and second end seam cap strips and sealing strips are bonded over all internally and externally exposed fabric edges of the plug body to prevent leakage when the plug is inflated.

Assembly process for fabric bag plug

Pipeline plug

An inflatable fabric bag plug for sealing low pressure pipelines. The bag plug has a body portion constructed of a coated fabric material and includes a plug body portion, main seam cap strips, first and second end seam cap strips and a plurality of sealing strips which are bonded over all internally and externally exposed fabric edges to prevent leakage when the plug is inflated. The body portion has first and second end closures and opposing tethering assemblies which are bonded over the end closures and to the plug body portion. An inflation assembly and a pressure gauge assembly are provided for inflating and deflating the plug as well as monitoring the plug during use. Bypass assemblies are provided to permit the passage of fluids through the bag plug when inflated in a pipeline.

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New Hope, MN, United States of America

Randy D Smith