4327 Development of Laser Drilling and Connection Device for Aged Gas-Pipes Repair

Abstract

We have developed a new compact drilling robot used in a "Polyethylene pipe insertion method" for aged small-diameter gas-pipes (inner diameter: 45mm). This device is placed inside the plastic main pipe that has been inserted where it can perform all operations-detecting the branch points automatically, drilling holes to insert the branch pipes, and connecting the separately inserted branch pipes to the main pipe-without excavation work. We confirmed its performance by experiments using a mockup pipeline.