PIPE SHAPING RING USE & CARE GUIDE

DO NOT EXPOSE THEM TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT- Similar to your header rings, they should be stored and used in a consistent temperature area. The surface heat from the sun can change the overall tolerance of the ring and combined with storage on edge can effect the ellipticity tolerance.

DO NOT EXPOSE THEM TO ELEVATED CURE TEMPERATURES- If you plan to use the shaping rings through your post cure operation, this should be discussed beforehand with your shaping ring supplier.

APPLICATION AND DURATION
Production personnel should be trained on the proper insertion sequence and technique. Care on the part of installation must be exercised to insert ( inside rings) and couple (outside rings) squarely, with the outside rings being less forgiving. Remember that our outside rings are manufactured to a tolerance of +/- .030". On either side of the joint that is +/- .015", or the thickness of (3) thickness' of copier paper. A great training exercise is to have installation personnel couple a rigid fiberglass outside shaping ring to a cured pipe joint. It's a graphic demonstration as to how squarely it must be installed to fit. The trainer must stress that application in production is on a substrate that will move or forgive versus the cured joint you demonstrated on. As for installation sequence, it is best to install the outside ring first. ( As you will note, our shaping rings are designed with a flange on the inside ring greater than the I.D. of the outside ring. This simplifies supervision-monitoring installation personnel since it is quite apparent to the installer that this is the proper sequence. If your production dictates installation of the inside ring first, it should be noted at the contract/design review.) We recommend installation of outside rings greater than 42" be performed by (2) installers to insure/improve square ness at the point of installation.

A frequent point of discussion is as to how long the shaping rings should be left on the pipe. Many variables come into play, ie: batch characteristics, ambient temperature, speed of conveyors/moving floors (out of access/into curing area) and prior experience/success. The generally accepted rule is to the point of initial set, typically 20-30 minutes.

We also recommend a procedure to "red flag" or take out of service any rings that have been installed on toppled/tipped over pipe. Especially on large diameters where the weight of the pipe may have caused structural damage to the rings in the incident. Rings can be quickly and easily returned to service after they have been inspected for damage by appropriate personnel.

HANDLING IN USE
The industry is constantly demanding a lighter shaping ring. In order to accomplish this, laminate thickness must be reduced thereby reducing the rings impact resistance especially on the flange. Care must be exercised that they are not dropped and are never to be thrown around.

QUALITY CONTROL
Many producers expect their shaping rings to be closer tolerance than their header rings, correcting out of tolerance ellipticity. Therefore, it is important you have a quality control procedure to periodically inspect the tolerance of the shaping ring. Some producers have machined fixtures that the shaping ring is manually fitted over before each shift. If a problem is detected, the shaping ring should be taken out of service before it produces any product destined for rejection.

DAILY MAINTENANCE
We suggest producers have a tub of soapy water* close to the pipe machine where the contact surface can be wiped with a wash mitt prior to placement of ring. Remember that these are close tolerance tools and any buildup on the surface or bits of cured concrete will affect the ultimate performance of the pipe seal. It has also been found that a wetted surface on the shaping ring acts as a lubricant reducing abrasion, voids, and dragging of any concrete. * A commercial soap based release agent diluted with water works well, acting both as a release agent as well as a cleaner.

BUILDUP
Buildup can be periodically removed with a Scotch Brite pad wet with soapy water.

REPAIR
For Chips, Gouges, Scrapes-Shaping ring contact surfaces can be easily repaired if you have someone in the plant that is good with their hands and has an eye for detail. We supply compatible repair putty along with instructions should you be interested. This material is harder than the substrate and will hold up over a long period of time. We do not recommend the use of auto body filler since it does not cure hard enough to affect a long time repair.

JOINT TROWELS
Should you encounter any lost concrete on the surface of the spigot, it can be repaired with a joint trowel. These are short segments produced from the outside shaping ring mold. Your pipe shaping ring supplier would have the capability of producing them for you.

INSIDE SHAPING RINGS
Inside shaping rings are designed with a taper to exert enough contact pressure to maintain roundness yet not enough to expand or crack the joint. Inside shaping rings are designed and produced with tolerances of the taper to be compatible with I.D. variation from producer to producer and to allow for equipment wear.. (Packerhead application only)

A common problem producers experience is over-penetration of the ring, particularly with use of only inside rings. This can be quickly and easily remedied. Take an inside shaping ring and install it into a pipe coming off the machine. Gently tap the shaping ring down until you have reached sufficient outward compressive force. Now measure the distance between the top of the joint and the top outward flange of the shaping ring. Cut small blocks of wood or rubber 2" long by the above measured distance. These blocks can now be screwed to the sidewall below the flange of the shaping ring, preventing over penetration.

Should equipment wear or replacement necessitate deeper or shallower penetration, the blocks can be replaced, cut down or removed. We have produced shaping rings for many customers to include these blocks. Our experience has been 1/2" thick rubber belting material works well conforming to the radius of the ring. Typically, attachment is with self-tapping tech screws; the number of blocks varies depending upon the circumference. We install the blocks every 8" of circumference.

Another option, although it requires willingness on the part of your 0 ring supplier as well as their ability to supply custom vulcanized joint 0 rings, are custom 0 ring spacers. 0 ring cross section diameter would be specified as above referenced gap between Shaping ring flange and top of joint. Diameter to match Inside Shaping Ring just under it's flange. The 0 ring now acts as a spacer and should future depth adjustment be necessary, you simply reduce or enlarge the 0 ring cross section diameter

Fiberglass shaping rings manufactured by ourselves are produced to ISO 9001-2000 standards. Should this standard or any other certification for your facility require manufacturing documentation on the manufacture of fiberglass shaping rings, this documentation is available upon request for your Quality Assurance Department.

With each passing year, it seems quality expectations become higher. We hope these guidelines can assist you in reaching the quality expectations of your customers.

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