Pipe Bands and Internal Pipe Launching Accessories

The design philosophy incorporates a rolled steel, galvanised steel or stainless steel chassis with or without a hinge (depending on application) with heavy duty rollers assembled with welded brackets. This chassis is manufactured to suit the pipe to be installed and the inside diameter of the carrier pipe, generally a concentric fit between the 2 pipes is possible. The chassis is clamped with the smaller pipe using bolts creating a strong connection. The rollers remove sliding friction allowing the pipe to be rolled into position. This is a simple low cost heavy duty solution to this challenging application.

500NB 9.5m wall steel pipe launched in a single run over 600m (70ton total weight).

1500mm diameter 32mm wall steel pipe 300m long progressively fed into a concrete carrier pipe (345 tonnes pipe weight). After installation the pipe was used for dredging sand and salt water with the supports taking the additional wet weight during dredging netting a total weight of 830 tons! After 6 months of dredging with the supports completely submerged in salt water the pipe was removed (plastic supports couldn’t offer the same performance.) Suited to heavy and extremely heavy applications, the low cost of the system also makes this the best choice for all linear pipe installation applications.

Available with or without hinge, capacity to suit the project, with or without rubber protective/non-conductive pipe wraps and in available in many different finishes. 

Quickly forging a reputation of design and manufacturing excellence in the Australian pipeline industry, our team are trusted to provide solutions for the most arduous and unique pipeline projects.

Two of Richmond’s most recent pipe roller challenges have been to provide a turn-key solution for loading a new pipeline inside an existing larger diameter pipeline. This posed a number of challenges relating to the loading process, including load capacity required and lack of access for installation of roller assemblies. Richmond’s in-house design team implemented a design consisting of a band and rollers to drastically reduce friction ensuring a safe and economical process. This not only protected the internal pipes but also the external pipes but also acted as a pipe support once fitted.

A steel band fitted to the outer of the pipe with either 2 or 3 rollers welded to this frame provided the basis for the pipe supports and rolling mechanism all in one. The pipe bands can be fitted by securely tensioning in place and reduce the need for welding on-site. Depending on the environmental conditions, load capacity and rolling resistance or friction required, Richmond manufactures the rollers in engineered plastics such as nylon or polyurethane.

Our latest design has been used in Northcote, Victoria as an alternative to a dry sliding design on the refurbishment of a water pipeline. The scope of the project saw Richmond supply 50 pipe bands with a capacity of 900kg – each fitted with two 110mm nylon rollers. This particular project located a 1127mm pipe inside a 1350mm pipeline.

This particular Richmond design can be suited to various diameters, as we pride ourselves on our ability to conceive and deliver high performance products for the Pipeline and mining industry.

Our team was tasked with providing an alternative solution to a dry sliding installation when locating a new pipeline inside an existing larger diameter pipeline. Richmond pipe band rollers are essentially a steel band fitted to the outer of the pipe with either 2 or 3 rollers welded to this frame. This provides the basis for the pipe supports and rolling mechanism all in one. Depending on the environmental conditions, load capacity and rolling resistance or friction required, we will manufacture the rollers in engineered plastics such as nylon, steel or polyurethane.

The particular project for Killard’s Excavations required four different pipeline sections of 813mm to be located into an existing 1026mm pipeline. The sections varied in length from 94m to 170m and had to negotiate a 2% grade through the Camden bypass at Narellan NSW.

In this particular instance it was typical for a 40 tonne excavator to be used to load the pipe, taking on average two and a half hours –  a welder was also kept on standby all day. But with Richmond’s turnkey solution time and money were saved and most importantly the task was made simpler.