Importance

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Abstract

A drip irrigation tape is formed from a strip of flexible material having a series of spaced indented grooves of serpentine shape extending along one side edge, the strip being folded with its opposite side edges overlapping and sealed together on opposite sides of the grooves to form a main conduit within the folded strip and a series of secondary conduits along the grooves. Breaks in the seal form inlets between the main conduit and each secondary conduit, and raised outlet ports connect the secondary conduit to the exterior of the tape. The grooves each have a series of elongated chambers offset alternately on opposite sides of the grooved region and interconnected by orifices of smaller dimensions than the chambers. An apparatus for forming the tape includes a shaping drum with channels connected via suction ports to a vacuum source for pulling the strip material into the channels to form the grooves, the vacuum connection being arranged to direct the vacuum only to the region of the drum over which the strip is passing.

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First Claim