AU2007289015A1

AU2007289015A1 - A pipe tool

Info

Publication number: AU2007289015A1
Application number: AU2007289015A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Graham Theodor Bower
Original assignee: GRAHAM BOWER
Current assignee: GRAHAM BOWER
Priority date: 2006-08-24
Filing date: 2007-08-24
Publication date: 2008-02-28
Also published as: WO2008025041A1

Description

WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 A PIPE TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention generally relates to a tool and more particularly is concerned with a pipe tool for using mechanical force to axially move a pair of pipes relative to each other. [0002] Some pipe lines are constructed using modular pipe components each of which includes at one end a receiving formation, such as a pipe bell, into which a respective opposing end of an adjacent pipe component can be sealingly engaged. The receiving formation may include a seal such as an o-ring which can be used to further increase the seal created between closely opposing surfaces of the respective ends of adjacent pipe components. However, the seal can resist, to some degree, movement of a pipe inside the pipe end bell. [0003] When a relatively big diameter pipe line of the aforementioned kind is constructed, an end of a pipe component is usually forced into a receiving end of an adjacent pipe component typically by using a machine such as a TLB (tractor loader backactor). The pipe being inserted also has to be longitudinally aligned, at least to some extent, so that the insertion process is facilitated. The use of a TLB to push two pipes together can be dangerous and can increase the possibility of pipe breakages. It can also be difficult to properly position the machine where it is needed and to apply only the right amount of force while simultaneously aligning the pipes correctly.

WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 2 [0004] When replacing a broken pipe component, the TLB is normally used to separate the broken pipe from the pipe line by pulling on the broken segment. This can result in more than one segment being pulled from the pipe line. [0005] The effectiveness of the TLB depends greatly on the skill of the operator thereof. For example, while exposing a broken segment by removing ground surrounding the segment, an adjacent segment may be accidentally damaged, or when an end of one pipe segment is being pushed into a bell of an adjacent pipe, too much force may be used which may damage the bell of the pipe; or when a broken pipe is being pulled from the pipe line, a chain used to secure the broken pipe to the TLB may further damage the pipe. [0006] It is sometimes required to replace only a small portion of a damaged pipe. Using a TLB makes it difficult when only a small part of a damaged pipe needs replacing. [0007] The invention attempts to address the aforementioned situation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The invention provides a pipe tool which includes a lever which is pivotally attachable to a first pipe, a connecting member which is pivotally attached at a first point to the lever and which is pivotally attachable at a second point to a second pipe which is WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 3 axially aligned with the first pipe and wherein the lever is pivotally movable to cause the pipes to move axially relative to each other. [0009] The pipes may be moved towards each other when the lever is moved from a first limiting position to a second limited position and may be moved apart when the lever is moved from the second limiting position to the first limiting position. [0010] Any suitable technique can be used to attach the lever to the first pipe and the connecting member at the second point to the second pipe. Preferable the lever extends from a brace which in use is clamped to the first pipe and the connecting member is pivotally attached at the second point to a collar which in use is clamped onto the second pipe. [0011] The brace may be attachable to an end of the first pipe and the collar to an end of the second pipe so that pivotal movement of the lever causes the respective ends of the pipes to engage. [0012] The connecting member may be adjustable. Preferably a length of the connecting member is shortened each time the lever is moved from the first limiting position, or any intermediary position between the first and second limiting positions, to the second limiting position so that the second pipe is axially advanced towards the first pipe.

WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 4 [0013] The collar may include a pair of spigots which project from diametrically opposing sides of the collar and the connecting member may include a fork section which is mounted to the spigots. [0014] The fork section may lie in a first plane which is at a first angle to a second plane in which the remainder of the connecting member lies. The first angle may be in a range of 30 to 100 and is preferably in the range of 60 to 70*. [0015] The first point may be higher than a mounting point at which the lever is attached to the first pipe. The mounting point may be spaced from the first point so that the second plane intersects a third plane, in which the first pipe lies, at a second angle of 80 to 140. Preferably the second angle is 110. [0016] The invention also extends to a pipe tool which includes a brace which is securable to a first pipe, a collar which is securable to a second pipe which is axially aligned with the first pipe, a lever which is mounted to the brace for pivotal movement relative to the first pipe, and a connecting member which is pivotally attached at a first point to a lever and at a second point to the collar so that the lever is movable between a first limiting position and a second limiting position thereby causing the pipes to move axially relative to each other. [0017] The invention further extends to a method of operating a tool to move first and second pipes which have been axially aligned relative to each other, the method including the steps of pivotally attaching a lever to the first pipe, pivotally attaching a WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 5 connecting member at a first point to the lever and at a second point to the second pipe, and moving the lever to a first limiting position thereby causing the pipes to move axially apart and moving the lever to a second limiting position thereby causing the pipes to move axially towards each other. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0018] The invention is further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tool according to the invention in an exploded configuration; Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 in which the tool has been engaged with a pair of axially aligned pipes and is ready for use; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a point at which a connecting member has been engaged with an end of a second pipe; Figure 4 is a side view, partly sectioned, of the tool taken on a line 4-4 in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a side view, partly sectioned, of the tool taken on a line 5-5 in Figure 2; and Figures 6, 7, and 8 illustrate the tool in use. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [0019] Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a tool 10 according to the invention respectively in an exploded configuration and attached, in use, to first and second pipes 12 and 14. The tool includes a lever 16 and a connecting member 18. The lever is pivotally attached at a lower end 20 to a brace 22 which is clamped to the first pipe 12. The connecting WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 6 member is pivotally attached at a first point 24 to the lever and at a second point 26 to a collar 28 which is attached to the second pipe 14. [0020] The collar 28 is attached close to an end 30 of the second pipe and the brace 22 is attached close to an end 32 of the first pipe 12. [0021] The brace 22 is clamped to the first pipe 12 using any suitable technique. In one example the brace includes a strut 34 which is attached at opposing ends to a pair of clamps 36A and 36B. Each clamp is substantially identical and for this reason only the clamp 36A is described further in detail hereinafter. [0022] The clamp 36A includes a pair of shells 38A and 38B which are pivotally attached at a respective end to each other and at a respective opposing end to a respective flange 40. A bolt 42 is used to secure the flanges to each other. The shells have a substantially cylindrical outline when the flanges are mated. Alternatively the shells can be profiled to match any outline of a pipe to which the shells may be clamped. Each shell has a radius so that once the shells have been clamped onto the first pipe 12, the flanges are spaced apart by a predetermined distance so that as the bolt is tightened the flanges can move, at least to some extent, towards each other thereby causing the shells to move into tight frictional engagement with an outer surface of the first pipe. The shell 38A has a pin 44 which projects perpendicularly halfway between opposing ends of the shell and which includes a threaded section at a free end thereof so that, after the pin has been pushed through a hole which has been made through an end of the strut, a conventional nut can be engaged with the threaded WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 7 formation projecting from the strut thereby securing the respective end of the strut to the clamp. In a similar fashion the clamp 36B is attached to an opposing end of the strut. [0023] The collar 28 is similar in many aspects to the clamps 36A and 36B and for this reason like reference numerals are used to designate like components. An important difference however is that the collar has a pair of pins 44A and 44B each of which extends perpendicularly from a respective shell 38A and 38B at diametrically opposing sides of the collar once the respective flanges 40A have been mated. [0024] The connecting member 18 has a first section 46 which is slidingly engaged with a second section 48 so that the connecting member can be telescopically extended. The second section includes a number of holes 50, extending through the second section, which are spaced apart the length thereof. The first section has at an end 52 a hole 54 which is registerable with any selected hole 50 so that a pin 56 can be inserted through the connecting member. Thus a length 58 of the connecting member can be varied. [0025] The first section 46 is pivotally attached at the first point 24 with an end which opposes to the end containing the pin 56 to the lever 12. The lever 16 includes a pair of flanges 60A and 60B which project from a side of the lever and which are suitably spaced from each other so that the end of the first section fits between the flanges without a great deal of lateral play by the first section between the flanges. A bolt is used to pivotally attach the end to the flanges.

WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 8 [0026] In a similar fashion the lever 16 is pivotally attached to the brace 22. Flanges 60C and 60D extend from opposing sides of the strut 34 so that the lower end of the lever can be positioned between the flanges. A bolt is used to pivotally attach the lower end to the flanges and is inserted through aligned holes formed in the flanges and in the lower end. [0027] Figure 3 shows the second section 48 in greater detail. The connecting member 18 includes a fork section 62 which is attached to an end of the second section. The fork section has arms 64A and 64B which are spaced apart from and aligned parallel to each other and extend respectively from opposing ends of a cross piece 66 which is attached at an intermediary location, between two opposing ends thereof, to the second section 48. Suitable gussets 68 are used to strengthen the attachment of the cross piece to the second section and the attachment of the respective arms the cross piece. [0028] The connecting member 18 is attached at the second point 26 via the fork section 62 to the second pipe 14. Each of the arms 64A and 64B has at a respective free end a member 70 attached thereto which has at a respective free end a channel 72 which has been cut longitudinally into the member. The channel is sized so that the amount of transversal play a pin 44 will experience once inserted into the channel is reduced. [0029] The lever 16 includes a handle component 74 which is inserted at least partly into a base component 76 which is attached to the brace 22.

WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 9 [0030] The tool 10 is usually transported in a semi-assembled form, which is shown in Figure 1. This reduces the bulkiness of the tool when being handled by a user. The tool can easily be disassembled into five relatively small components, that is, the collar 28, the second section 48 which includes the fork section 62, the pair of clamps 36A and 36B, the handle component 74, and a pivot assembly 78 which consists of the strut 34, the base component 76 and the first section 46. Once the tool is in this from, the individual components can be easily transported to the next location of use. [0031] The tool 10 can be easily constructed from the separate components. The brace 22 and the respective clamps 36A and 36B are firstly attached to the respective ends 30 and 32. Once the brace and clamps have been positioned and secured to the respective pipes, the strut 34 of the pivot assembly 78 is attached in the manner described hereinbefore to the clamps. Thereafter the second section 48 is engaged with the first section 46 and the handle component 74 is partly inserted into the base component 76. [0032] The clamps 36A and 36B are spaced from one another a distance so that the respective pin 34 of the respective shell can be inserted into the holes made into the respective ends of the strut 34. Thereafter the collar 28 is attached to the end 30 of the second pipe. When doing so, the maximum length to which the connecting member 18 can be extended, should be considered. It is possible, at least to some extent, when the ends 30 and 32 are not positioned in close proximity to each other, to use the tool 10, with the connecting member 18 fully extended, to draw the end 30 of the second pipe 14 closer towards the first pipe 12. This may be required when, for example, the weight of the pipe or the location of the pipe, makes it difficult to manoeuvre the second WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 10 pipe. It must be noted that for the tool to be able to insert, for example, the end 32 into the end 30, the first and second pipes should be substantially longitudinally aligned with each other to prevent the pipes being damaged. [0033] Figures 4 and 5 show that the collar 28 and the respective clamps 36A and 36B are tightly engaged with respectively the first and second pipes 12 and 14 so that, when the tool is used, the likelihood of the tool 10 slipping along an outer surface of one of the pipes is reduced. [0034] The tool 10 has a maximum reach which is achieved by fully extending the connecting member 18 and by moving the lever 16 to the left as far as possible to a first limiting position 80 which is shown by a dotted line 82 in Figure 6. The end 30 of the second pipe should be positioned at a distance from the end 32 which, after the collar 28 has been attached to the end 30 and the brace 22 has been attached to the end 32, allows the respective channels 72 to be engaged with the respective pin 44A of the collar. If this is not possible, then the pipes have to be moved closer to each other. [0035] The lever 16 can be moved from the first limiting position 80 to a second limiting position 86 which is shown in a dotted line 88 in Figure 6. In doing so the respective ends 30 and 32 are moved towards each other through the mechanical forces generated by the tool. Moving the lever from the second limiting position to the first limiting position causes the ends to be moved apart.

WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 11 [0036] Once the connecting member has been assembled, the lever is moved to the left, i.e. towards the first limiting position 80, so that the respective channels 72 of the fork section 62 can be aligned with the respective pins 44A of the collar after being attached to the second pipe 14. Once aligned, the fork section is lowered onto the collar and the respective pins are inserted into the respective channels. The connecting member 18 is now mounted to the second pipe 14 at the second point 26 and the fork section is supported by the collar. [0037] Figures 6 to 8 show the tool 10 attached to the pipes 12 and 14 and ready for use. In this example the second pipe includes a receiving formation or bell 84 at the end 30 which is used to sealingly engage with the end 32 of the first pipe. The lever 16 can pivot freely around a mounting point 90 between the first and second limiting positions 80 and 86. [0038] In Figure 6 the tool 10 has been attached to the pipes 12 and 14. In Figure 7 the lever 16 has been moved partially towards the second limiting position 86 thereby causing the end 32 to move partly into the bell 84. The extent with which the lever is moved towards the second limiting position 86 is determined by a user, not shown. The initial position of the lever between the two limiting positions is determined by the following factors: the respective positions, e.g. how close to the respective ends 30 and 32, at which the brace 22 and the collar 28 is attached to the respective pipes, the length 58 of the connecting member 18, and the distance between the respective ends. [0039] Movement of the lever between the limiting positions 80 and 86 creates a mechanical advantage which is transferred from the first point 24 through the WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 12 connecting member 18 to the second pipe 14. The advantage is achieved as a result of a difference between a distance with which a handle 92 of the handle component 74 is displaced from the mounting point 90 relative to a distance with which the first point 24 is displaced from the mounting point. [0040] Once the end 32 of the first pipe has been moved sufficiently into the bell 90 the tool 10 is detached from a pipeline 94 which is constructed as a result of the engagement of the first and second pipes 12 and 14. [0041] It may be required that the lever 16 is moved more than once from an intermediary position which, for example, is shown in Figure 6, towards the second limiting position 86. However, movement of the lever from a position which is shown in Figure 7 towards the first limiting position 80 will cause the ends 30 and 32 to disengage from each other. To prevent this, the pin 56 is disengaged from the connecting member 18 thereby allowing the first section 46 to move relative to the second section 48. This allows the lever to be moved towards the first limiting position 80 without causing the second pipe to be displaced. The hole in the end 54 of the first section is thereafter aligned with a hole which is selected from one of the holes 52 in the second section and the pin is once again inserted through the registered holes. The first and second sections 46 and 48 are once again locked to each other. The lever may now be in a position which is similar substantially to the position which is shown in Figure 5. The lever is now again moved towards the second limiting position so that the end 32 is further pushed into the bell - see Figure 8.

WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 13 [0042] The tool 10 can be used to detach the ends 30 and 32 from each other. After the tool has been secured to the first and second pipes 12 and 14, the lever 16 is moved towards the first limiting position thereby causing the pipes to move apart from each other. [0043] The clamps 36A and 36B and collar 28 can be suitably sized so that the clamps and collar can be used with pipes having different diameters. The respective bolts used in the collar 28 and clamps 36A and 36B can be any conventional quick release bolts. Each flange 40 and 40A can have a slot which allows for rapid disengagement of a shank of a respective bolt from the respective flange by moving the shank laterally along the slot. Thus a nut used in the respective bolt does not need to be removed from the shank for the bolt to be removable from the respective flange. [0044] The applicant has found through experimentation that in order for the tool 10 to generate adequate force without damaging the bell 84, the fork section 62 must lie in a first plane 96 which is at a first angle 98 to a second plane 100 in which the remainder of the connecting member 18 lies of between 60 and 7*. The first point 24 should also be a distance from the mounting point 90 so that the second plane intersects a third plane 102 in which the first pipe lies at a second angle 104 of about 110 - see Figure 5. [0045] The invention provides a pipe tool which can be used without a great deal of difficulty to move a pair of pipes relative to each other. The tool can also be readily disassembled into manageable components so that the tool can be easily transported to a next location of use. The tool is also easily operated since it only requires the movement of a lever to move the pipes relative to each other.

Claims

1. A pipe tool which includes a lever which is pivotally attachable to a first pipe, a connecting member which is pivotally attached at a first point to the lever and which is pivotally attachable at a second point to a second pipe which is axially aligned with the first pipe, and wherein the lever is pivotally movable to cause the pipes to move axially relative to each other.

2. A tool according to claim 1 wherein movement of the lever toward a first limiting position causes the pipes to move apart and movement of the lever towards a second limiting position causes the pipes to move towards each other.

3. A tool according claim 2 wherein the length of the connecting member is shortened each time the lever is moved from the first limiting position to the second limiting position so that the second pipe is axially advanced towards to the first pipe.

4. A tool according to claim 1, 2 or 3 which includes a brace to which the lever is pivotally attached and which is clamped to the first pipe, and a collar to which the connecting member is pivotally attachable at the second point and which is clamped to the second pipe.

5. A tool according to claim 4 wherein the collar includes a pair of spigots which project from diametrically opposing sides of the collar, and the connecting member includes a fork section which is mounted to the spigots. WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 15

6. A tool according to claim 5 wherein the fork section lies in a first plane which is at a first angle to a second plane in which the remainder of the connecting member lies.

7. A tool according to claim 6 wherein the first angle is 30 and 100.

8. A tool according to claim 7 wherein in the first angle is 60 and 70*.

9. A tool according to any one of claims 4 to 8 wherein the brace is attachable to an end of the first pipe and the collar is attachable to an end of the second pipe and wherein movement of the lever towards the second limiting position causes the respective ends of the pipes to engage with each other.

10. A tool according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein a length of the connecting member is adjustable.

11. A tool according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the first point is further from the first pipe than a mounting point at which the lever is attached to the first pipe.

12. A tool according to claim 11 wherein the position of the mounting point relative to the first point is such that the second plane intersects a third plane in which the first pipe lies at a second angle of 80 to 140.

13. A tool according to claim 12 wherein the second angle is 110. WO 2008/025041 PCT/ZA2007/000051 16

14. A method of operating a tool to move first and second pipes which have been axially aligned relative to each other, the method including pivotally attaching a lever to the first pipe, pivotally attaching a connecting member at a first point to the lever and at a second point to the second pipe, and moving the lever from a first limiting position to a second limiting position thereby causing the pipes to axially move towards each other.

15. A method according to claim 14 which includes the step of moving the lever from the second limiting position to the first limiting position thereby causing the pipes to axially move apart.

16. A pipe tool which includes a brace which is securable to a first pipe, a collar which is securable to a second pipe which is axially aligned with the first pipe, a lever which is mounted to the brace for pivotal movement relative to the first pipe, and a connecting member which is pivotally attached at a first point to the lever and at a second point to the collar and wherein the lever is movable between a first limiting position and a second limiting position which causes the pipes to move axially relative to each other.