US1036400A - Safety-clamp for drill-rods and the like. - Google Patents

Description

0. WOMM ER.

SAFETY CLAMP FOR DRILL RODS AND THE LIKE.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 6, 1911,

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANDOEAFH 00.. wAsl-IlNu'mN, D. c.

ATENT orr'ron.

SAFETY-CLAMP FOR DRILL-RODS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

Application filed November 6, 1911. Serial No. 658,800

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES WoMMnR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mammoth, in the county of Shasta and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety-Clamps for Drill-Rods and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to drilling apparatus and particularly to a clamp for the same.

The object of the present invention is to provide an extremely simple, powerful, easily operated, adjustable clamping device adapted to support the weight of one or more sections of drill bars, tubes, sleeves or the like; and particularly to provide a drill bar or tube clamp adaptable for use in drilling machinery of such nature wherein the drill bars or rods are occasionally vertically lifted from the hole being drilled and suspended in vertical lifted position while connections or disconnections are being made.

An important object of the present invention is to design a safety clamp for drill rods, which will automatically lock and unlock itself relative to the drill bars, and which clamp may be readily and manually released from the bars when necessary.

It is also an important object to provide such a safety clamp as will insure the prevention of the rotation of the drill bars or pipes, when force is applied to the latter for connection or disconnection of additional sections or for other reasons.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the safety clamp as adapted for use. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the clamp. Fig. 8 is a side elevation in partial section. Fig. 4: is a detail view of the faces of the clamping jaws. Fig. 5 is an end view of the clamps.

In the use of certain classes of drilling apparatus commonly known as diamond drills, it is common to employ a series of rods or pipes connected in sections, whereby the cutting head of the tool may be continued down so as to permit the drilling of very deep holes. In the operation of this kind of drill, the operators have frequently to couple the additional sections of rod or plpe, as 2, Fig. 1, as the drilling operation proceeds, and it is also frequently necessary to withdraw the assembled drilling rods for the removal of cores from the drills and for other purposes. IVhen such removal is necessary the lowermost sections of the rods which are coupled must be supported within the hole while the uppermost section is disconnected, as by unscrewing, which is a common method of connection.

It is a desideratum to provide a simple, powerful, and reliable clamp capable of sustaining the load of numerous coupled sections of drilling bars or rods 2, while the uppermost rod is being disconnected. To that end the present clamp comprises a number of elements cooperative to automatically lock themselves upon the exterior surface of a drill rod with such a degree of firmness and security that the lower sections will be sustained in an elevated position and the section which is embraced by the clamp will be positively prevented from rotation while a suitable tool is applied to the uppermost section for its removal.

'I have found by actual use for a long pe riod of time that the device herein described fully and satisfactorily accomplishes these several purposes.

In the illustration, the device is shown as comprising oppositely disposed jaws 3-4, which may be substantially polygonal or rectangular in form. Each of the jaws have one face recessed and provided with a number of teeth 5-6 respectively. The jaws 34 are independently slidable between side plates 7 of suitable proportions and dimensions, which are securely fastened together by means of suitable shouldered bolts or other equivalent devices 8, having nuts 9 which may be readily removed from the bolts so that the device can be quickly assembled and disassembled in operation.

The clamp jaws 3- 1: are prevented from vertical movement between the side plates 7 by suitable guides 10 which project sufficiently on the sides of the plates 7 to limit the up or down movement of the clamp jaws. Bookable upon the spacing bolts 8, which secure the plates 7 in proper relation, are

the levers 11 of suitable design and proportion, having formed upon one end a cam or bearing surface, as 12, of such contour as to frictionally bind upon and lock the jaws 3-4l upon the surface of a drill section 2, as clearly shown.

Preferably the depth of the depressed portion in which the teeth 56 are provided'is such that the two faces of the jaws 34 will not come into contact. In other words, the diameter of the drill section 2 will be suflicient to effectually spread the jaws 34 When the clamp has been arranged in position about a drill section, with the levers 11 fulcrumed upon any suitable and convenient support, as for instance, the timbers 13, then, when the drill section 2 is to be clamped, the levers 11 swing downwardly upon their fulcrums 13, so that the cam faces 12 will be forced against the adjacent sides of the jaws 34 with such force as to press the latter toward each other, thereby causing the drill section 2 to be embraced by the teeth 56 of the jaws.

If the operator desires to temporarily release the drill section 2 from the clutch of the jaws 34, a pressure on the outermost end of either one of the levers 11 will sufiiciently lift the inner end of that particular lever, so that its cam face 12 will be relieved of pressure against the adjacent jaw, as 4, and the drill rod 2 released. It will thus be seen that during the normal driving operation of the drill body or section 2 it is desired to release it from the control of the jaws 34, so as to permit the ready and free rotation of the drill bit, as is usual in diamond drills, and during such rotation the clamp may be entirely disconnected, if desired by removing the nuts 9 from the screws, and thus allowing the clamp to be disassembled; or the pressure of the clutch jaws 3-4 may be removed by the release of one of the jaws from pressure of the adjacent cam face of a lever 11 by pressing this lever downwardly.

hen the drill sections are to be uncoupled, it is necessary to withdraw or lift the assembled drilling tool slightly so that the uppermost section will project sufliciently above the surface of the ground, as in Fig. 1, to permit the application of a suitable tool to unscrew the latter from the next lower section, which is in control of and clamped by the jaws 34 of the clamp, when the latter is assembled, as shown. It will be seen that as soon as a drill has been slightly lifted and the clamp assembled about it, and the latter is supported upon the fulcrums 13, when the drill is released and slightly lowered, it will be firmly embraced between the jaws 3-4, as the fulcrums 8 of the levers rock toward each other and press the cam faces against the clamp jaws.

The heavier the train of drill rods, the greater is the force which will be exerted by the levers 11 to force the jaws 3-4 against the drill section.

One of the important features of my invention is in so designing the jaws 3-4: that they will effectually hold the drill not only in elevated position, but also against turning within the clamp when power is applied to the uppermost section of the drill to unscrew it from the next section. To that end I have found that this is effectually accomplished by forming the teeth 56 in the jaws 3 1 at opposite inclination or pitch, as clearly shown in Fig. fl. That is, that instead of forming the teeth in each jaw with the edge lines parallel to the ends of the jaw, I prefer to pitch the teeth, as is common in screw threads, pitching the teeth in one jaw as like a right hand thread and pitching the teeth of the other jaw as like a left hand thread. When the two jaws are assembled face to face, these teeth being of opposite pitch, will effectually bind upon the surface of the drill section, and being oppositely pitched will each resist any turning inclination of the drill. This designI have found to be extremely efficient in actual practice and it obviates the requirement of two tools or other devices which are commonly employed. By the present clamp the operator simply applies one tool to the drill section to be removed, thereby unscrewing this section without imparting any turning motion to the lower sections and without using any other tool to restrain the turning mot-ion of the lowermost sections since they are positively prevented from rotation in either direction by the oppositely pitched teeth 5(3 of the clamp aws.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A clamp for suspending a cylindrical body, comprising a pair of movable toothed jaws adapted to embrace the body, a guide structure in which the jaws are movable, said structure having flanges projecting inwardly .above and below the jaws and confining said jaws therebetween and levers pivoted in the structure and having faces operative against the jaws.

2. A clamp for suspending and preventing revolution of a cylindrical body, comprising a jaw structure having transversely oppositely pitched helical teeth in adjacent faces, adapted to embrace the body, a support in which the jaws are mounted, said support having top and bottom flanges between which the jawsare confined against lengthwise movement, and cam-levers pivoted in the structure and adapted to close the jaws on the body.

3. A drill clamp comprising a body structure having side plates with top and bot- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set tom flanges adapted to embrace a drill seomy hand in the presence of two subscrlbing tio-n therebetween, a peir of movable toothed Witnesses.

jaws and cam-levers plvoted upon the struc- CHARLES WOMMER. 5 ture and adapted to close the jaws when Witnesses:

the former are rested upon said bottom MANUEL PERRY,

flanges. A. L. DOFFLEMYER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of .Patents, Washington. D. 0.

Images