US1092050A - Extension pipe-tongs. - Google Patents

Description

W. HOSIER.

EXTENSION PIPE TONGS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1o, 1913.

mummm WITNESSES Patented Mar. 31, 1914 72' INVENTOR Wma ATTO R N EY c Asume-ron n c Ts rima WESLEY HOSIER, OF MERCER, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PARNELL G. MCKENNA, OF MERCER, WISCONSIN.

Application filed March 10, 1913.

To all 1li/0m t may concern Be it known that I, vWESLEY Hosinn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mercer, in the county of Iron and State of VVisconsin, have invented a new and useful Extension Pipe-Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in extension pipe tongs, and its object is to provide a pipe tongs which may be utilized to support and hold pipes or rods which have been lowered into a boring or well in such manner that additional sections may be applied without the necessity of employing a separate pair of tongs or pipe wrench for the purpose.

In deep drilling such as diamond drilling, a rod or pipe carrying the drill is lowered into the bore and as the boring proceeds additional lengths must be attached and the same is true with the placing of pumps in deep wells.

While the applicability of the present invention is by no means limited to use with the drill rods in diamond drilling, the invention will, for simplicity of description, be considered as used for such a purpose, but without limitation thereby solely to such purpose.

In the commonly practised mode of lowering drill rods into bores, it is customary to support the rod by a device commonly known as or similar to the common pipe clamp which is applied to the drill rod, and by means of which a wrench or other device is clamped tightly around the rod and rests upon the top of the casing which rises out of the bore. Now when it is desired to apply an additional section of rod, or, disconnect a section2 it is necessary for a workman to employ at least two wrenches or pipe tongs, one to operate upon the section being applied or disconnected, and the other to hold the sections within the boring from turning, the pipe clamp not being provided with means for holding it against turning, since its only function is to support. the pipe or rod depending from it.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a pipe tongs which may be adjustable as to size of grip to grasp pipes or rods of different diameters, and in conjunction with the handle members there is provided a manipulating lever coacting with a specially formed part of one of the.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

serial No. 753,412.

handle members and connected to the other handle member in a manner to bring a gradually increasing pressure to bear in a direction to close the jaws upon the pipe or rod to be gripped. This manipulating member and the handle with which it coperates are provided with locking devices which will hold the parts in adjusted positions against accidental displacement, while the tong jaws are s o shaped and associated that they will readily rest upon the rod. When properly applied the tongs may be employed to prevent rotative movements of the pipe or rod while additional sections are being applied thereto or disconnected therefrom.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed and modified so long as lsuch changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved tongs as applied to a pipe indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but showing the other face of the tongs with the clamping handle in longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the jaws spread to their fullest extent and the clamping handle shown in longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 with distant parts omitted. Fig. 5 is an edge elevation of the jaw end of the tongs.

Referring to the drawings there are shown two jaw members 1, 2, having their gripping ends laterally thickened and from these thickened portions extend handle members 3, 4, respectively, which are thinner than the jaws so that the two handle members may be crossed and their combined thickness where crossing be only that of the laterally thickened jaw portions. The handle member 3 is formed with an elongated slot 5 through which there extends a pivot pin or bolt 6 also traversing a corresponding portion of the handle member 4. 0n the side of the slot 5 remote from the jaw 1 the Vhandle member 3 is gently curved backwardly and is appropriately extended into a manipulating or grip portion 7 while at the curved portion the handle member is provided with one or more perforations 8 designed to be traversed by a pivot pin or bolt 9 for a purpose to be described. rIhe other handle'portion 4 is quite sharply curved, as indicated at 10 and from its curved portion the handle member is continued in a reversely curved portion 11 nally terminating in a grip or manipulating extension 12 corresponding t0 the manipulating extension 7 of the handle po-rtion 3. In the crown or convex part of the curve 11 the handle portion 4 is laterally thickened t0 form curved ledges 13, the curvature being such as to be in more or less eccentric relation to one or the other of the perforations 8 of the handle portion 3 and on the peripheral or crown portion of the curve 11 midway of the ledges 13 there is provided a series of ratchet teeth 14. There is also provided a lever 15 having one end 16 bifurcated so as to straddle both the handle member 4 and the handle member 3 and where straddling the handle member 3 the bifurcated end of the lever 15 is traversed by the pivot pin or bolt 9 passed through a perforation 3, so thatthe lever may be turned upon the pin or bolt 9 asv apivot or fulcrum.

Where the bifurcated end of the lever joins the handleend of the lever shoulders 17 are formed, and entering the handle portion of the lever is an elongated cavity 18 housing a spring 19 andthe butt end of a dog 2,0 which may be in the form of an elongated block or rod having at one end a tooth 21 extending into the space between the legs 0f the bifurcated end of the lever. 'The springV 19 tends to force the dog 20 outwardly but the projecting movement of the dog is limited by a pin 22 traversing the dog and extending through oppositely situated elongated slots 23 in the handle portion or" the lever 15, the pin- 22 being sufficiently prolonged to be accessible to an operator for moving the dog in a direction against the action of the spring 19. The tooth or nose end 21 of the dog 20 is shaped and located to engage the ratchet teeth 14,

while the shoulders 17 are moving along the ledges 13. i

In order to insure a goodl fit of the dog 20 in its sliding movement in the handle 15 a collar 24 may be inserted in the cavity 18. at its open end to receive the dog, such collar being welded or otherwise united to the handle, which, of course, in an instrument of this character is made of metal.

In order to adjust the distance of the jaws 1 and 2 from each other, the handle member 3 is laterally enlarged in line with the slot 5, this lateral enlargement being indicated at 25 and the handle member is there provided with a threaded passage for a thumb screw 26 which may be moved lengthwise of the slot 5 into engagement with the pivot pin 6, so that when the pivot pin or bolt is suiiiciently loosened it may be moved in the slot 5 to the desired position by the thumb screw 26, and this screw will hold the pivotal Aposition of the jaws from disarrangement in the direction to enlarge the opening of the jaws which might occur with the elongated slot and the pivot pin traversing it under the pressure employed in causing the jaws to grip a pipe or rod.

If it be assumed that the pivot 6 has been appropriately adjusted to permit the desired spreading of the jaws for application to a pipe or rod, this spreading of the jaws may be performed by moving the clamping lever 15 so that the dog 2O is opposite the concaved side of the curved portion 10 of the handle member 4. rlhe jaws are now applied to the drill rod in close relation to the casing and are moved by a manipulation of themembers 7 and 12 into engagement with the drill rod, and then the clamping lever or handle 15 is moved about the pivot 9 in a direction away from the jaws to bring the shouldersV 17 into engagement with the'ledges 13, and these ledges being in cam relation to the pivot 9 the shoulders will move along theY ledges in such a ymanner as to tend to force the handle member 4 toward the handle member 3 on the side of the pivot 6 remote from the jaws, and thus tend to cause the jaws to approach into tighter and tighter gripping relation to the drill rod as the l clamping handle or lever 15 is moved at its manipulating end away from the gripping jaws. The result of this action is that the jaws of the tongs may be made to engage the 'rod with a force far in excess of any that a workmanV could apply to the ends of the manipulating extensions 7 and 12, and, moreover, the engagement of the nose of the dog 2O behind an appropriate one of the teeth 14 will loclr the tongs in the gripping position.

The firmness with which the tongs grip the rod effectively prevents any slipping of the rod lengthwise, and the weight of the rod even though it may be hundreds of feet in length is sustained bythe tongs resting on the exposed end of the casing of the boring against any possibility of slipping or disengagement, and more effectively than is brought about by the ordinary pipe clamp customarily employed for a like purpose. Moreover, the manipulating members 7 and 12 provide a means whereby a workman may readily prevent turning of the drill rod while a section is being applied to or removed from the rod at a point above the part gripped by the tongs, This means that the rod is most effectively supported, and but'a single wrench is needed by a workman to screw another rod section in place or unscrew an upper rod section from the rod supported by the tongs.

When it is desired to remove the tongs it is only necessary to grasp the clamping lever or handle 15 and move it in the tightening direction to an extent sufficient to loosen the dog 2O which may then be withdrawn from engagement with the teeth 14 against the action of the spring 19, this being accomplished by means of the pin 22 which is easily actuated by the fingers of one hand of the operator, whereupon the clamping handle may be moved toward the aw end of the tongs until the dog is opposite the concave portion of the curve 10 and the handles of the tongs may be separated to in turn separate the jaws out of engaging relation to the pipe or rod. In Fig. 1 there is indicated in dotted lines a pipe 27 which may be taken as typical of either a pipe or a rod or any other structure to which the tongs are adapted.

l/Vhere diamond drilling is in progress, the tongs may be adjusted as to the spread of the jaws to correspond with the diameter of the drill rod or rods, and in the case of piping, such as employed in deep wells, the jaws may be further adjusted so that they may be made to grip a pipe of considerable diameter and hold it against dropping into the well.

The invention is also adapted for use as an ordinary pipe wrench or tongs where the necessity of the clamping handle is not always present, but whenever a particularly strong grip of the tongs upon a pipe or rod is needed the clamping handle or lever may be manipulated in the manner already described to produce a grip beyond the powers of an operator grasping the handles 7 and 12, and this grip will be maintained whether the operator releases the handle extensions 7 and 12 or not and the tongs may be removed from the pipe only by the release of the clamping handle or lever 15.

What is claimed is 1. A pipe tongs comprising two handle members pivoted together and each terminating in a jaw in fixed relation thereto, and a clamping lever on one of said handle members connected thereto adjacent to the pivot connection between the two handle members and mounted for movement independently of the movement of either handle member, and the other handle member having a cam surface also adjacent to the pivot connection between the two handles and in cooperative relation to the clamping lever to cause an approach of the jaws on the movement of the clamping lever along the cam surface.

2. A pipe tongs comprising two handle members pivoted together and each terminating in a jaw in fixed relation thereto, and

a lever mounted on one handle member adjacent to and on the side of the pivot connection of the two handle members remote from the jaws and movable independently of either handle member in cooperative relation to the other handle member, the said other handle member being shaped to provide an engaging surface for the lever in cam relation thereto and said lever and engaging surface being constructed and related to cause the approach of the jaws of the tongs on a movement of the lever in a direction away from said jaws.

3. A pipe tongs comprising two members pivoted together, and terminating in gripping jaws laterally expanded, said members being of a combined thickness equal to the thickness of either jaw, one of said members being adjustable lengthwise of the other to regulate the opening of the jaws, and a clamping lever mounted on one of said members adjacent to the pivot connection between the mem-bers and movable with lrelation to the other member independently of either member, said other member having a cam surface engaged by the clamping lever to cause the approach of the jaws on the movement of the lever in one direction of its travel.

4f. A pipe tongs comprising two members pivoted together and terminating in gripping jaws laterally expanded, said members being of a combined thickness equal to the thickness of either jaw, one of said members being adjustable lengthwise of the other to regulate the opening of the jaws, and a clamping lever mounted on one of said inembers adjacent to the pivot connection between the members and movable with relation to the other member independently of either member, and such other member having a cam surface provided with a series of teeth, the clamping lever being provided with a yieldable latch member in position to engage the teeth of the cam portion of the said handle member.

5. A pipe tongs comprising two members terminating in gripping jaws laterally expanded, the members being pivoted together and of a combined thickness equal to the thickness of the jaws, one of said members being adjustable lengthwise of the other to regulate the opening of the jaws, and a clamping handle or lever pivoted to one of said members and movable with relation to the other member and such other member having a cam surface engaged by the clamping handle or lever to cause the approach of the jaws on the movement of the lever in one direction of its travel, the clamping handle or lever being provided with a latch member and the cam portion of the handle member of the tongs having the cam portion provided with a series of teeth adapted to be engaged by the latch member, the said latch member being pro-vided with a 'spring urging it toward the i teeth and with a manipulating member accessible for moving the latch member away from the teeth.

6. A pipe tongs having two jaws with the handle extensions thereof pivoted together, one of said extensions on the side of the jaw remote from the pivot and adjacent to the latter having a portion in cam relation to the other extension, and a clamping lever carried by the other member adjacent Ito the pivot connection between the two members with means for engaging the cam portion of the first named member and locking thereto in different positions of adjustment, the cam portion being related to the other part of the tongs to cause the approach of the jaws on the movement of the clamping lever away from the jaws of the tongs.

7. A pipe tongs comprising two members pivoted together and each terminating at one end in a jaw in coactive relation to the other jaw and at the other ends prolonged into manipulating portions7 and a clamp lever pivoted to one member on the side of the pivot connection between the two members remote from the jaws and between the pivot connection and the manipulating portions and extending to and beyond the other member and beyond the latter formed into a manipulating handle said lever andextension of the tongs member beyond which it projects having co-acting parts in cam relation to the pivot of the leverrto cause the approach of the jaws on the movement of the lever in one direction about its pivot.

,8. A pipe tongs comprising two members each provided with a jaw, said members being pivoted together and one of the members being provided with means for the adjustment of the pivot connection lengthwise of such member to enlarge or contract the opening of the jaws, and a hand lever pivoted to one of the tongs members adjacent to and on the side of the tongs pivot remote from the jaws and in operative relation to the other member and also movable actively independently of both tongs members, said lever and other member having coacting parts constructed to cause the gradual approach of the jaws of the tongs on the movement of the lever in one direction about its pivot.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afHXed my signature in the presence ot' two witnesses.

Y WESLEY HOSER.

Vitnesses:

EMIL STREHLOW, M. E. BRANDT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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