US1805078A - Pipe wrench - Google Patents

Description

May l2, 1931- T. F. cuNNiNGHAM ET AL '1,805,078

PIPE WRENCH Filed July 18, 1929- F3-fl' I v? ga j l 1114@ AT-ro Nays d. "o ment.

`Patented May `12,1931

'UNITED STATES.

THOMAS F. CUNMNGHAM AND'ARTHUR n. eieren-n, or BooN'roN, NEW'JERSEY i PIPE Vwennen Application filedy July 18,k

The pipe wrench of the present invention, while capable of general utility is ymore especially intended for use in connection with relatively large pipes, say from four inches to two feet and upwards in diameter.

An object'of the invention is to provide a wrench which issubstantially proof against slipping or twisting when in use and which thereby serves to effectively apply the desired turning force always at right angles to the pipe. I

Another object is to' provide a wrench of rugged, durable construction capable ofuse on a widely varying range of pipe sizes, and

one which, while assuring full power transmission to the pipe, is effective to minimize injury to the pipeeven when maximum pressures are exerted.

Another object is to provide a wrench having an effective downstrokef action and, therefore, particularly applicablegto work on over-head pipes or pipes located in comparatively inaccessible places. One important result obtained by the' downstroke action 5 is that the weight of the handle is always opposing the torque resistance of the pipe,

whereas with an upstroke handle the weight of the handle and the torque resistance are cumulative forces which the operator must overcome. s' n Another object is to provide a wrench so l designed that the slightest reverse pressure on the handle willA disengage the wrench from the pipe, so that moving the wrench l y 1 Y 3" from one gripping position to another 1s accomplished with a minimum ofv effort. rThe wrench is quick to engage the work as the handle is moved one way and equally quick to release it upon retrograde handlemove- In a preferred embodiment of the invention the wrench is of the'type employing a contractile, articulated pipe i encircling in'einber,'such as aV chain, but contrary to prior l -practice both the shoe of the wrench handle and the anchor link'of the chain are toothed or serrated to cooperatively grip the pipe in a powerfulmanner whichentirely obv-iates the danger of slippage. There is thus pro'- vided a wrench havingone or Anrorefpairs of connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

' line of Fig. 2, and,

' much smaller diameter.,

Vtively heavy bar stock, tapering in width may serial No. 379,094.

pipe gripping or biting elements engagingin circumferentially spaced sections of `the pipe surface and acting together to twist the pipe and prevent slipping of the tool as the torque is applied to the work.' e

Preferably also both the toothed anchor linky of the chain, and the pipe engaging shoe are readily reversible to-bring unworn surfaces into play whereby a double life is insured for both of these elements.

In a preferred construction the shoe consists of a pair of parallel toothed disks, with a spacer unitary therewith thus affording a groove to straddle the lower edge of the handle which may be connected in place by a bolt. lThe bolt may-be selectively passed through either of two pairs of diametrically aligned openings` in Vthe shoe whereby the shoe isreversible. The anchor link of the chain is of arcuate form, having openings at its ends .for pivotal engagement with the ends of the shoe bolt and with an adjacent chain link respectively. Since the openings at both ends of the anchor link areidentical` this link may also be reversed when one end 7* thereof becomes worn. i The invention may be more fully under! stoodv from the following description in Fig. l is a plan view of our improved wrench showing the same in operative relation to a.l pipe, f y

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof with the pipe in section, i j

Fig. 3 is a vertical'sect-ional detail on the Fig. 4 isa view similarto Fig. 2, but showing the wrench applied to a pipe of m In the drawings we have used the reference numeral l0 to designatek the handleof the wrench which maybe vof flat and'relatoward its free end and being of slightly re- 9" duced thickness .at 10a adjacent it-slwidelr working end. l. f

The shoe or fulcrum member whichis fixed upon vthe end ofthe handle may'conf veniently include a pair ofrelatively heavy Cil disks 11 spaced apart a distance equal to the thickness of thehandle portion 10 and rigidly connected together by a central web block 12 of elongated formation having flat sides and having its axis disposed along one of the diametric axes of the disk. Preferably as shown in Fig. 3, the disks 11 and the block 12 are a unitary forging or casting or are Welded together of originally separate pieces. Pairs of aligned openings 18 and 14: are provided in the disks between the disk edges and the web block, these openings being preferably arranged upon acommon diametric axis at `right angles to the axis of the web block. When Vthe disks which constitute the shoe are positioned to straddle the lower edge of the handle lever, and one of the fiat sides of the web block abuts the lower edge of the lever, one of the other pair of openings 13, 14 may be aligned with a corresponding opening 15 in the wrench handle and the lshoe may be secured in place by a bolt 16 passed through the aligned openings 13, 15 or 14, 15 as the case may be.

The articulated pipe embracing member may be a chain of more or less conventional construction, each link as best seen in Fig. 1 comprising a pair of spaced parallel plates 18 connected to the straddled or straddling plates of an adjacent link by a common pivot pin 19. The anehorlink of this chain, however, is of special formation comprising relative long massive arcuate plates Q0, the concave edges of which are toothed or serrated at 21. The plates of the anchor link are connected by a pivot pin 19u to the adjacent link 17 of the chain, spacer members being provided if necessary to compensate for the distance between the plates of the anchor link since the latter preferably straddle the shoe 11, 12 and their ends are pivoted on the projecting ends of the bolt 1G.

In operation the free end of the chain is wrapped around the pipe 30 and one of the chain links is engaged with an upstainling lug 23 on the top of the lever end. 'lhus with the parts in Fig. 2 the normal gravity action of the lever will cause the lever and shoe to rock about the point of'centact between shoe and pipe as a fulcrum in which movement the lug Z3 is drawn in a direction to tighten the chain 17 about the pipe and pull the anchor lilik 20, 20 into iirm engagement with the pipe. In other wort s, with the tool in the position of Fig. 2 the weight of the lever causes the tool to firmly grip the pipe and the weight of the lever is effectively applied in a direction to oppose the torque resistance of the pipe. As the free end of the lever is grasped` and manually pulled down the pipe is caused to turn since the lug 23 being more remote from the fulcrum point 25 than the bolt 1G, swings through a greater arc with resultant tendency to tighten the chain and through it apply a twisting move-- ment to the pipe.

As the lever is lifted up lever and shoe again rock as a unit about the fulcrum Z5 and in this rocking motion movement of the lug 23 is through a longer path than .pivot 16, causing slack in the chain and instantaneous release of the pipe 30.

Thus the lever may be oscillated back and forth with substantially no lost motion at the start of its working stroke and with no special eliort needed to cause release at the start of the idle stroke other than the power required to lift the weight of the lever itself.

lVhen wear occurs on the teeth of the disks 11 or on the anchor links of the chain these elements Vmay be -conveniently reversed to bring new unworn teeth into engagement with the surface of the pipe. Reversal of the shoe is accomplished by merely removing the bolt 16 and inverting and replacing the shoe. Reversal of the link plates 2() is accomplished by removing both the bolt 16 and pivot pin 19 and then reconnecting these plates to the shoe and chain respectively with their ends in reversed position, that is to say, with the ends that have been previously attached to the bolt new connected to the pivot pin.

Figure l requires no special description, but is illustrative in a self-evident manner of the fact that the wrench is applicable conveniently to a large range of pipe sizes, it being here shown applied to pipe CL of much smaller diameter than the pipe 30.

Due to the four-point biting or gripping Contact, a wrench constructed in accordance with the present invention cannot slip or turn sidewise and always exerts its pressure at right angles. The pressure of the wrench is well distributed reducing` the scarring of the pipe when a maximum pressure is exerted. rllhe circular design of the shoe reduces manufacturing costs both in casting and finishing. permits the wrench to engage the work at any point on the circumference of the shoe and permits reversibility discussed above. The wrench is readily adaptable to a large size range of pipes and is comparatively light in weight.

lt will thus be vseen that there is herein described apparatus vin which the several. features of this invention are embodied, and which apparatus in its action attains the various objects of theinvention and iswell suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

is many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention couldvbe made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intendedthat all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a vlimiting' sense.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. In a pipe Wrench, a handle lever, a shoe fixed to the end of the lever and adapted to provide a fulcrum at its point of engagement with a pipe, an articulated flexible device to encircle the pipe, pivotally connected at one end tothe lever, a member on the handle to be selectively engaged withone of the free links of the articulated device, said member being fixed on the handle at a greater distance from the fulcrum point than the distance of the pivot from the fulcrum point, the shoe comprising a pair of spaced 1 disks to straddle the lever and movable to present different fulcrum surfaces to a pipe, a web block rigidly connecting the disks and including a flattened portion to lie against the edge of the lever.

2. A pipe Wrench including' a handle lever, a fulcrum shoe fixed at the end of the lever, the shoe comprising a pair of rigidly connected spaced disks lying on opposite sides of the lever and movable to present diff. ferent fulcrum surfaces to a pipe, a chain pivoted at one end to the lever, and an anchor lug on the lever to detachably engage any free link ofthe chain after the chain has been passed around a pipe.

3. A pipe wrench including a handle lever, a fulcrum shoe fixed at the end of the lever, the shoe comprising a pair of rigidly connected spaced disks lying on opposite sides of the lever and movable to present different fulcrum surfaces to a pipe, a chain pivoted at one end to the-lever, and an anchor lug on the lever to detachably engage any free link of the chain after the chain has been passed around a pipe, the means for rigidly connecting the disks of the fulcrum shoe comprising an integral elongatedv web block, the axis'ofl which is coincident with one of the diametric axes of the disks, said block providing flat sides for engagement with an edge of the lever.

4. A pipe Wrench including a handle lever, a fulcrum shoe fixed at the end of the lever, the shoe comprising a pair of rigidly connected spaced disks lying on oppositesides of the lever and bolted thereto, a chain pivoted at one end to the lever, and an anchor lug on the lever to detachably engage any free link of the chain after the chain has been passed around a pipe, the means for rigidly connecting the disks of the fulcrum shoe comprising an integral elongated web block,

the axis of Which is coincident with one of the diametric axes of the, disks, said block providing flat sides for engagement with an edge of the lever, the disks having pairs l of aligned openings therein arranged at opposite sides of the web block and on a com# mon diametri@ axis at Aright angles to the axis of the Web block. y f

5. A pipe Wrench including a handle lever,

free-link of the chain after the chain has been passed around a pipe, the anchor link of the chain comprising a pair of plates of arcuate form serrated along their concave edges for biting engagement With the pipe 'and With their ends pivoted on the ends of the shoe bolt, the length of said plates being considerably in excess of the radius of the disks.

6. In a pipe Wrench a handle lever and shoe fixed to the end of the lever and adapted to provide a fulcrum at its point of engagement with a pipe and articulated flexible device to encircle the pipe, pivotally connected at one end of the lever,.means associated With the handle to be selectively engaged With one ofthe free links of the articulated device, said shoe and one of the links of the articulated device being serrated to provide spaced pipe gripping members.

7. A Wrench as set forth in claim 6 and wherein the serrated link is the link Which is permanently connected to the lever, said link being of greater length than the remaining links of the flexible device.

8. In a pipe wrench a handle and a pipe encircling flexible device associated with the handle and adapted to tighten about the pipe as the handle is moved in one direction and spaced pipe engaging and gripping elements associated With the handle and the flexible device respectively, one of said elements comprising a fulcrum shoe lixed to the handle, the other of said elements comprising a swinging arm pivoted to the fulcrum shoe.

9. In a pipe Wrench a handle and flexibledevice to encircle the pipe said flexible device being contractible as the 'handle is moved in one direction, a pair of spaced pipe gripping elements movable to present different fulcrum surfaces to a pipe andmeans whereby said elements are caused to firmly engage the pipe as the handle is moved to tighten the flexible device, one of said elements compris ing an'arcuate arm pivotally connected to the i handle at one end and the chainl at its other end.

Signed at Boonton, in the county of Morris and State 'of New Jersey, this 15th day of July, 1929.

' THOS. F. CUNNINGHAM. v ARTHUR vI-I. GIFFORI).

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