US2141381A

US2141381A - Pipe thread protector

Info

Publication number: US2141381A
Application number: US126183A
Authority: US
Inventors: Engstrom Birger
Original assignee: Nat Supply Co
Current assignee: National Supply Co
Priority date: 1937-02-17
Filing date: 1937-02-17
Publication date: 1938-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 1955-12-27

Description

Dec. 27, 193s. B; ENGSTROM 2,141,381l

PIPE THREAD PROTECTOR Fla. l//14 I w ww Viiv/1111111.

INVENTOR.

WITNEJSES 7g ATTORNEYS.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 27, 1938. B. ENGsTRoM PIPE THREAD PROTECTOR Filed Feb. 17, 1957 O INVENTOR Y 4' ATTORNEYS.

,30 6, '1, a, sand 1c views Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED sTATEs 2.141.381 Pira 'rnaEAn rao'rncron Birger Engstrom,

Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner, by

mesne assignments, of sixty one-hundredths to The National Supply (h'mipany,

Pittsburgh,

l Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Y, Application 'ebruary 11, 1937, serial No. 126.183

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a protector of the type used on the ends of pipes, rods and the like to protect the threads or outer surface of such articles at the end thereof from being injured when they are being handled. stored vor other- Wise treated, and more particularly to `what is commonly known as a pipe thread protector.

An object of the invention is to provide a protector of this character which is sturdily and dem pendably constructed, easy to apply and remove, and at the same time adapted to be rigidly and securely held in place when installed. y,

A furtherv object isto provide a. protector which is capable of being used a plurality of times and in which all of the parts are permanently connected together so that the possibility of some of them being lost or misplaced is eliminated.

These and various other objects as well as the various other novel features and advantages of 2 the invention will be apparent whenthe follow-- ing detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1

is a side view of one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 and Fig'. 3 top and bottom plan views,

respectively, of the same embodiment, showing the 'protector in its closed position; Fig. 4 a sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2;

y Fig. 5 a view similar to Fig. 3,' but showing the clamping toggle in its released position; Figs.

similar to Figs.1 to 5,

respectively, of another embodiment of the invention; Figs. 11 andl 12 fragmentary plan and sectional views, respectively, of the latch shown in Figs. 1 to 5 for holding the clamping mechanism in its closed position,` and Figs. 13 and 14 similar views of the clamping latch shown in Figs. 6 to 10. v

Referring in detail to these drawings and first more particularly'to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs.

I designates a threaded pipe end shown by way of example and the numeral 2 a split sleeve which comprises the body proper of the protector. `By

being split this sleeve is adapted to be expanded and readily slide over the end of the pipe. `To

both'expand and tightly clamp it on the pipe vit is provided at its ends with a 4novel toggle mechanism 3 as will presently appear.

In order'to. prevent any jamming of the threads on a pipe or injury to theouter surfaceof a nonthreaded article which is being protected, due to blows or impact when the protector is in place and to which the article may be subjected in service, a resilient lining or packing 4 is secured in any suitable manner to the inner surface of the 1 to 5, the numeral (ci. 13a-9s) sleeve 2. While various materials may be used for this purpose, a composite cork compound is recommended, such having been found'especially good for such purpose. -As shown, the exposed surface of this packing may be provided with a thin layer 5 of lead to render it waterproof and non-absorbent, and being soft readily adapts itself to the shape of the pipe threads or any pipe surface and it does not detract from the other protecting qualities o! the packing.

The toggle mechanism 3 for expanding the sleeve to 'facilitate sliding the protector onto and removing it from as well as for contracting it to secure it to the protected article comprises, principally a clamping lever 6 and a connecting link 1. This lever; is pivotally connected at one end by a pin 8 to a hinge plate 9 which is attached to one end of `the sleeve 2. The connecting link 1 is in turn connected at one end to a pivot pin I0 carried by the lever 6 at a point spaced outwardly from its anchored end and at its other end to a pivot pin Il carried by a hinge plate l2 secured to the other end of the sleeve. The spacing of the pins 8 and -|I, and 8 and I0, as well as the length of the lever is, of course, so proportioned as to provide the necessary expansion and contraction of the sleeve and to do so without necessitating any undue exertion in applying and removing. the protector. The parts are also so proportioned that the force which pulls on the pin I0, through the link 1, has a tendency to open the sleeve 2 when the line of such force is above the pin 8, and to keep the lever tightly against the sleeve in the closed position when the line of such force passes below such pin.

In comparatively large protectors such as illustrated the link 1 may be provided with a plurality of spaced arms 1a and 1b, if desired, to distribute the application of the forces applied to the sleeve. To also provide the protector with a smooth exterior when closed, these arms la and-1b may be joined together by a cross arm 1c which is adapted to enclose the space between the points where the leverv 6 andthe link 1 are connected. In addition to protecting the link 1 and the lever 6 from being bent or caved in when subjected to impacts in use, between the pivot pinsB, I0 and Il where they are vnormally spaced from the sleeve solid strips I3a, 13b and |30 may be secured to the outer face of the sleeve 2 at such points to provide a metal-to-metal contact between the link and lever and the protector when the protector is closed.

For locking the lever 6 in its closed position to prevent the protector being accidentally released, a. releasable latch is provided. While this may take any suitable form as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12, it comprises a bolt I4 provided with an oblong-shaped head I5 which is mounted for pivotal movement in the sleeve 2. To receive the head I5 an opening I6 of the same shape is provided in the outer end of the lever. Hence when the lever is closed over the bolt with the head aligned with such slot and the head thereafter rotated its shoulders are caused to engage the lever and lock it against -the sleeve. So that the head will not project beyond the outer surface of the lever so as to be fouled, it may be made only half as thick as the lever and the slot I6 counter-sunk to receive it as shown.

To facilitate tting the protector on the protected article by limiting the extent to which the sleeve can be forced onto the article, and to also adapt it to function as a means for preventing injury to the extreme end of the article, an inwardly turned flange I1 is provided on the outer end of sleeve 2. A small inwardly turned flange I8 may also be provided on the other end of the sleeve to engage the lower end of the packing liner 4 and function as a deflector to prevent the protector from dislodgment byblows acting against such end.

The inside diameter of the protector must of course be designed to properly fit the article being protected so that when the lever is open the protector will readily slide onto and off the article and when closed, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, it will be clamped in place sufficiently firmly to positively prevent its being knocked or jarred off.

Referring to Figs. 6 to 10, a modification of the invention is shown in which a pair of concentrically arranged split sleeves 2| and 22 are employed, the outer of which is provided with a modified form of clamping arrangement. The inner of these sleeves 2| has an outwardly flared head 23 at its outer end which terminates in inwardly extending flange 24 projecting over the end of the protected article, and a packing liner 20. suitably secured to its inner surface to engage the outer surface of the protected article. To also cover the end of the protected article, a closure element 25 is provided, and in the case of a pipe this is preferably formed in the shape of a cup to adapt it to receive a crane hook for handling the pipe. As shown best in Figs. 7 and 9, such closure element is preferably secured to the sleeve 2I at a point substantially diametrically opposite the opening in such sleeve so as to permit free expansion and contraction of the sleeve when the protector is being applied or removed.

The outer sleeve 22 of this protector, which is used primarily to give additional protection, is also used for clamping the protector in place, being provided at one end with a clamping mechanism secured also to the inner sleeve and to be presently described. As indicated, such sleeve is secured to the inner sleeve 2| by rivets 3I although other suitable means, such as welding, may be used for this purpose. Instead of being a complete circle, the outer sleeve 22 is made of such length that the clamping lever 26 attached to it completes the ring when the lever is closed.

In this form of the invention as illustrated, the lever 26 is provided with spaced extensions 26a which are pivotally connected by hinges 28 to the inner sleeve 2I at a point spaced from one end thereof. Interi'ltting with these extensions are a plurality of spaced extensions 22a on the adjacent end of the outer sleeve 22 which are pivotally connected at their ends by straps 29 to the lever 26 at a point spaced upwardly from its connected end. In this arrangement the extensionson the outer sleeve take the place of the connectinglink 'I of the previously described embodiment of the invention and being rigid tend to impart a lifting action to the sleeves when opened and a wrapping action when closed which actions greatly facilitate the installation and removal of the protector.

A different form of lath is also provided on this latter embodiment, being best shown in Figs. 13 and 14. This comprises merely a curved extending lug 32 struck out of the inner sleeve and disposed to be yieldably bent over a cut-out portion 33 in the end of the lever when closed. With such toggle, however, little strength is required of a latch as the force exerted on the lever when closed for most practical purposes will hold it in place.

It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that a protector constructed in the manner outlined may be readiy and securely applied or removed and used over a number of times. It will be further obvious that it can be adapted for use on the interior as well as the exterior of a tube and has the advantage that all of its parts are permanently connected together. Also as will be apparent in squeezing the soft liner into the threads with the force exerted, the threads or other surface will be kept free from dirt, grit, and moisture and when the protector is removed the threads or other surface will be in the same condition as when the protector was put on.

It is to be also understood that while the protector has been more particularly described for use in protecting threads,Y it is equally used for protecting any form of surface and such as contemplated by the appended claims.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and mode of operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to be its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A devicefor protecting the end of a cylindrical article comprising a split sleeve adapted to t over the end of the article, said sleeve being made up of superimposed split bands, a packing liner secured to the exposed surface of one of said bands to engage the` surface being protected, and a lever-operated toggle mechanism secured to the inner and outer bands at the ends thereof for expanding and contracting them to install and remove the protector.

2. A device for protecting the end of a cylindrical article according to claim 1 in which said sleeve-forming bands are connected together throughout their overlapping lengths.

3. A device for protecting the ends of a cylindrical article comprising a split sleeve adapted to fit over the end of the article, said sleeve being made up of superimposed split bands, a packing liner secured to the exposed surface of one of said'bands to engage the protected surface, and a lever-operated toggle mechanism connected between one end of the other band and a point spaced therefrom on the liner-carrying band and operative to expand and contract the sleeve for installing and removing it.

4. A device for protecting the end of a cylindrical article according to claim 3 in which the ends of the band opposite the liner are so spaced as to permit vthe toggle lever to lie therebetween when closed.

5. A device for protecting the end of a cylindrical article comprising a. split sleeve adapted to ilt over the end of the article and provided with a flange at one end thereof for engaging the end of the protected article, a packing liner secured. to the article-engaging surface of said sleeve, a split clamping band disposed to t over said sleeve, means connecting said sleeve and band together, a lever pivotally connected to said sleeve at a point spaced from one end oi said bandand to the end of said band at a point spaced from its two ends.

6. A device for protecting the ends oi' a cylindrical article according to claim 5 in which a closure element is mounted under the flange on tllie sleeve and connected thereto to hold it in p ace.

7. A device for protecting the end of a cylindrical article according to claim 5 provided with a flanged cup-shaped closure element which is disposed to fit over the end of the protected article and to be held thereon by the flange on the sleeve, and means connecting said closure ele ment to said sleeve.

8. A device for protecting the end of a cylindrical article comprising a split sleeve provided with a packing liner for engaging the surface to be protected.

connected to said mst-mentioned sleeve. and a clamping lever plvotally connected to said firstbe protected. v

- BIRJGER ENGSTRJOM.

a reinforcing and clamping sleeve.