US2186720A - Mast head - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 9, 1940.

Ori

nlllul lli"N w. J. EDWARDS ginal Filed Jan. Al0, 1931 j. 'E Z INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY.

*sans l kUNIT rarer oFFicE.

MAST HEAD Wiliam reim Edwards, Wanita Fausmex. 1 Reiled for abandoned application *"Serial No.

507,909, .lanuary 1t), 193i. `This application May it, i937, Serial No. 143,394

s domed application, Serial No. 587,909, filed January l0, 193i'. i

invention relates to improvements in :roast heads that are used in connection with masts of well drilling equipment. y, v

The primary object of this invention'is to provide for alignment of depending operating elements from sheaves'of mast head approximately over the .center of the well.' l

Another object of this invention toarrange the sheaves so that either drilling, hailing, or the use oi' the casing block `maybe accomplished without the necessity of using an vauxiliary shear pole or mast.-

An important feature oi this invention is the provision of a mast head having a shaft upon which a majority oi the sheaves are carried, and the ends ofy Whichrest directly on the upper ends of the supporting poles. Another `feature of this invention is,` the provision oi ar secondary shaft above and slightly to the fore ofthe primary shaft.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of clamping crown block castingwhich may be quickly adjusted to the casing carrying a multiplicity of sheaves and pulleys over which cables may be passed in much the same manner as may be done with the yordinary derrick construction, yet with only a portion of the attendant expense necessary in providing the conventional type of derrick which requires four uprights aswell as many braces and struts,.re quiring considerable manual' labor in itserection. f

Still another object or the invention resides in the manner in which it may be'adapted to use in connection with a conventional type of carry only the crown block yand base castings on spudding machine, replacing the ordinary lmast which is carried bythe machine, making it more cumbersome and unwieldy, yit necessary to block y 5 claim; (o1. .2M- raw lThis application Iis a "bsti'tute for prior aban-` tionalspudding machine, showing the `invention attached, also' showing the portion ofthe in-l vention as used as'a derrick, and illustrating a inodiied form ci crown block assembly? Fig. 4 is right side elevation o f the crown assembly shown `in Fig. 3, having portionsA out away and insect-ion showing ythe shock ab-` sorbing means thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a detail View of the coupling clamp attached to sections of the'casng portions o which clamp cut away to show the mannerv which. it applied to the casing sections.

While many unsuccessful attempts have been made todepart from the ordinaryv type of derrich, the present linvention is believed to be acomplete departure, from the common ktype of oil field drilling rig in that it Will not only save the operator considerable expense in material as well as in transportation and labor, but Will also consume lessspace than the ordinary derrick. A' derrick of the type hereindescribed may .be assembled and raised by only fa lportion of the crew ordinarily required for the `erection of the conventional type of derrick. 4

las will be presentlybroughtvout in the following description thepresent invention, unlike the ordinary derrick ci the demountable type, the

'sheaves can be arranged directly'ab'ove the point of' operation, allowing a straight, unhampered operation of the lines' into the Well. The casing or traveling block when in operating `position also will hang approximately over the center of the well.` Y

Proceeding nov/.with the description, l is a timber upon'vwhich is bolted hinged basel castings 2, each oiwhoh castings has acollar-integral therewith into Whicha section of casing i is inserted, as shown in Fig. 3, which latter 'may liehorizontally upon the ground by virtue ci the hinge arrangement at a whereupon other sectionr be' added by use of a clamp fl, which v is illustratedin Fig. 5.`

The clamp ,d isin two sections hinged together' at l; to expedite its applicationr to the vcasing sections 3, and said clamp sections have anges 5, one of which Vis provided with elongated apertures Ei, having bolts l pivoted 'therein for insertion 'into slots 3 of the other section, whereupon the nuts upon the bolts 'I may be screwed down, securing the clamp upon the ends ofthe casing sections t, as shown'in Fig. 5. The clamps l are held against displacement upon the joints 'by means of a boss El which is providedy midway of the ends of lthe vclamp sections yIl, against which boss the ends of the casing sections 3 abut while in an upright position in the manner shown in Fig. 3. Further means for preventing the displacement of the clamp 4 is provided in the form of set screws c which engage the casing sections.

Right and left hand crown block castings I are provided with cup-shaped portions or collars for attachment to the uppermost ends of the casing sections 3 to carry sheaves II, as shown in Figs. land 2. These castings, as will be seen particularly in Fig. 2, are provided with grooved bearing plates or clamps I2 in which a shaft I3 is secured and upon which the sheaves II rotate. The shaft I3 is provided with grooves I4 adjacent its ends which grooves receive annular bosses (not shown) in the castings it, which arrangement prevents endwise .movement of the shaft I3.

A shield I5, supported by standards IS, is provided to overhang the sheaves Il, in the manner shown in Figs. l and 2. to prevent the cables from becoming displaced from the respective sheaves II when the latter are in operation. The castings I0 are secured against displacement from the upper ends of the casing sections 3 by means of set screws d which protrude through the castings I and which are adapted to ybe threaded against the pipe sections 3. The castings I D are also provided with ears Il to which guy wires 33 may be attached to support the structure in a vertical position.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the invention may be readily attached, and used in connection with a conventional type of spudding machine I8 by placing the base castings 2 upon a timber I9, the latter being secured to the spudding machine I8, and the pipesections 3 joined together by clamps 4, in the same manner as when the structure is used for a derrick.

Fig. 4 illustrates a preferred form of crown block castings and comprises sleeves into which the pipe sections 3 are inserted to be secured within said sleeve 20 by means of bolts inserted through projections 2I which, when tightened, will hold the sleeve 20 securely upon the ends of the pipe sections 3. The casting I0 is placed over the sleeve 20 and secured thereto by means of bolts 22 which latter' extend through a cylindrical cushion 23, of rubber or other flexible material, Vand the top of the sleeve 2l, to pass through compression springs 2li sleeved thereon between nuts on the bolts and the top of the sleeve 2l which springs 24, together with the cushion 23, provide a shock absorbing medium for the crown block assembly when extreme weight is placed thereon, and to relieve the strain upon the wire lines and cables thereby preventing possible breakage of the parts.

The latter form of crown block assembly, illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, is constructed, insofar as the bearing arrangement is concerned, in much the same manner as the structure shown in Figs. l and 2. rljhe shaft I3 is secured against end movement or displacement by means of the coacting grooves and bosses, as previously pointed out. It will be seen, however, that various sizes of sheaves are provided in this form of the invention, the arrangement of which may be changed, when it is desired to do so to suit the conditions under which the device is to be used.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate an arrangement whereby a large sheave 25 is mounted between smaller sheavesI I. An auxiliary shaft 2S is mounted in castings 2l, which latter form the upper portion of the bearings in which the shaft I3 rotates and extend upward, curving slightly forward at their upper ends, as shown in Fig. 4, to offset the shaft 2B with respect to the shaft I3 so that the sheave 28, which is mounted for free rotation upon the shaft 26, will extend forward sufficiently to allow the cable 29, when the latter extends downward, to clear the sheaves II and other parts of the structure and allow free movement of the lines into the well. As indicated in Fig. 3, the sheave 28 may be slid lengthwise on the shaft 26 to be operated on either side of the large sheave 25 which arrangement will enable the operator to arrange his cables where they will not interfere with each other in operation.

It is pointed out that an arrangement of braces 3D, such as that shown in Fig. 3, may be provided to brace and support the pipe sections 3 and prevent their spreading. These braces 3C are secured to collars 3| at their lower ends and to ears 32 which are cast integral with sleeves 20.

In operation, the invention may be constructed, as pointed out in the foregoing, by assembling the pipe sections 3 upon the ground, whereupon the clamps 4 are secured at the joints of the casing sections 3 and bolted in place. As previously stated, these clamps, one-half of each being provided with elongated apertures 5 to allow the bolts free movement therein, the other half or each being slotted, permitting the operator to slip the bolts 1, which already have nuts thereon, into the slots 8 Without having to remove the nuts. This arrangement provides a quicker and cheaper method of connecting the sections 3 together without the use of pipe threaders and collars.

When a sufficient number of the sections 3 have been connected together to secure the desired height, the castings I!) are placed upon the ends of the sections 3 which are to be uppermost when the device is raised, and secured thereon by means of the set screws d whereupon the shaft I3, upon which the sheaves I I are mounted, is placed in the clamps I2, the under portions of which bearings are cast integral with the castings Ill while a cap i211 is bolted thereon as illustrated in Figs. l and 2..

After' the structure has been assembled, it may be raised to an upright position by means of cables, or the like, and guy wires 33 are secured to the ears I'I to hold the structure in an operative position.

The five sheaves it and that are arranged on the single large shaft I3, are the ones that have to withstand the heavy load and the severe shocks, and inasmuch as they center directly over the center of the mast poles the shock is transmitted directly to the base of the mast without deflecting the mast either way. The large drilling sheave 25 in the center of the lower shaft I3 has the line of the tools passing thereover and therefore receives the shock of the tools with each stroke, while the sheaves l l carry the casing sections for the well.

The sand line sheave 28 that is disposed on the secondary shaft 26, above the five sheaves. carries only a light load of the bailer: consequently. its being slightly oir center causes no undue strain on the mast. The face of the drilling sheave and the face of the sand line sheave center approximately over the well, as the bailer and drilling tools are used constantly.

With further reference to Figs. 3 and fi, wherein several sheaves are used. of varying sizes. it is obvious that unless some means be provided to prevent it, the cables are likely to become displaced from the grooves in the sheaves II and 25, and, therefore, plates 34 are arranged between each of the sheaves, as shown in. Figs. 3 and 4, to provide an individual compartment in which the sheaves operate.

It will be evident that the mast poles or shear poles 3 are arranged in a pair with a mast head supported thereon in bridging relation therebetween, said mast head comprising the clamps lil and their structures which support the shafts extending therebetween for supporting the sheaves.

It is to be understood that when that form of the invention, illustrated in Fig. 4, is used as a mast for a spudding machine, the crown block assembly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is not necessary although, at times, may be desirablel and, while the two forms are shown together in Fig. `3, only that shown attached to the spudding machine it is required to replace the conventional mast.

The invention has been fully described heretofore, and reference has been made to the use of oil well casing, but it is to be understood that while casing may be convenient or preferred, any type of posts may be used, such as beams, timbers, or tubular posts, the tubular construction being preferred.

'I'hough the invention. has been described with great particularity, the details of the embodiment of the invention herein shown are not to be construed as being limited thereto, as changes in arrangement and substitution of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as dened in the ap pended claims. f

I claim:

l. A crown block including a pair of caps, a flexible cushion mounted upon each of said caps, a cylindrical casting conformably receiving said caps and cushions, bearings mounted upon said castings and carrying a shaft, a series of sheaves mounted upon said shaft, standards supported upon said bearings whose upper ends are offset relative to the axis of said shaft, a shaft carried by the upper ends of said Standards, a sheave mounted upon the last-mentioned shaft, and

means carried by said caps and cylindrical castings to lend to the flexibility of said cushions.

2. A mast comprising a mast head having a transverse shaft carrying one or more sheaves, a support for each end portion of said shaft including a block of non-metallic resilient material, a cap seated upon said resilient material and having a bearing for the shaft, and resilient rebound means connected with the cap.

3.4 A` shear pole head comprising companion collar members receiving the ends of shear poles and having grooved bearing plates, a pair of arcuate members having bearing plates comple,

mentary to the plates of said `collar members and disposed on the latter to embracea shaft disposed in the grooves of said plates, said arcuate members likewise cooperating to support a sec-` ond shaft whose axis is disposed above and forwardly of said first shaft.

4. In a mast, a pair of mast poles, cup-shaped caps telescoped upon the upper ends thereof, each of said cup-shaped caps having a block thereon with a groove therein, a transverse shaft seated in said grooves, a plurality of sheaves mounted upon said shaft, means of securing said' shaft of the nrst-rnentioned shaft and carrying one or more sheaves thereon and forwardly etu'ved pedestals seated upon the blocks and carrying said second shaft. v

5. A shear pole head for Well drilling and spudding machines comprising collars adapted to be mounted on shear poles, grooved bearing plates carried b-y the collars, a body having upper .and lower portions with lthe lower portion there of superposed over each bearing plate,said bearing plate and body being supported on each collar, a shaft journaled in bearings providedy by the grooves of the bearing plates, a series of casing sheaves on said shaft, and a second shaft mounted on the upper portion of said body above the first-mentioned shaft, and a sand line sheave mounted on said second shaft.

kWILLIAM JOHN EDWARDS.

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