US2308157A - Derrick supporting member - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 12, 1943. A, E. CUTHRELI, 12,308,157

I DER-RIGKSUPPORTING MEMBER Filed April s, 11958 2 sheets-seef 1 Y Jan. 12, 1943. A. E. cu'rHRELL 2,308,157 l DERRICK SUPPORTING MEMBER v I Filed April 8, 1938 2 ShetS-Sheeb 2 maw wm FIGA- Patented Jan. 12, 1943 UNE ST nsaaicn SUPPORTING MEMBER Antum E. Cuthrell, Crowley, La., assignor to Standard Oil Development Company, a corporation of Delaware Application April 8, 1938, Serial No. 201,015

(Cl. 18S- 21) 3 Claims.

The present invention is directed to a derrick structure and particularly to supporting members for the legs of a derrick.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a supporting member for the leg of a derrick which will afford a universal seat for the leg, thereby eliminating in a large measure the stresses ordinarily set up in the legs of the derrick by the wind and by the loading and unloading of heavy loads on the derrick floor.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a supporting member of the character described which will also serve as a skid or sled upon which the derrick can be moved over the ground, whether rough or otherwise, without th necessity for dismantling the derrick.

An additional object of the present invention is the provision of a supporting member of the character described which decreases the amount of foundation that must be laid to support the derrick.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is a plan view of the supporting member of the present invention with part of its upper surface broken away;

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof showing the derrick leg in place;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a detail, partly in section, of the connection between the supporting member and the derrick leg.

Referring to Figure 1 in detail, numeral l designates a base plate which may be made in any desired shape and in the drawings is bent so as to form a square bottom with upturned edges, the upper periphery of which is in the form of a square with the corners cut away. Welded to the top of the base plate are a plurality of spaced transverse I-beams 2 with the ends thereof cut away at 3 to accommodate the bent up edges of the base plate. Passing through these I-beams transversely, and welded thereto, are a plurality of tubes 4 having their ends cut away at 5 to accommodate the upturned edges of the base plate and being welded thereto. These crossed strengthening members are covered by a deck plate 6.

wardly from the edge of the plate to which they are nearest. Welded to the center of the deck plate is a thick metal plate 8 to the center of which in turn is welded a mound 9 having a spherical surface, said mound being in the form of a sector of a sphere. i

Referring to Figure 4, it can be seenv that the mound has a central circular opening l0 through which passes a bolt IIv which is screwed into a plate I2 having a spherical undersurface matching the outer surface of the mound 9. The plate l2 is riveted or welded to the bottom of the corners of the derrick I3 beneath the leg I4. An arcuate washer IEis arranged between the head of the bolt I I and the undersurface of the mound 9. Ordinarily these parts are in sliding contact and are lubricated through the Alemite fitting I6 arranged in plate I2 for communication with the opening I0.

As previously stated, one of the above described supporting members is placed under each leg of the derrick. Due to the broad at undersurface of each supporting member, it does not require the usual derrick leg foundation which consists of a pit about ten feet square and about two and one-half feet deep filled with layers of timbers and matting. The only foundation required for the above described supports is a layer of spaced timbers under each support so as to place each of them on the same level.

In moving the derrick from one location to another tractors are attached to the studs on the two supporting members which face the direction in which the derrick is to be moved. The connection can be a single tow line secured to the middle stud when a tractor is used for each skid'. When a single tractor is used a Y-line is connected to the two adjacent studs on two skids on one side of the derrick and to the tractor.

The bevelled edges of the skids together with the swivel connection between each skid and the derrick make it possible to pull the derrick on the skids over very irregular ground, since each skid can tilt in any direction. 1n order to avoid any unusual stresses in the skid the dome in the center of the skid may have a radius such that its center is located in the neutral axis of the skid, that is, coincident with its center of gravity, so that the motion of the skid in its skiing action is about this point. If the center of the dome were located above or below this point, the derrick weight would have to be lifted back on top of the dome by the skid as it moved over irregular ground.

A great deal of time, labor and money is saved by the utilization of the above described supports for moving a derrick. When the drilling operation is completed, a tractor, or more than one, if desired, is simply attached to the derrick in the manner described above and the derrick with all the equipment in place thereon is skidded across the surface of the ground to a new location which, as previously pointed out, is prepared simply by levelling off four spots for the skids. No particular effort need be made to steer the derrick since the skids, due to their symmetrical shape and a swivel connection with the derrick automatically follow the pull of the tractors. Should one leg of the derrick leave the ground due to a dip, the bolt I I will hold the skid under that leg to it until the dip is traversed.

From the above discussion it is apparent that there are'two aspects to the present invention. The supporting member described possesses utility as a supporting member, per se, without regard to its utility as a skid, in that it reduces the foundation necessary for the derrick and tends to make the derrick self centering by equalizing the stresses in all of the legs of the derrick due to any force applied to the derrick. When the supporting member is used solely as a support the bolt I I can be dispensed with since this bolt serves the function of holding the skid to the derrick leg in moving over uneven'ground and of holding washer i5 in place to form a closed chamber for the retention off a lubricant. When the device is used solely as a skid, on the other hand, and is built for service on a flat terrain, the provision of means for allowing tilting of the skid with respect to the yderrick leg may be dispensed with and the swivel joint replaced by y,

a simple `coupling which will permit rotation ci the skid in a horizontal plane.

The above described construction is simply an illustration of one embodiment of the present invention. Changes in design, size, shape and individual elements may be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the positions of mound 9 and plate I2 can be reversed, the latter being made part of the supporting member and the former being made part of the derrick leg. Such changes are contemplated Within the scope of the appended claims in which it is intended to claim the above described invention as broadly as the prior art permits.

I claim:Y

1. In a derrick construction in combination, a supporting member for said derrick comprising a body having an extensive undersurface and having on its upper surface a spherical mound, an opening in the center of said mound, a socket on the bottom of the derrick for receiving said mound, a stud in the center of said socket adapted to project through the opening in the mound, an arcuate plate adapted to fit over said stud and against the underside of the opening in the mound to convert said opening into a chamber,

. and ahead on said stud for holding said arcuate plate in position.

2. In a drilling derrick structure adapted to be skidded from one location to another, in combination, a supporting member for each corner of the derrick comprising a body having a substantially fiat undersurface symmetrical with respect to its vertical axis and provided with upturned edges on all sides, a plate formed into a spherical mound attached to the upper surface of said body, an opening in the center of said plate, a socket on the bottom of a corner of the derrick for receiving said mound, a stud projecting from the center of said socket having a diameter small with respect to the diameter of the opening in the center of said plate and means carried by said stud and adapted to cooperate with the undersurface of said plate for holding said mound in said socket.

3. In a drilling derrick structure adapted to be skidded from one location to another, in combination, a supporting member for each corner of the derrick comprising a body having a smooth undersu-rface of symmetrical shape with upturned edges, a plate formed into a spherical mound secured to` the upper surface of said body at its center, an opening in the center of said mound, a socket conforming to the shape of said mound arranged under a cor-ner of the derrick,

a stud projecting from the center of said socketY and means carried by the stud for holding said mound in said socket. Y

ANTUM E. CUTHRELL.

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