US2510813A - Pipe rotating tongs - Google Patents

Description

June 6, 1950 w. E. GEAN,

PIPE ROTATING TONGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1. 1948 ATTORNEYS.

June 6, 1950 Filed June 1, 1948 W. E. GEAN PIPE ROTATING TONGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ean INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented June 6, i950 UNITED PIPE ROTATING'TONGS i: 7

William E. Gean, atr a-ris 1a.; .s Applioation'June'l,

. a 3- Claims.

This invention-relates to-a device for rotating a section of an oil well pipe to engage said section threadedly with another pipe section, or to disengage it from the other section. as desired.

unscrewing the pipe sections which will eliminate the dangerous aspects of this operation;

It has accordingly been the main purpose of the present invention to devise a machine that will eliminate or reduce greatly the possibility of accident in making up or disassembling pipe at the site of a drillingor producing oil well.

Other important objects are to provide a device of this character that can be easily positioned at a desired location; that is readily applied to a pipe section for threading or unthreading thereof, and as readily'removed; will be durable and emcient in operation; can receive its power from equipment already located at the well site; and that can be constructed at relatively low cost.

To this end, I provide a device of the character described that can be readil'y connected to the motor on the oil well servicing unit which is standard equipment at the well. The machine includes a shaft housing in which is journaled a' shaft driven by the" motor. Through the medium-of a'clutch arrangement, a driving connec-- tion is made 'or broken as desired between the shaft and a pinion that extends into an annular casing rigid with the shaft housing. The casing contains a ring gealj powered by the pinion, and a pluralityof gripping segments rotatable with the ring gear, and, mountedzto be moved radially into gripping engagement with a pipe section surrounded by the casing. The casing, ring gear, and gripping means are split diametrically to provide opposed halves.- These halves are hinged together so that the casing can be appliedto or removed from-the pipe section, and a latch arrangement is utilized to hold the halves together around the pipe when the machine is in use. The device is. capable ofTbeing inverted and when inverted unc is applied, from an adjacent pipe-section:

With the foregoingand other objects in 'view which; will appear as the description proceeds; the 5' invention consists--; of :certain--novel details of constructiqn and combinations'of-parts, herein-- after more fully describedand-pointed' out in the" claims,--i t-'being understood that changes may be made in;theconstruction-and arrangement of parts :Without departing fromthe spirit of the invention-asclaimed;

-Figure-l is aplanview of; a pipe rotating tongs constructed in accerdancewith the invention,

portions being-brokenaway,

--Figure 2 is-aiview partly-in side elevation and partl-yfln longitudinal section: a Eigure 3 is ;an-;enlarged section through the casing taken substantiallyon line-- 3'-3 of Fig. 1-.

Figure-i is-a perspective-view of one of the ripping segments Figure 5 is-an enlarged view partly inelevation and partlyintransverse section of one of the ring gear bearingsw .7

Figure 6 is a bottom-plan viewof said bearing;

--Referring to-the drawings in detail, a shaft 'Hs driven from the--motor-(not-shown) required for regular well operationathrough the-medium of'a universal joint 8. h Obviously, any number ofuniversaljoints canine-used as required, as well asa-shafting, either-telescoping or otherwise, ex-- tendingbetween said joints. Thesehave not been illustrated,-: because such driving-' arrangements arewell known, and-it isnecessary to notein the nectionis made'between the-motor and shaft 1;

atthelocationfwhere the machine is to be used.-

vshaftfl rotatesLinaaibearing 9 mounted in a cylindrical shafthousi-ng i0, and keyed to the is alQfrusto-oonical clutclnmember II. The

splinedLclut'ch; throughlthe use' of an opera tatesa stub shaft I4 carryin'gethe beveled pinion- 15- Pinion g l 5 extends v.into an innular casing generally designated |6, and comprising the casing members l1. and. I-BUhingedIy connected as 500 at l'9. The shaft housing I0 is rigidly-connected ouplesthepipe-section to which it present-instance onlythat a suitable driving eonend of the shaftsi-orislidingmovement thereonto one of these members, in the present instance the casing member [8.

Carried by the casing members I1 and I8 respectively are handles and 2| whereby the members can be swung apart or together as desired. The casing member 18 carries the pivoted spring pressed latch 22 engageable with the tooth 23 of the member l1. Thus, when the members are brought together as illustrated in Fig. 1, the cooperating latch portions engage to provide what is in efiect a rigid annular casing adapted to surround an oil well pipe section, not shown.

Mounted for rotation in the casing is the split ring gear. comprising the. gear member and the gear member'25. Eaclrof these extends through a half circle, so that when the casing members are brought together as in Fig. 1, the gear memo-V bers cooperate to provide the ring gear.

Formed in the outer surfaces of the gear meme bers .24 and 25 are peripheral grooves 26 cooperating to define a single annular groove receiving the pinion i5. In the opposed faces: of'thd e'ari member 24 are formed bearing grooves 21, andin the opposed faces of the gear member 25 are similar bearing grooves 28. These receive roller bearings 29 connected to the casing by means of fastening means 30; n

Gearteeth 31 are formed-on one sidewall of the pinion-receiving groove of the ring gear; and

thus it will be seen that assuming the casing members are latched together as in Fig. 1- and that the clutch members are engaged, power transmitted toshaft'l will 'in turn result in rota tion of the compositely formed'ri'ng gear.

When the casing members i I and [Bare latched,- they define a pipe-receivingcenter' opening 32;- This opening is partially closed byinwardly extended top and bottom flanges 3310f the e r member 2a, and inwardly extended top and bot-' tom flanges 3 of the gear member 25;

Registering openings 35" are formed inthe flanges, receiving bolts 36 that extend through: angularly disposed slots 31; provided in arcuate grip ing segments 38', having their inner surfaces toothed for gripping engagement with apipe-section as best shown in Fig. 4. The-number of grip-- pingsegments 38'can vary; but in the present instance, and preferably, four are illustrated; eachextending through approximately The-sag ments are housed between-the flanges 33 and -between the flanges 34; The segments, as-w-ill be observed, are readily removable, so as to-aocom-- modate different pipe diameters;

By reason of the fact that the-respective--slots'- 31 are tangent to a circle-having its centerjom the axis of rotation ofthe-ring gear, said slots" will be oblique-to-thecircular paththrough' which Considering nowthe manner" in which the segments function, the. segments" will first have been brought" intoengagement'withthe pipe by the swinging together and latching;

the bolts 36 move;

of the casing sections. Thenthe-motorisstarted, and the-initial rotatablemovementfiof the bolts results in said bolts bearing against the inner" walls of the slots, so thatzthe segments are biased? radially and inwardly into a tight gripping en gagement with the pipe sect-ion to berotated', asta' result of which the ring gear; segments, and pipe; Thus, the pipesection is threaded= upon anotherpipegsection; Through the'simple'" rotate as one;

medium of invertingthe,device said pipe' section isunthreadecl'from a pipe section to whichiit has been previously connected; The machine is'thus adapted for-threadingor disconnecting operations as necessary:

To suspend the machine in proper position to grip a pipe section, there may be provided a yoke 39 pivoted to the casing It, to which yoke would be connected a cable, not shown, secured to some portion of the well structure.

In practice, the tongs are operated by a worker controlling the clutch. Assuming that a pipe is being threadedly connected to another pipe, indication that the threaded engagement has been completed is provided by utilizing a torque Wrench, which provides this indication by a noise which is familiar to the worker.

What is claimed is:

1., Pipev rotating mechanism includingv an annular' casing comprising hingedl'y connected casthe inner surface of the ring gear; a group of segments seated in said channel and having toothed inner portions extended inwardly beear,

yond the channel into engagement with a pipe to be rotated, each segment having a cam slot disposed obliquely to the path of rotation of the ring gear; bolts extending between the walls of the channel and through the slots and remov ably connectingtlie segments to the ring gear, said bolts bearingagainst the inner walls of the slots on rotation of the ring gear to bias said segments inwardly into gripping engagement with said'pipe; and means fordriving the ring ear.

2; Pipe turning mechanism" including an annular casing comprising hingedly' connected cas ingmembers; means releasably holding said members against separation; a ring gear formed in sect-ions and mounted for rotation in said casing, the inner surface of said ring gear bein af'ormedwith a channel; a plurality of arcuate segments'seated in said channel* and havin'gtheir inner surfaces extended inwardly beyond the channel, said inner surfaces' ofthe segments-betoothed for engagementwith :a pipe to be rotated, each segment" having a slot disposed obliquely to the path of rotationof said ringgear and. said segments being, normally spa'ced apart at their ends; bolts removably mounted imthe walls'ofsaid channel and" extending across a the channelvand throughithe respective slots for? removable connection of' the segments to the ring gear; said bolts bearing; against the inner walls of said slots to; bias the: segments inwardly toward the pipe-while rotating the segmentsWith': the ring; gear; and meansfor driving said ring 3; Pipelturning: mechanism: comprising an annular casing including apair of semi-circular channeled-casing, members hingedly connected at one end; latch means for releasably connecting; the other ends ot-said. membersto form: an? annular casing surrounding apipe: to berotated; bearing rollers mounted in the Walls of said channeled casing; a ringge'ar, rotatably mounted insaid channeled casingland'having its oppositefacfes'. grooved to receive saidbearingrollers, the inner surface of saidninggear beingiform'edflwith a channel; aplurality'of arcuate' segmentsiseate'd' in said'i channel. and having their inner surfaces extended". inwardly beyond the channel, said in nor surfaces of the segments-being toothedfor engagement" with a .pipjetoibe-rotated; each seg ment having aislot disposed obliquelyto the path of'rotation o fisaidzring gear: and'said-segments fi being'normally spaced apart attheir ends bolts" 5 removably mounted in the walls of said channel and extending across the channel and through the respective slots for removable connection of the segments to the ring gear, said bolts bearing against the inner walls of said slots to bias the segments inwardly toward'the pipe while rotating the segments with the ring gear; and means for driving said ring gear.

WILLIAM E. GEAN.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date McCready Feb. 7, 1905 Brackney Feb. 18, 1908 Zierath Feb. 22, 1916 Wilson Sept. 19, 1916 Robichaux et a1. Oct. 8, 1918 Reeves Oct. 25, 1921 Boykin, J1. Nov. 29, 1921 Vreeland Dec. 20, 1921 Black Apr. 15, 1924 Kinser Apr. 21, 1931 Hicks Nov. 28, 1939 Rowland Aug. 13, 1946

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