US3017681A - Rod puller - Google Patents

Description

R. A. MILLER `Ian. 23, 1962 ROD FULLER Filed Jan. 16, 1959 Y ...whlt

INVENTOR. ROBERT A. MILLER ATTORNEY I ite tats 3,ti1t7,68l RGD FULLER Robert A. Miller, Culver, Ind., assigner to Joy Manu" actnring Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jian. 16, 1959, Ser. No. '787,255 1 Claim. (Cl. 2li-254) This invention relates to rod pullers and more particularly to an improved rod puller especially designed for use with a drilling apparatus for pulling a string of drill rods from the hole being drilled and embodying reversible rod gripping means whereby the string of drill rods may be pushed into the hole.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved rod puller for pulling a string of drill rods from a drill hole or for pushing the rod string into the hole. Another object is to provide an improved rod puller having improved rod gripping means. A further object is to provide an improved rod gripping means which is readily reversible to effect gripping of a drill rod in either direction. A still further object is to provide an improved reversible cam type rod gripping mechanism. Yet another object is to provide lan improved drill rod guide associated and cooperating with the rod puller. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will, however, hereinafter more `fully appear in the course of the ensuing description.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustration one form which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a drilling apparatus with which an illustrative form of the improved rod guide and rod puller is operatively associated.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section of the rod puller shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical section taken on line 3 3 of FIG. 2, showing the same in rod gripping position.

FIG. 4 is a detail section taken on the plane of FIG. 3, showing parts transposed to effect gripping of a drill rod of smaller diameter.

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 3, showing the gripping cam.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side view looking in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a detail vertical section taken on line 7 7 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a detail vertical section taken on line 8*8 of FIG, 2, showing an eccentric rod bushing for the guide arm.

FIG. 9 is a side View, similar to FIG. 6, showing the cam-grip in released position out of engagement with the drill rod.

In this illustrative construction, as shown in the drawings, the improved rod puller is generally designated l. and, as shown in FIG. 1, is operatively associated with a drilling apparatus generally designated 2, the latter herein desirably supported by upright columns 3. The drilling apparatus 2 is desirably of a well known design and ernbodies means for rotating a drill rod string d, which may pass axially through a tubular drill spindle 5. The rod puller is herein desirably mounted on a suitable bracket 6 herein supported on the top of the drilling apparatus although, evidently, the rod puller may be supported in other suitable manners. Mounted on the rod puller is a conventional drill rod guide 7, later referred to.

Now referring to the improved rod puller ll it will be noted that the supporting bracket 6 has clamping devices for engaging and supporting a fluid cylinder 8 herein extending longtiudinally along one side of the drilling apparatus with its longitudinal axis in parallelism with the longitudinal axis of the drill rod string 4. Reciprocable within this iluid cylinder is a piston 9 having its piston rod l@ extending longitudinally through a front packed head Il of the tluid cylinder, through a suitable guide bushing l2. The front cylinder head Il has a cylindrical portion on which the hub 13 of the drill rod guide '7 is swivelly mounted as at lil. A suitable clamp 15 may be tightened to secure the guide 7 in the desired position on its swivel mounting. The piston rod extends axially forwardly of the rod guide 7 in advance of the front cylinder head and secured to the forward end of the piston rod, as by threaded nut 16, is an arm 17 by which a rod gripping device IS is supported. The rear cylinder head 19 is secured in position by detachable elements such as rollpins I9', and may be readily detached when desired. Both the guide 7 and the grip-arm 17' may swing about the longitudinal axis of the rod-puller cylinder 8.

Secured as by bolts 2t) to the arm I7 is an outer arm 21 having a curved outer or lateral portion 22 which, as shown, underlies the drill rod string 4. Pivoted at 23 on one of the bolts is a latch 24- in the `form of a generally rectangular plate which, when swung into closed retaining position, as shown in FIG. 3, is at its lower edge received in a slot 25 in the outer portion 22 of the outer arm 21. Mounted on the other bolt is a handle 26 having a rectangular portion 27 which engages the upper end of the latch, as shown in FIG. 3, to hold the latter in retaining position. A spring 28 surrounding a reduced portion of the bolt urges the handle inwardly and when the handle is pulled out in opposition to the spring pressure the rectangular portion 27 is released from the upper edge of the latch to permit the latter to be swung into its open or releasing position, as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 2, so that the gripping mechanism may be laterally attached to the rod string. The gripping mechanism 18 is reversible and comprises a reversible cam or pawl 29 desirably in the shape of a segment of a circle and this cam is pivoted at 311i on the lower lbolt, as shown in FIG. 3. The outer curved surface of the cam is` provided with suitable teeth or serrations, or may be knurled, at 3l, for frictional engagement with the side of the drill rod opposite from the lateral underlying portion 22 of the outer arm. A wire spring 32 mounted at 33 on the handle 26 engages the cam, as shown in FIG. 5, to urge the cam toward gripping position. As shown in FIG- URE 5 tubular handle 26 has a hole extending laterally therethrough which a wire spring 32. extends. The wire spring is held in position yby suitable means such as by a set screw. Thus as handle member 26 is rotated wire spring 32 will rotate therewith. By offsetting the cam pivot the cam is provided wtih oppositely disposed eccentric curved surfaces which, in either reversed position of the cam, grip the rod as the cam turns in one direction, i.e., the direction in which the cam is urged by the spring 32. The handle may be turned to bring the spring into engagement with either side of the cam, to urge the latter toward the rod in either reversed position of the cam, and when the handle is in neutral position, as shown in FIG. 9, the cam hangs freely on its pivot with its gripping surfaces out of contact with the drill rod. Also in FIG. 9, the latch 24 is shown released, enabling ready lateral attachment of the gripping means with a drill rod.

When it is desired to grip a drill rod of smaller diameter than that shown in FIG. 3 this may be accomplished as follows. The bolts 20 pass through elongated holes or slots 34 in the outer arms and spacers or ller segments 35 are received in the holes beneath the bolts toposition the latter to the upper ends of the slots 33 when the parts are in the position shown, and these spacers 35 may be reversed in position, as shown in FIG. 4, to locate the bolts at the bottoms of the slots as shown. The latch 24 may be reversed on the lower bolt to bring a lug 36 thereon in guiding contact with the adjacent side of the drill rod. Thus the smaller rod is adequately supported for gripping engagement by the cam. The guide arm 7 has an eccentric bushing 37 (FIG. 8) held in position by a screw 38, and this eccentric bushing may be adjusted to position properly the drill rod with respect to the cam-grip 18. For drill rods of other sizes different sized bushings may replace the bushing 37.

When it is desired to grip the drill rod string in the opposite direction, the position of the cam and its spring may be reversed on the bolt as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 2, so as to effect pulling of the rod-string from the hole.

Fluid under pressure, desirably air pressure, may be supplied from any suitable source under the control of a valve device 39 through conduits 40 and 41 to the opposite ends of the fluid cylinder 8 at the opposite sides of the piston 11 thereby to effect reciprocation of the piston. When the parts are in the position shown in FIG. 2 and pressure uid is supplied to the cylinder to effect axial movement of the piston 9 toward the right the cam 29 swings about its pivot to effect gripping of the drill rod string 4 to effect movement of the latter also toward the right. When pressure fluid is supplied to the opposite end of the cylinder S to the opposite side of the piston the gripping mechanism is moved toward the left and the cam automatically releases and slides along the drill rod string while the latter may remain stationary. Upon reversal of the position of the cam as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 2, and the feed piston is moved toward the right, the cam automatically releases and upon movement of the gripping mechanism toward the left in FIG. 2, upon reversal of the piston, the drill rod string is automatically gripped to effect pulling of the string axially toward the left iin FIG. 2. In other words, when the pawl or cam 29 and spring 32 are in the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the arm 17 is moved to the right, the pawl releases and slides on the drill rod. When the arm 17 is moved to the left in these figures the pawl 29 engages and grips the drill rod. Thus the cam type gripping mechanism may grip the drill rod string to push the latter into a hole being drilled or to pull the drill string from the hole.

Usually the drilling apparatus has the drill rod string detached from the drill spindle during operation of the rod-puller, and the apparatus at that time may be swung or otherwise located at one side of the hole, in an out of the way position, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

As a result of this invention an improved rod puller is provided having improved rod gripping means whereby a drill string may be effectively gripped and moved longitudinally in a drill hole. By the provision of the improved releasable cam type gripping means the drill rod string may be gripped in either direction. By the simple transposition or adjustment of parts drill rods of different diameters may be supported for gripping by the cam. The drill rod guide cooperates in an improved manner with the rod gripping device in positioning the drill rods of different size with respect to the gripping cam. The device is not only effective in operation but is also simple and rugged in design. These and other objects of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim yas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A drill rod gripping device comprising a support, and a rod gripping means on said support comprising a reversible rod gripping element in the form of a segment of a `circle and having an offset pivot to provide oppositely extending gripping surfaces eccentricaily disposed with respec to the pivot, wherein said gripping element has relatively inclined upper plane surfaces, and an adjustable spring means is provided having oppositely extending spring portions selectively engageable with said plane surfaces to urge said gripping element toward rod gripping position in either reversed position thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 612,061 Shambaugh et al Oct. 11, 1898 976,600 Rhodes Nov. 22, 1910 1,081,381 Hakes Dec. 16, 1913 1,058,577 Gardner Apr. 8, 1913 1,128,793 Kobbe Feb. 16, 1915 1,312,009 Thrist Aug. 5, 1919 1,327,673 Heckman Jan. 13, 1920 1,511,529 Standlee Oct. 14, 1924 1,710,273 Sebring et al Apr. 23, 1929 1,736,290 Schiff Nov. 19, 1929 1,748,073 Leoty Feb. 25, 1930 1,844,378 Campbell Feb. 9, 1932 2,352,370 Carruthers June 27, 1944 2,545,177 True Mar. 13, 1951 2,591,930 Green Apr. 8, 1952 2,830,788 Bentley etal Apr. 15, 1958

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