US3330552A

US3330552A - Pipe tong

Info

Publication number: US3330552A
Application number: US337459A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bucher Siegfried
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-01-13
Filing date: 1964-01-13
Publication date: 1967-07-11
Anticipated expiration: 1984-07-11

Description

S.BUCHER PIPE TONG July 11, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1964 SIEGFRIED BUCHER INVENTOR ATTORNEY S. BUCHER July 11, 1967 PIPE TONG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 15, 1964 SIEGFRIED BUCHER A? ATTO Y INVENTOR i m/ United States Patent 3,330,552 PIPE TONG Siegfried Bucher, Box 4092, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Filed Jan. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 337,459 1 Claim. (Cl. 269-55) In the drilling of wells, as for example, oil and gas wells and the like, it is customary to install and remove casing in the well by coupling a succession of casing lengths together by screw threads at the ends of the casing lengths. This coupling of the casing length is done with power tongs or some other power means that will rotate one length of casing while the other length of casing is held tightly.

The one length of casing is held with a large pipe wrench or other device which provides a successively increasing gripping force to the casing as force is applied to the wrench. While the wrench will hold the casing, the increasing gripping force has a tendency to distort or bend the casing if difliculty is encountered in coupling or uncoupling a length of casing to the length being held in the wrench.

My invention therefore relates to an improved type of tong or wrench that may be used to hold a length of casing while another length is being coupled or uncoupled thereto and to hold the length of casing without distorting or bending the casing.

Further, my improved wrench or tong provides means whereby the casing will be gripped at a plurality of points so that a firm gripping action on the pipe will be accomplished without there being a compressive or bending force applied to the pipe.

The essence of my invention therefore comprises an arm that may be suspended for swinging movement transversally of a pipe and with a pipe embracing member connected pivotally to the arm to define a pipe embracing opening with spring means to normally bias the pipe embracing member toward the arm to frictionally grip a pipe positioned in the pipe embracing opening.

In drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of my device in the pipe gripping position on a pipe of maximum diameter for the jaws of the device illustrated.

FIG. 2 is another top plan view of my device shown in the gripping position on a pipe of smaller diameter.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to the view shown in FIG. 1 but with the pipe engaging member in the pipe releasing or open position.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation showing the suspension of the tong in operative position to a pipe.

As seen in the drawings, this device consists of the arm indicated generally at 1, which is constructed from a pair of spaced top and bottom members 2 and 3 and side members 4 and 5 secured together to form a rectangularly shaped arm having a square internal channel in which the elongated jaw member 6 is fitted slidably. A plurality of aligned openings 7 are formed in the top and bottom members 2 and 3 while a plurality of openings 8 of the same size are formed in the elongated jaw member 6. A pin 9 or other suitable means then may be inserted through the openings 7 and 8 to lock the adjustable jaw member 6 in the desired position in the square internal channel.

At its forward end, the jaw member 6 is provided with the first functional gripping tooth 10 whose gripping surface may be serrated or otherwise roughened to provide adequate frictional gripping contactwith the surface of a pipe 11 or 11a.

At its one end 12, the arm 1 embraces a sleeve 13 whereby the arm may be connected rotatably to a vertical support pipe 14 (see FIG. 4). A tension spring 15 en- Patented July 11, 1967 circling the pipe 14 is connected at one of its ends to the sleeve 13 and is connected at its opposite end to the clamp 16 secured on the pipe 14 so that the action of the spring will normally be to urge the mechanism away from the pipe 11 or in the direction indicated by the arrow 17.

The forward end of the arm 1 is formed with a pair of curved members 18 and 19 which are secured at one end to the upper and

lower members

13 and 14 to project forwardly from the arm 1. At their other ends, the members 18 and 19 are formed with aligned openings for the reception of the pivot pin 20.

The pipe embracing member indicated generally at 21 is formed from a pair of C-

shaped members

22 and 23 connected in spaced apart parallel relationship by the

pins

24 and 25. The pipe embracing member is connected rotatably intermediate ends on the pivot pin 20 through aligned openings in the

members

22 and 23 which are placed in register with the openings in the ends of the members 18 and 19 so that the pivot pin 20 will extend through the

members

18 and 19 and 22 and '23. When in place, the pin 20 is contained by the head 26 which bears against the member 18 and by a nut 27 engaged at the opposite end of the pivot pin 20 to bear against the member 19.

To ensure freedom of movement of the pipe engaging member 21 on the pivot pin 20, a lubricating channel 29 extends into the pivot pin 20 and is fed from a standard grease fitting 30 at the head 26.

The spring 31 is connected at one of its ends to the pin 25 at one end of the pipe embracing member 21 and at its opposite end to the connection 32 on the arm 1. The action of the spring 31 serves to rotate the pipe embracing member 21 in the clockwise direction as seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 toward the arm 1. The ends of the members 2 and 3 are bevelled as indicated at 33 to provide a stop against which the pipe embracing member 21 will engage and thereby limit its rotation under action of the spring 31.

The pipe embracing member 21 is moved in the opposite or anti-clockwise direction by the handle 34 which is secured at its one end 35 between the

members

22 and 23 of the pipe embracing member 21 and which is provided at its opposite end with a knob 36 whereby the handle may be forced against the pin '24 to move the pipe embracing member in an anti-clockwise direction.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 in the drawings the pipe embracing member 21 is shown rotated in the clockwise direction by the spring 31 and in FIG. 2 the movement of the handle 34 into engagement with the pin 24 is illustrated. In FIG. 3 in the drawings the pipe embracing member 21 is shown rotated in an anti-clockwise direction against the action of the spring 31 by the application of force on the handle 34 to bear against the pin 24.

A frictional gripping tooth assembly indicated generally at 37 is provided at the other end of the pipe gripping member. The frictional gripping teeth 38 of this assembly are similar to the tooth 10 described previously and similar to the tooth 10 would have serrated or roughened edges to provide effective friction gripping contact with the surface of a pipe 11 or 11a. The teeth 38 are imbedded in a tooth mount 39 at the forward end of the sleeve 40 which is contained slidably between the

spacers

41 and 42 extending between the

members

22 and 23. The sleeve 40 is in turn engaged threadably on the stud 43 which is contained rotatably by the cap 44 and is rotated by the application of a wrench or other suitable device on the head 45. The position of the teeth 38 is such that they will lie in substantially opposed relation to the tooth 10.

Obviously, as the head 45 is rotated the mount 39 with the jaws 38 will be either rotated toward or away from a pipe in the pipe engaging member and as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, pipes 11 or 11a of varying diameters may be accommodated.

Arm 1 is connected pivotally to support pipe 14 and is capable of pivotal movement in a horizontal plane whereby it may be swung toward or away from pipe 11 or 1111, as the case may be. It is important that pipe support 14 be spaced the correct distance from pipe 11 or 11a so that pipe embracing member 21 will embrace pipe 11 or 11a.

It is important in the operation of the wrench that it exert a frictional gripping force on pipe 11 or 11a and that the force be distributed at points around the pipe circumference. In this manner, the pipe may be gripped without applying a damaging compressive force to the pipe which will tend to distort it. The structure of the present wrench insures this. As illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 pipe 11 or 11a is contacted on its circumference at points A and B respectively. The points A and B are intermediate the points of contact of jaws and 38 on the circumference of the pipe. Jaws 10 and 38 are adjusted to properly locate pipe 11 or 11a against the pipe embracing member 21.

In the embodiment illustrated the pipe 11 or 11a will be prevented from rotation in a clockwise direction. When it is desired to prevent rotation of the pipe 11 or 11a in an anti-clockwise direction, the back up wrench simply is turned over on support pipe 14 whereby pipe 11 or 11a will be gripped from the opposite side.

To remove the back up wrench from pipe 11 or 11a, handle 34 is moved manually to swing pipe embracing member 21 off pipe 11 or 11a. Spring 15 then may swing the back up wrench away from the pipe.

What I claim as my invention is:

A back up wrench adapted to be used with a vertical support to frictionally trip vertical pipe during coupling and uncoupling of additional pipe lengths thereto comprising, in combination:

an arm adapted to be pivotally mounted at one end on the vertical support for movement in a horizontal plane;

a C-shaped pipe embracing member connected pivotally intermediate its end at the other end of the arm, defining a pipe embracing opening;

a first jaw carried slidably by the arm and adjustably extensible into the pipe embracing opening;

a second jaw carried slidabeably by the pipe embracing member and adjustably extensible into the pipe embracing opening, such second jaw positioned adjacent one end of the pipe embracing member to lie in substantially opposed relation to the first jaw;

means adapted to normally bias the pipe embracing member to a postiion wherein the first and second jaws frictionally grip a pipe located in the pipe embracing opening and,

means adapted to overcome the means normally biasing the pipe embracing member to move the pipe embracing member and release the frictional grip of the jaws on the pipe whereby the back up wrench may be moved away from the pipe;

the position of the first and second jaws being such that a pipe located in the pipe embracing opening and frictionally gripped by the jaws will be contacted by the pipe embracing member at a point on the circumference of the pipe intermediate the jaws.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 443,312 12/ 1890 Bode 8153 788,772 5/1905 Johnson 81--90.3 1,481,157 1/1924 Smith 8153 1,506,583 8/1924 Hoffman 8153 1,582,572 4/1926 Burkeybile 8190.3 2,040,669 5/1936 Odmark 269238 2,546,224 3/1951 Johansen 8154 2,855,964 10/1958 Zelabny 269238 FOREIGN PATENTS 120,556 12/1947 Sweden.

HAROLD D. WHITEHEAD, Primary Examiner.