US3747192A - Handling apparatus for couplings used in application of pipe coatings - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for removing a novel type of coupler from a coated joint of pipe. The coupler joins two pipes together during a coating operation and also protects the ends of the pipe from application of the coating. The coupler puller utilizes an elongated telescoping arm having clamp structure at one end for grasping the coupler and then pulling it relative to the joint of pipe. The arm is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and, when necessary, the arm can be reciprocated in a vertical plane to fracture the coating and thus loosen the coupler. The arm is also mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane so that once the coupler is removed from the pipe the arm can be swung through an arc of 180* to deposit the coupler at a point removed from the area of the coated pipe. The novel coupler comprises a unitary, open-ended, cylindrical sleeve with a webbed partition which bisects the sleeve. Thus two coupling compartments are presented so that a single coupler can be utilized to accommodate two joints of pipe.

Description

Harris et al.

[ July 24, 1973- HANDLING APPARATUS FOR COUPLINGS USED IN APPLICATION OF PIPE COATINGS [75] Inventors: Robert J. Harris; Gail T. Sikes, both of Marrero, La.

[73] Assignee: Price, H. C., Co., Bartlesville, Okla.

[22] Filed: May 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 145,750

1/1966 Lemelson.... 4/1969 Pronovost ..29/237 Primary Examiner-Harold D. Whitehead Assistant Examiner-J. C. Peters Attorney-Bradley and Wharton [57] ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for removing a novel type of coupler from a coated joint of pipe. The coupler joins two pipes together during a coating operation and also protects the ends of the pipe from application of the coating. The coupler puller utilizes an elongated telescoping arm having clamp structure at one end for grasping the couplerv and then pulling it relative to the joint of pipe. The arm is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and, when necessary, the arm can be reciprocated in a vertical plane to fracture the coating and thus loosen the coupler. The arm is also mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane so that once the coupler is removed from the pipe the arm can be swung through an arc of 180 to deposit the coupler at a point removed from the area of the coated pipe.

The novel coupler comprises a unitary, open-ended, cylindrical sleeve with a webbed partition which bisects the sleeve. Thus two coupling compartments are presented so that a single coupler can be utilized to accommodate two joints of pipe.

5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures HANDLING APPARATUS FOR COUPLINGS USED IN APPLICATION OF PIPE COATINGS This invention relates to pipe coating apparatus and,

more particularly, to a method and apparatus for removing couplers from ends of coated pipe.

In the pipe coatingindustry, where mastic-type coatings are applied to joints of pipe to protect the pipe after it is placed below ground or beneath a body of water, it is necessary to protect the ends of the individual joints during the coating operation to provide cutaway portions of the coating which permit two joints of pipe to be joined together in end-to-end relationship to present the pipeline. The covering which protectsthe ends of the pipe also serves to couple the joints together during the coating operation so that a continuous-uninterrupted coating process is possible. Thus it is common to refer to the combination covering-coupler as simply a coupler and this terminology will be used throughout the present application although it should be kept in mind that the coupler also provides a protective covering for the end of a joint of pipe.

It has heretofore been the practice to utilize a male coupler member on one end of a jointof pipe and a female coupler member on the other end of a joint of pipe with each of the members beingjoined to an opposite on the end of an adjacent pipe to present the coupler between the two joints. When'the coating. operation is completed, the couplers must be removedffr'om the ends of the pipe for finishing of the ends of the coating and joining of two joints of' pipe. It has-been the practice to remove the male andfemale coupler members which are telescoped' over the ends of apipe by having workmen exert sufficient leverage on the coupler member to manually pull it from the pipe. This requires a great deal of twisting, turningand tugging on the part of the workmen to fracture the coating at the point of juncture between the end of the coupler memher and the outer surface of the joint of pipe, and once the coating is fractured further considerable effort must be expended to remove the very heavy coated coupler from the pipe and to deposit it at a location for cleanup. I

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for removing couplers from the ends of pipe wherein no manual labor is required except for providing an operator for the apparatus.

This invention also has as one of its aims, a method and apparatus for removing couplers from pipe wherein a single piece of equipment is provided for pulling the coupler from an end of a joint of pipe, moving the coupler through a horizontal arc, and depositing it at a location remote from the location of the pipe thereby substantially reducing the time required for removal of the couplers.

One of the objects of the present invention is also to provide a method and apparatus for the removal of couplers from joints of pipe whereby all danger of damage to the coupler from prying tools and rough handling on the part of laborers is eliminated by utilizing a mechanical puller having power actuated clamps which grip the coupler and through positive action remove it from the pipe.

A very important objective of this invention is also to provide a method and apparatus for the removal of couplers from joints of pipe whereby the time required at the end ofa pipe coating line for removal of the conpiers is significantly reduced thereby eliminating the logjam at the end of the coating line as has sometimes resulted from prior manual methods of removing the couplers.

Still another aim of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for pulling couplers from coated pipe wherein the couplers are removed from the joints of pipe and immediately deposited at a point remote from the location of the joints to thereby increase the area available for handling of the joints while simultaneously reducing the time lost in recovering the coated couplers.

One of the objects of this invention is also to provide a coupler for coupling and protecting the ends of a pair of joints of pipe wherein the coupler is comprised of a single unitary sleeve thereby reducing by one-half the handling required as compared to prior couplers of the male-female type.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the coupler puller of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the coupler puller illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3is an enlarged side elevational view of the coupler puller shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4- is a vertical cross-sectionalview through the coupler puller as shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the puller looking in the direction of the clamp structure;

FIG. 6 is afragmentary side elevational view of the forward end of the coupler puller, illustrating the manner in which the coupler wouldbe removed from a coatedjoint ofpipe;

FIG; 7is an enlarged cross-sectional view through the end of a joint of'pipe and a coupler disposed thereon, illustrating the manner in which the coating is fractured atthe point ofjuncture between the end of the coupler and the pipe coating; and

FIG. 8is a vertical cross-sectional view through the novel coupler of the invention.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, the coupler puller of the invention is designated generally by the numeral 10 and is mounted for reciprocable movement along a pair of spaced tracks 12. The puller 10 is comprised of a base member designated generally by the numeral 14, a vertically disposed upright standard 16 which is mounted atop the base member 14 and an elongated telescoping arm 18. The base member 14 includes a cross-braced rectangular framework constructed from angle iron or an equally strong material with a roller (not visible) dis posed at each end of the framework for reciprocably mounting the same on the tracks 12.

An externally toothed gear 22 is rotatably mounted atop the framework 20 for rotation in a horizontal plane. The gear 22 is powered by an appropriate prime mover such as an air motor 24 which is coupled with the gear 22 by a driving chain 26.

Referring additionally to FIG. 4, the upright standard 16 is comprised of an inner housing 28 of rectangular cross section which is rigid with the gear 22 and an outer housing 30 which is telescoped over the housing 28 and mounted for sliding vertical movement relative to the latter by a plurality of rollers 32 mounted on the outside of the housing 30 in engagement with the housing 28 as a result of appropriate openings in the outer housing. Sliding movement of the outer housing 30 relative to the inner housing 28 is further facilitated by an upright cylinder 34 which is disposed within the inner housing 28 and rigidly mounted on the framework 20, which cylinder receives a piston 36. The piston 36 is, in turn, coupled with the outer housing through a plurality of plates 38. A collar 40 on the piston 36 mounts a flange 42 for forming a seal with the inner housing 28. The outer housing 30 is moved relative to the inner housing 28 by a pair of power cylinders 44 each of which is secured at one end to the gear 22 and has its piston rod coupled with the uppermost plate 38. A bracket 46 which projects laterally from the outer housing 30 and is rigid with the latter, mounts a power cylinder 48 which is coupled with the telescoping arm 18 for purposes to be made clear hereinafter. The uppermost plate 38 supports a pair of trunnions 50 which serve to mount the arm 18 for rotational movement about a horizontal axis by the power cylinder 48.

The arm 18 is comprised of a first elongated tubular section 52 and a second elongated tubular section 54 which is telescopically received within the section 52. A plurality of rollers 56 which are mounted on the first section 52 and project through appropriate openings in the latter provide a frictionless surface for sliding movement of the section 54 relative to the section 52. A two-way, positive action, power cylinder 58 disposed within the sections 52 and 54 is secured at one end to a plate 60 which is rigid with the section 52 and has its piston rod 62 rigidly secured to the section 54 through a pair of plates 64.

The working end of the arm 18 is provided by an elongated bar 66 which is rigidly secured to a plate 68 which is bolted to a flange 70 that is welded to the end of the section 54. From FIG. 2 it is seen that the bar 66 is provided with a sleeve 72 telescoped thereover and rigid therewith to provide a mount for a clamp structure designated generally by the numeral 74. The clamp structure 74 includes a pair of clamps 76 and 78 each of which is mounted on the sleeve 72 by a pair of integral ears 80 (one of each pair being visible in FIG. 2) and a pivot pin 82. The clamps 76 and 78 can thus rotate about the vertical axes of the pins 82 and since the axes are in planar alignment, a jaw-like action of the clamps 76 and 78 is possible. Each of the clamps 76 and 78 is the mirror image of the other and hence only one will be described in detail with corresponding parts of the other clamp being given the same reference numerals. The clamp 78 includes a generally planar curvilinear portion 84 which extends in the direction of the plate 68 and is provided with an upwardly extending wedge 86 for coupling the clamp 78 with a power cylinder 88 of the two-way positive action type. The curvilinear portion merges into a linear bight portion 90 having an opening therein for receiving the pivot pin 82. The bight portion 90 in turn is integral with and merges into a first leg 92 of an L-shaped portion, the other leg ofwhich is designated by the numeral 94. A pair ofgusset plates 96 one of which extends above and one of which extends below the leg 94 serve to mount an arcuate component 98 which is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the clamp 78.

From FIG. 5 it is seen that a bracket 100 extending upwardly from the sleeve 72 mounts the power cylinder 88 and a second bracket 102 which depends from the sleeve 72 mounts a second power cylinder 88 which is coupled with the clamp 76.

Mounted atop the section 52, directly above the standard 16, is a T-staff 104. The T-staff 104 serves as a mast for supporting air lines 106, 108, and 112 which deliver air to the respective power cylinders above described.

A joint of pipe 114 having an outer surface 115 has its ends, one of which is visible in FIG. 7 and designated by the numeral 116, protected by a coupler designated generally by the numeral 118. The coupler 118 protects the outer surface during application of a coating 120. The coating 120 is normally comprised of an asphaltie mastic-type material which protects the pipe v 114 from deterioration after it is placed underground or underwater. The coupler 118 serves two purposes. It protects the ends of the joint of pipe 114 to provide a cutaway portion of the coating 120 which can then be utilized to join two joints of pipe together by welding. The coupler 118 also serves to couple two joints of pipe together for the coating operation to allow the coating 120 to be applied in a continuous uninterrupted manner.

The coupler 118 comprises an elongated, cylindrical, open-ended sleeve 122 having an inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of the pipe 1 14. Centrally disposed longitudinally of the sleeve 122 so as to bisect the latter is a partition in the form of a webbed member 124. A plurality of openings such as 126 and 128 in the member 124 help reduce the overall weight of the coupler 118 and provide means for grasping the coupler with a hook (not shown) to transport the coupler from one location to another.

During the coating operation, the coating 120 is applied to the surface 115 of the pipe 114 and the coupler 118 to provide a continuous uninterrupted covering as illustrated in FIG. 2. When the coating operation is completed, the coated pipe 114 is moved into fore-andaft alignment with the coupler puller 10. The coupler puller 10 has been previously moved along the track 12 to a particular location suitable for the length of the pipe being coated. Since the diameter of the joints of pipe 114 will also vary over a wide range, it is desirable to actuate the cylinders 44 to raise or lower the vertical disposition of the telescoping arm 18 so that the axis of the arm will be in alignment with the longitudinal axes of the particular joints of pipe being coated.

The coated pipe 114 is moved into alignment with the puller 10 immediately after application of the coating 120 and before the coating has had an opportunity to completely cool and harden. The cylinder 58 is then actuated to extend the arm section 54 to a point where the clamps 76 and 78 can grasp the coupler 118, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The cylinders 88 are next activated to exert a clamping force against the walls of the coupler 118. The clamping force exerted should be of a magnitude sufficient for the edges of arcuate components 98 to rupture the coating 120 to thus give the clamps 76 and 78 a bite on the coated coupler. As the clamping force is continued under the action of the cylinders 88 a pulling force is exerted on the coupler 118 by reversing the flow of fluid through the cylinder 88 to retract the arm section 54. This pulling force causes the coating 120 to fracture at the point ofjuncture between the end of the coupler 118 and the coating 120 on the surface 115 of the pipe 114. This fracturing of the coating 120 is best illustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings. By continuing to retract the arm section 54, coupler 118 is moved relative to the pipe 114 to slide the former off the end of the latter. In certain instances where difficulty in fracturing the coating 120 is encountered or the coupler 118 binds against the end 116, it is desirable to reciprocate the clamps 76 and 78 in a vertical plane to jar the coupler 118 loose from the end 116. This is accomplished by actuating the cylinder 48 to move the arm 118 about the pivot points presented by the trunnions 50. The cylinder 48 can be moved in first one direction and then the other to accomplish the desired result.

After the coated coupler 118 clears the end 116 of the pipe 114 it is desirable to remove the coupler from the vicinity of the pipe to allow further handling of the latter while delivering the former to a clean-up area where the coating 120 can be removed and the coupler 118 then placed on the end of another joint of pipe 114. This is readily accomplished by actuating the motor 24 to effect rotation of the gear 22 and thereby rotate the entire coupler through an arc of 180 where the coupler 18 can then be placed on a conveyor for delivery to a clean-up station. While it is not essential that the coupler puller 10 be swung through an arc of 180, it is desirable that it pass through an arc of at least 90 to clear the area where the joints of pipe 114 are being handled. The coupler 118 is released from the grip of the clamps 76 and 78 by reversing the flow of fluid through the cylinders 88 to move the clamps into the phantom position illustrated in FIG. 5. Once the coupler 118 has been released, the coupler puller 110 is returned back through the 180 are to position it for receiving a coated coupler 118 from another joint of pipe 114.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for pulling a coupler from the end of an elongated cylindrical joint of pipe wherein the pipe and the coupler are coated with a continuous, uninterrupted thick mastic coating, said apparatus comprising:

a base member;

an upright standard coupled with the member and extending therefrom;

an elongated arm mounted on said standard in a horizontal plane and disposed for back and forth movement,

said arm adapted to be disposed in longitudinal alignment with a joint of pipe;

means for raising and lowering the vertical elevation of the arm to permit axial alignment of the arm with a coupler on the pipe;

first and second planar arcuate components disposed at the end of said arm for complementally engaging a coated pipe coupler over a major portion of the coupler circumference,

each of said components being pivotally mounted on the arm for simultaneous movement with the other component in a jaw-like action,

each of said components having an edge for rupturing said coating when moved into engagement with the latter to thereby effectively bite into the coated coupler;

first power means for effecting movement of said components; and

second power means for moving said arm forward to position said components for engagement of the coupler and backwards after said components have bitten into the coated coupler to thereby fracture the coating at the line ofjuncture between the coupler and the pipe and slide the coupler from the end of the pipe.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said arm is comprised of a pair of telescoping sections, said second power means comprising a cylinder disposed for movement of one of said sections relative to the other of said sections, and said components being carried by said one section.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein said base member is pivotally mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane to allow deposition of said removed coupler at a location spaced from said joint of pipe.

4. The invention of claim 3, and means for rotating said member.

5. The invention of claim 1, wherein said arm is pivotally mounted on said standard for movement about a horizontal axis, and including means for moving said arm about said horizontal axis.

Claims (5)

1. Apparatus for pulling a coupler from the end of an elongated cylindrical joint of pipe wherein the pipe and the coupler are coated with a continuous, uninterrupted thick mastic coating, said apparatus comprising: a base member; an upright standard coupled with the member and extending therefrom; an elongated arm mounted on said standard in a horizontal plane and disposed for back and forth movement, said arm adapted to be disposed in longitudinal alignment with a joint of pipe; means for raising and lowering the vertical elevation of the arm to permit axial alignment of the arm with a coupler on the pipe; first and second planar arcuate components disposed at the end of said arm for complementally engaging a coated pipe coupler over a major portion of the coupler circumference, each of said components being pivotally mounted on the arm for simultaneous movement with the other component in a jaw-like action, each of said components having an edge for rupturing said coating when moved into engagement with the latter to thereby effectively bite into the coated coupler; first power means for effecting movement of said components; and second power means for moving said arm forward to position said components for engagement of the coupler and backwards after said components have bitten into the coated coupler to thereby fracture the coating at the line of juncture between the coupler and the pipe and slide the coupler from the end of the pipe.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said arm is comprised of a pair of telescoping sections, said second power means comprising a cylinder disposed for movement of one of said sections relative to the other of said sections, and said components being carried by said one section.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein said base member is pivotally mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane to allow deposition of said removed coupler at a location spaced from said joint of pipe.

4. The invention of claim 3, and means for rotating said member.

5. The invention of claim 1, wherein said arm is pivotally mounted on said standard for movement about a horizontal axis, and including means for moving said arm about said horizontal axis.

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