WO2024089524A1

WO2024089524A1 - Pipe assembly tool

Info

Publication number: WO2024089524A1
Application number: PCT/IB2023/060369
Authority: WO
Inventors: Benoît BOUCHARD
Original assignee: Innovagrip Inc.
Priority date: 2022-10-24
Filing date: 2023-10-13
Publication date: 2024-05-02

Abstract

An apparatus for joining a first section of pipe to a second section of pipe includes: a frame; a first claw including first and second arms connected to a first body that is fixedly mounted to the frame, adapted to grip the first section of pipe; a second claw including third and fourth arms connected to a second body that is movably mounted to the frame, adapted to grip the second section of pipe; the frame including a guide for guiding a movement of the second claw in the longitudinal direction of the pipes; a first cable connected to the first body; a second cable connected to the first arm; and a third cable connected to the second arm. The cables are actuatable to move the second claw in the direction of the first claw. A method of separating first and second sections of pipe is also described.

Description

PIPE ASSEMBLY TOOL

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology relates to a tool for assembling sections of pipe and a method of using same.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

Pipes made of plastic such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are commonly used for drainage and other applications. These pipes are typically delivered in sections, which must be connected together to form a pipe of the desired length.

Joining two sections of pipe presents a number of challenges. The pipes must be maintained in alignment during the joining process, so that a male end of one pipe section is received in a female end of the other pipe section, to the depth specified by the manufacturer. The pipe sections may be large, heavy, and flexible, which makes them difficult to handle and move. In addition, workers must be careful to avoid damaging the pipe sections during the joining process. There is a need to perform the joining process reliably, quickly and efficiently.

There is a need for an improved method and apparatus for joining pipe sections.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present technology to overcome at least one drawback of the prior art.

It is an object of the present technology to provide a pipe joining apparatus that is adaptable to different diameters of pipe.

It is an object of the present technology to provide a pipe joining apparatus that achieves improved alignment between the pipe sections to be joined. According to a first broad aspect, there is provided an apparatus for joining a first section of pipe to a second section of pipe, the apparatus comprising: a frame; a first claw including first and second arms connected to a first central body that is fixedly mounted to the frame, the first and second arms being adapted to grip the first section of pipe; a second claw including third and fourth arms connected to a second central body that is movably mounted to the frame, the third and fourth arms being adapted to grip the second section of pipe; the frame including at least one guide for guiding a movement of the second claw in the longitudinal direction of the pipes; a first cable connected to the first central body; a second cable connected to the first arm; and a third cable connected to the second arm, the first, second, and third cables being actuatable to move the second claw along the frame in the direction of the first claw.

According to one or more embodiments, the first, second, and third cables are actuatable by at least one hydraulic actuator.

According to one or more embodiments, the first, second, and third cables are actuated by a single hydraulic actuator.

According to one or more embodiments, the second cable is connected to the first arm near a distal end of the first arm and the third cable is connected to the second arm near a distal end of the second arm.

According to one or more embodiments, the first cable passes through the second central body; the second cable passes through the third arm; and the third cable passes through the fourth arm.

According to one or more embodiments, the second cable passes through the third arm near a distal end of the third arm; and the third cable passes through the fourth arm near a distal end of the fourth arm.

According to one or more embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one spring for biasing the first claw apart from the second claw. According to a second broad aspect, there is provided an apparatus for joining a first section of pipe to a second section of pipe, the apparatus comprising: a frame; a first claw including a first pair of arms connected to a first central body that is movably mounted to the frame, the first pair of arms being adapted to grip the first section of pipe; and a second claw including a second pair of arms connected to a second central body that is mounted to the frame, the second pair of arms being adapted to grip the second section of pipe; each of the first claw and the second claw having a respective linear ratchet mechanism for operating the respective claw to grip the respective section of pipe; and an actuator mechanism, the actuator mechanism being actuatable to move the first claw along the frame in the direction of the second claw.

According to one or more embodiments, each linear ratchet mechanism is a continuous linear ratchet mechanism.

According to one or more embodiments, each linear ratchet mechanism comprises a handle for actuating the linear ratchet mechanism.

According to one or more embodiments, actuating the handle causes the handle to move along a respective rod in a first direction, thereby to cause the respective claw to grip the respective section of pipe.

According to a third broad aspect, there is provided a method of separating first and second sections of pipe using an apparatus, the first section of pipe having a male connector, the second section of pipe having a female connector matingly receiving the male connector therein; the apparatus comprising: a frame; a first claw including a first pair of arms connected to a first central body that is mounted to the frame, the first pair of arms being adapted to grip a section of pipe; a second claw including a second pair of arms connected to a second central body that is mounted to the frame, the second pair of arms being adapted to grip a section of pipe; and an actuator mechanism, the actuator mechanism being actuatable to move the first claw and the second claw closer to each other along the frame; the method comprising: placing an adapter comprising a first elongated member on the first section of pipe; gripping the first section of pipe in the first claw, the adapter and the first claw being positioned such that the adapter is between the second claw and the female connector of the second section of pipe; and actuating the actuator mechanism to cause the first elongated member to abut the second claw and the female connector, thereby separating the first and second sections of pipe.

According to one or more embodiments, the adapter further comprises a second elongated member, and: actuating the actuator mechanism causes the second elongated member to abut the second claw and the female connector, thereby separating the first and second sections of pipe.

According to one or more embodiments, the adapter comprises a resilient member connected to the first elongated member and the second elongated member, the resilient member causing the first elongated member and the second elongated member to be biased against at least one of the first and second sections of pipe when the adapter is placed between the second claw and the male connector of the second section of pipe.

According to one or more embodiments, placing the adapter on the first section of pipe is performed after gripping the first section of pipe in the first claw.

According to another broad aspect, there is disclosed an adapter for separating first and second sections of pipe using the apparatus disclosed above, the adapter comprising: a first elongated member to be placed on the first section of pipe, such that a gripping of the first section of pipe in the first claw is performed, the adapter and the first claw being positioned such that the adapter is between the second claw and the female connector of the second section of pipe and an actuating the actuator mechanism cause the first elongated member to abut the second claw and the female connector, thereby separating the first and second sections of pipe.

According to one or more embodiments, the adapter further comprises a second elongated member, wherein actuating the actuator mechanism causes the second elongated member to abut the second claw and the female connector, thereby separating the first and second sections of pipe and a resilient member connected to the first elongated member and the second elongated member, the resilient member causing the first elongated member and the second elongated member to be biased against at least one of the first and second sections of pipe when the adapter is placed between the second claw and the male connector of the second section of pipe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus generally described the nature of the technology, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration example embodiments thereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a prior art pipe joining apparatus;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a pipe joining apparatus according to an embodiment;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the pipe joining apparatus of Figure 2, with two joined pipe sections;

Figure 4 is a view of the underside of the pipe joining apparatus of Figure 2;

Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C are elevation views of the pipe joining apparatus of Figure 2, gripping pipe sections of different diameters;

Figure 6 is an elevation view of two unjoined pipe sections;

Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of joining two pipe sections according to an embodiment;

Figure 8 is a view of a pipe separator apparatus according to an embodiment;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the pipe separator apparatus of Figure 8 applied to two joined pipe sections; Figure 10 is a perspective view of the pipe separator apparatus of Figure 8 and the pipe joining apparatus of Figure 2 applied to two joined pipe sections; and

Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of separating two joined pipe sections.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to Figure 1 , a prior art device 20 is shown for joining the pipe section 22 to the pipe section 22’. The device has two parallel claws 24, 24', each with two arms 26, 26’ to hold a respective pipe section 22.

The claw 24 is fixed in position, and the claw 24’ can be moved by means of a mechanism 28. The mechanism 28 includes two smooth rods 30, 30' and two toothed rods 32, 32' that can be used to move a frame 34. The frame 34 includes two pinions 36, 36' with teeth that mesh with the teeth on the rods 32, 32'. A knob 40 enables a user to actuate the pinions 36, 36’ to adjust the separation between the claws 24 and 24’.

Each claws 24, 24’ has a mechanism 42 for opening and closing the arms 26, 26’ to grip or release a pipe section 22.

The mechanism 42 includes a spacing bar 44 transversely disposed between the arms 26, 26’ and able to slide along longitudinal slots 46, 46' in the arms 26, 26’. A handle 54 can be used to actuate a set of linkages 48, 50, 52 which are connected to a bracket 58. The bracket 58 can be fixed in one of a plurality of discrete positions on the rod 56 by the screw 60. The arms 26, 26’ are connected to a bracket 62 that is fixed to the bottom of the hollow rod 56. Activating the handle 54 transmits a force through the linkages 48, 50, 52 and the bracket 58 to move rod 56 along the guide 64, thereby opening or closing the claws 24, 24’ by moving the bracket 62 up or down relative to the spacing bar 44. The position of the bracket 58 on the rod 56 determines the diameter of the pipe that can be accommodated when the handle 54 is fully actuated. Thus, the adjustable position of the bracket 58 permits the device 20 to accommodate a range of pipe diameters.

When each pipe section 22, 22’ is gripped by its respective claw 24, 24’, the knob 40 may be actuated to move the claw 24’ toward the claw 24 along the smooth rods 30, 30’ and the guide rods 32, 32’, to insert the male end of the pipe section 22’ into the female end of the pipe section 22.

Additional details of the device 20 are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,470,338, entitled “Pipe Joining Device”, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

Although the device 20 is effective in joining together sections of pipe, it suffers from various drawbacks.

For instance, if none of the discrete positions available for the bracket 58 fit the diameter of the pipe section exactly, the user would have to select either a tighter setting that could potentially create microfractures in the pipe section, or a looser setting that could potentially grip the pipe section improperly and result in misalignment.

Moreover, operation of the device 20 can be time-consuming, potentially delaying the assembly and installation of the pipe.

The skilled addressee will appreciate that exposed teeth of the rods 32, 32’ and the pinions 36, 36’ are subject to blockage by debris present at the worksite.

Also, the movement is only driven from above the pipe sections, which exerts an asymmetric force on the pipe sections and can potentially cause misalignment during the assembly process and friction during insertion.

Thus, there is a desire to provide a device for joining pipes with a greater reliability and precision than was previously available. Referring to Figure 2, a device 200, also referred to as an apparatus for joining a first section of pipe to a second section of pipe will be described according to an embodiment. The device 200 is suitable for joining together two sections of pipe.

The device 200 has a frame 202 which includes guide rods 204, 206 extending between cross braces 208, 210. A first claw 212 is disposed toward a first end of the frame 202, and is held in a fixed position relative to the frame 202, for example by being attached to the cross brace 210 in a manner that will be described below in further detail.

The first claw 212 includes first and second arms 214, each arm 214 having a gripping portion 216 toward the distal end thereof for gripping a section of pipe. The cross brace 210 forms the central body of the first claw 212 and acts as a spacing bar for maintaining a spacing between the middle portions of the arms 214. The cross brace 210 has two guide pins 218 (only one of which can be seen in Figure 2), each of which is disposed in a longitudinal groove 220 formed in a respective one of the arms 214. A gripping portion 222 of the cross brace 210 is positioned so that it abuts a section of pipe when the section of pipe is gripped by the first claw 212, as will be discussed below in further detail.

A second claw 224 is mounted to the frame 202, such that the second claw 224 can move along the frame 202 in a manner that will be described below in further detail. The second claw 224 includes first and second arms 226, each arm 226 having a gripping portion 228 toward the distal end thereof for gripping a section of pipe. The spacing bar 230 forms the central body of the second claw 224 and maintains a spacing between the middle portions of the arms 226. The spacing bar 230 has two guide pins 232, each of which is disposed in a longitudinal groove 234 formed in a respective one of the arms 226. A gripping portion 236 of the spacing bar 230 is positioned so that it abuts a section of pipe when the section of pipe is gripped by the second claw 224, as will be discussed below in further detail. Each claw 212, 224 is operated by a ratchet mechanism 238. The operation of the ratchet mechanism 238 will be described with reference to the second claw 224, and it should be understood that the operation of the ratchet mechanism with respect to the first claw 212 is similar. A user can squeeze the handle 240 to incrementally move the rod 242 downward through the housing 244. This can also be understood as the housing 244, and the handle 240, moving upward along the rod 242. The rod 242 may move continuously relative to the housing 244, and is advantageously not restricted to discrete positions, and as such the ratchet mechanism 238 is a continuous ratchet mechanism. When the handle 240 is released, a pawl 246 prevents movement of the rod 242 upward through the housing 244. The housing 244 of one ratchet mechanism 238 is pivotably connected to the top end of each of the arms 226.

When the rod 242 moves downward through the housing 244, the distance between the housing 244 and the spacing bar 230 is increased. The movement of the housing 244 relative to the spacing bar 230 causes movement of the arms 226 relative to the spacing bar 230, which is constrained by the guide pins 232 in the longitudinal grooves 234. As a result, the arms 226 undergo a combination of translational and rotational motion, to a more closed position in which the gripping portions 228 are drawn closer to each other and to the gripping portion 236, thereby to more tightly grip a section of pipe therebetween. The gripping portions 228 are preferably hinged at their connection to the distal end of the arms 226, such that they can pivot into the proper alignment to grip the section of pipe, which may vary depending on the diameter of the section of pipe. The user may continue to activate the handle 240 until the gripping portions 228, 236 are in contact with the section of pipe to be gripped, thereby permitting the claw 224 to grip sections of pipe of different diameters, as illustrated in Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C.

To release the section of pipe from the second claw 224, the user may depress the pawl 246 to release the ratchet mechanism 238 and thereby permit the housing 244 to move upward along the rod 242. Although the ratchet mechanism 238 is shown as a linear ratchet mechanism, with the rod 242 moving linearly with respect to the housing 244, it will be appreciated by the skilled addressee that a different type of ratchet mechanism may be used.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, the device 200 has an actuating mechanism for moving the second claw 224 toward the first claw 212. A first cable 248 passes through the spacing bar 230 and is connected to the cross brace 210. A second cable 250 passes through one arm 226, preferably near a distal end thereof, and is connected to one arm 214, preferably at a distal end thereof. A third cable 252 passes through the other arm 226, preferably near a distal end thereof, and is connected to the other arm 214, preferably at a distal end thereof. The cables 248, 250, 252 can be actuated, preferably by a single mechanism. It will be appreciated that the cable actuating mechanism is shown as the handle 254, which can be manually pivoted about the pivot 256 to provide tension in the cables 248, 250, 252. It will be further appreciated that the cable actuating mechanism may alternatively be implemented in any other suitable manner, such as by one or more hydraulic actuators, preferably a single hydraulic actuator capable of actuating all three cables 248, 250, 252 together. It will be appreciated that the hydraulic actuator may be of various types. It will be appreciated by the skilled addressee that various alternative embodiments may be possible. The tension in the cables 248, 250, 252 causes the second claw 224 to move along the frame 202, in particular along the guide rods 204, 206, in the direction of the first claw 212, against the bias of the springs 258. It will be appreciated that the springs 258 are optional, and may be omitted in some embodiments.

It will be appreciated that the device 200 may be manufactured using various materials as will appreciate the skilled addressee. For instance, the first claw 212 and the second claw 224 may be made of aluminum while the gripping portions 216, 228, 236 may be made of stainless steel. The frame may be made of stainless steel. The first cable 248, the second cable 250 and the third cable 252 may be made of stainless steel with a 1500 lbs strength for each. The skilled addressee will appreciate that various alternative embodiments may be provided.

Referring to Figure 7, a method 700 of using the device 200 to join two pipe sections will now be described.

As shown in Figure 6, a first pipe section 602 has a male end 604, and a second pipe section 606 has a female end 608 dimensioned to receive the male end 604 therein.

According to step 702, the pipe sections 602, 606 are placed in general alignment with each other, such that the male end 604 is close to the female end 606.

According to step 704, the device 200 is positioned above the pipe sections 602, 606, with the claws 212, 224 having a sufficient separation along the guide rods 204, 206 such that one of the claws 212, 224 is aligned with the body of the first pipe section 602 and the other claw 212, 224 is aligned with the body of the second pipe section 604. In this position, the guide rods 204, 206 are oriented in the longitudinal direction of the pipe sections 602, 606. For clarity, the method will be described for the example of the claw 212 being aligned with the pipe section 602 and the claw 224 being aligned with the pipe section 606. In this configuration, the gripping portion 222 may rest on top of the pipe section 602, and the gripping portion 236 may rest on top of the pipe section 606.

According to step 706, the claw 212 is used to grip the pipe section 602, and the claw 224 is used to grip the pipe section 606. This is done by actuating the handles 240 as described above, until the gripping portions 216 contact the pipe section 602 and the gripping portions 228 contact the pipe section 606. The claws 212, 224 are prevented from opening by the ratchet mechanisms 238, which maintain the claws 212, 224 in contact with the pipe sections 602, 606. In this configuration, the pipe section 602 is held between the gripping portions 216, 222 and the pipe section 606 is held between the gripping portions 228, 236. In addition, in this configuration the pipe sections 602, 606 are held in precise alignment by the device 200.

According to step 708, the cables 248, 250, 252 are actuated by operating the cable actuating mechanism. The tension in the cables 248, 250, 252 causes the claw 224 to move along the frame 202 in the direction of the claw 212, against the bias of the springs 258. Because the claws 212, 224 are respectively gripping the pipe sections 602, 606, the movement causes the pipe sections 602, 606 to move toward each other in their common longitudinal direction. The arrangement of having multiple cables 248, 250, 252 at different points around the circumference of the pipe sections 602, 606 generates a substantially symmetrical force on the pipe sections 602, 606 that maintains their relative alignment. It will be appreciated that the user may continue to actuate the cables 248, 250, 252 until the male end 604 is matingly received in the female end 608 to the desired depth, such as the depth recommended by the manufacturer of the pipe sections 602, 606.

According to step 710, additional actions may be taken to complete or reinforce the seal between the pipe sections 602, 606, if desired or required. It will be appreciated that those are known to the skilled addressee.

According to step 712, the claws 212, 224 can be loosened to remove the device 200 from the now joined pipe, by actuating the pawl 246 to release each ratchet mechanism 238.

According to step 714, the device 200 may optionally be reset in preparation for joining the next pair of pipe sections, by releasing the cable actuating mechanism and moving the claws 212, 224 apart along the guide rods 204, 206. The bias of the springs 258, if present, assists in the movement of the claws 212, 224 apart from each other.

Referring generally to Figures 8-11 , an apparatus and method for separating two joined pipe sections will now be described.

Referring to Figure 8, the separator 800 includes one or more elongated members 802. It will be appreciated that the separator 800 is also be referred to as an adapter for separating first and second sections of pipe and a pipe separator.

Each elongated member 802 of the separator 800 has a first flange 804 at a first end thereof and a second flange 806 at a second end thereof. In the example shown, the separator 800 has two elongated members 802, connected by a resilient member 808. Each flange 804, 806 preferably has an arcuate edge to approximately match the shape of a pipe section, though it should be understood that the separator 800 may be used with pipe sections whose diameter does not correspond exactly to the curvature of the arcuate edges.

Referring to Figure 9 and step 1102 of Figure 11 , the separator 800 can be placed on the joined pipe sections 902, 904 such that one flange (the flange 804 in the example shown) of each elongated member 802 abuts the female end 906 of the pipe section 904, and the main body of each elongated member 802 lies along the body of the pipe section 902 that is joined by its male end 908 to the pipe section 904, with the arcuate edge of each flange 804, 806 facing and abutting against the pipe section 902. In the example shown, the separator 800 has two elongated members 802 connected to a resilient member 808 that biases the separator 800 against the pipe section 902 to hold the separator 800 in place.

It will be appreciated by the skilled addressee that the separator 800 may be made of various materials. In one or more embodiments, the separator 800 is made of aluminum. The skilled addressee will appreciate that various alternative embodiments may be possible for the separator 800.

Referring now to Figure 10 and step 1104 of Figure 11 , a pipe joining device such as the device 200 is placed on the joined pipe sections 902, 904, such that one of the claws 212, 224 (the claw 212 in the example shown) abuts against the flange 806 and the other claw (the claw 224 in the example shown) is aligned with the body of the pipe section 902. Referring to step 1106 of Figure 11 , the claw 224 is then closed to grip the pipe section 902, using the handle 240 as described above. The claw 212 is not closed, and so the claw 212 does not grip the pipe section 902. Thereafter, when the cables 248, 250, 252 are actuated to bring the claws 212, 224 closer together at step 1108 of Figure 11 , the claw 224 holds the pipe section 902 in place, and the claw 212 exerts a force on the pipe section 904, which is transmitted via the elongated members 802 and the flange 804 to the female end 906 of the pipe section 904. In the example shown, the two elongated members 802 are approximately on diametrically opposite sides of the female end 906 of the pipe section 904, such that they exert a force on the pipe section 904 that is approximately symmetrical and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipe sections 902, 904. With the exertion of sufficient force on the pipe section 904, the pipe sections 902, 904 can be separated.

It should be understood that step 1102 may alternatively be performed between steps 1104 and 1106, or between steps 1106 and 1108.

The embodiments described above are intended to be examples only. The scope of the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 . An apparatus for joining a first section of pipe to a second section of pipe, the apparatus comprising: a frame; a first claw including first and second arms connected to a first central body that is fixedly mounted to the frame, the first and second arms being adapted to grip the first section of pipe; a second claw including third and fourth arms connected to a second central body that is movably mounted to the frame, the third and fourth arms being adapted to grip the second section of pipe; the frame including at least one guide for guiding a movement of the second claw in the longitudinal direction of the pipes; a first cable connected to the first central body; a second cable connected to the first arm; and a third cable connected to the second arm, the first, second, and third cables being actuatable to move the second claw along the frame in the direction of the first claw.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third cables are actuatable by at least one hydraulic actuator.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first, second, and third cables are actuated by a single hydraulic actuator.

4. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the second cable is connected to the first arm near a distal end of the first arm; and the third cable is connected to the second arm near a distal end of the second arm.

5. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: the first cable passes through the second central body; the second cable passes through the third arm; and the third cable passes through the fourth arm.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein: the second cable passes through the third arm near a distal end of the third arm; and the third cable passes through the fourth arm near a distal end of the fourth arm.

7. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: at least one spring for biasing the first claw apart from the second claw.

8. An apparatus for joining a first section of pipe to a second section of pipe, the apparatus comprising: a frame; a first claw including a first pair of arms connected to a first central body that is movably mounted to the frame, the first pair of arms being adapted to grip the first section of pipe; a second claw including a second pair of arms connected to a second central body that is mounted to the frame, the second pair of arms being adapted to grip the second section of pipe; each of the first claw and the second claw having a respective linear ratchet mechanism for operating the respective claw to grip the respective section of pipe; and an actuator mechanism, the actuator mechanism being actuatable to move the first claw along the frame in the direction of the second claw.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein each linear ratchet mechanism is a continuous linear ratchet mechanism.

10. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 9, wherein each linear ratchet mechanism comprises a handle for actuating the linear ratchet mechanism.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein actuating the handle causes the handle to move along a respective rod in a first direction, thereby to cause the respective claw to grip the respective section of pipe.

12. A method of separating first and second sections of pipe using an apparatus, the first section of pipe having a male connector, the second section of pipe having a female connector matingly receiving the male connector therein; the apparatus comprising: a frame; a first claw including a first pair of arms connected to a first central body that is mounted to the frame, the first pair of arms being adapted to grip a section of pipe; a second claw including a second pair of arms connected to a second central body that is mounted to the frame, the second pair of arms being adapted to grip a section of pipe; and an actuator mechanism, the actuator mechanism being actuatable to move the first claw and the second claw closer to each other along the frame; the method comprising: placing an adapter comprising a first elongated member on the first section of pipe; gripping the first section of pipe in the first claw, the adapter and the first claw being positioned such that the adapter is between the second claw and the female connector of the second section of pipe; and actuating the actuator mechanism to cause the first elongated member to abut the second claw and the female connector, thereby separating the first and second sections of pipe.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the adapter further comprises a second elongated member, and wherein actuating the actuator mechanism causes the second elongated member to abut the second claw and the female connector, thereby separating the first and second sections of pipe.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the adapter comprises a resilient member connected to the first elongated member and the second elongated member, the resilient member causing the first elongated member and the second elongated member to be biased against at least one of the first and second sections of pipe when the adapter is placed between the second claw and the male connector of the second section of pipe.

15. The method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein placing the adapter on the first section of pipe is performed after gripping the first section of pipe in the first claw.

16. An adapter for separating first and second sections of pipe using the apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, the adapter comprising: a first elongated member to be placed on the first section of pipe, such that a gripping of the first section of pipe in the first claw is performed, the adapter and the first claw being positioned such that the adapter is between the second claw and the female connector of the second section of pipe and an actuating the actuator mechanism cause the first elongated member to abut the second claw and the female connector, thereby separating the first and second sections of pipe.

17. The adapter as claimed in claim 16, further comprising: a second elongated member, wherein actuating the actuator mechanism causes the second elongated member to abut the second claw and the female connector, thereby separating the first and second sections of pipe; and a resilient member connected to the first elongated member and the second elongated member, the resilient member causing the first elongated member and the second elongated member to be biased against at least one of the first and second sections of pipe when the adapter is placed between the second claw and the male connector of the second section of pipe.