CA2090671A1 - Positive seal coupling internal joining press - Google Patents
Positive seal coupling internal joining pressInfo
- Publication number
- CA2090671A1 CA2090671A1 CA002090671A CA2090671A CA2090671A1 CA 2090671 A1 CA2090671 A1 CA 2090671A1 CA 002090671 A CA002090671 A CA 002090671A CA 2090671 A CA2090671 A CA 2090671A CA 2090671 A1 CA2090671 A1 CA 2090671A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- pipe
- mandrel
- sections
- grippers
- coupling
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23P—METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS
- B23P19/00—Machines for simply fitting together or separating metal parts or objects, or metal and non-metal parts, whether or not involving some deformation; Tools or devices therefor so far as not provided for in other classes
- B23P19/02—Machines for simply fitting together or separating metal parts or objects, or metal and non-metal parts, whether or not involving some deformation; Tools or devices therefor so far as not provided for in other classes for connecting objects by press fit or for detaching same
- B23P19/027—Machines for simply fitting together or separating metal parts or objects, or metal and non-metal parts, whether or not involving some deformation; Tools or devices therefor so far as not provided for in other classes for connecting objects by press fit or for detaching same using hydraulic or pneumatic means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25B—TOOLS OR BENCH DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, FOR FASTENING, CONNECTING, DISENGAGING OR HOLDING
- B25B27/00—Hand tools, specially adapted for fitting together or separating parts or objects whether or not involving some deformation, not otherwise provided for
- B25B27/02—Hand tools, specially adapted for fitting together or separating parts or objects whether or not involving some deformation, not otherwise provided for for connecting objects by press fit or detaching same
- B25B27/026—Hand tools, specially adapted for fitting together or separating parts or objects whether or not involving some deformation, not otherwise provided for for connecting objects by press fit or detaching same fluid driven
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25B—TOOLS OR BENCH DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, FOR FASTENING, CONNECTING, DISENGAGING OR HOLDING
- B25B27/00—Hand tools, specially adapted for fitting together or separating parts or objects whether or not involving some deformation, not otherwise provided for
- B25B27/02—Hand tools, specially adapted for fitting together or separating parts or objects whether or not involving some deformation, not otherwise provided for for connecting objects by press fit or detaching same
- B25B27/06—Hand tools, specially adapted for fitting together or separating parts or objects whether or not involving some deformation, not otherwise provided for for connecting objects by press fit or detaching same inserting or withdrawing sleeves or bearing races
- B25B27/064—Hand tools, specially adapted for fitting together or separating parts or objects whether or not involving some deformation, not otherwise provided for for connecting objects by press fit or detaching same inserting or withdrawing sleeves or bearing races fluid driven
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L1/00—Laying or reclaiming pipes; Repairing or joining pipes on or under water
- F16L1/024—Laying or reclaiming pipes on land, e.g. above the ground
- F16L1/06—Accessories therefor, e.g. anchors
- F16L1/09—Accessories therefor, e.g. anchors for bringing two tubular members closer to each other
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/53—Means to assemble or disassemble
- Y10T29/5367—Coupling to conduit
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/53—Means to assemble or disassemble
- Y10T29/53796—Puller or pusher means, contained force multiplying operator
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/53—Means to assemble or disassemble
- Y10T29/53796—Puller or pusher means, contained force multiplying operator
- Y10T29/5383—Puller or pusher means, contained force multiplying operator having fluid operator
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/53—Means to assemble or disassemble
- Y10T29/53987—Tube, sleeve or ferrule
Abstract
This invention is a new apparatus for installing press fit couplings about steel pipeline sections. Conventional apparatuses are extremely large, usually requiring extensive mounting equipment, and are incapable of being used in the confined spaces of a pipe trench. This invention solves the problem with a small, compact pipe coupling apparatus which is easily maneuvrable in tight spaces. The apparatus (10) fits within two pipes (1, 2) to be joined, with a coupling (3) disposed between them. Two hydraulically actuated grippers (6, 7) grip the insides of both pipes (1, 2), respectively, and a hydraulically actuated cylinder (5) is operated to pull the pipes (1, 2) together, press fitting the coupling (3) about them. The entire apparatus is controlled using only two hydraulic lines (8). The grippers (6, 7) can be retracted and the apparatus moved within the pipeline from one joint to the next. The invention is also applicable in joining two sections of pipe without the use of a coupling.
Description
W O g2/05010 PCT/US91/06762 I !
POSITIVE SEAL CO'lPLI~G
I INTERNAL JOINI~ PRESS 2 0 9 0 6 71 2 IBackground of the Invention 4 l. Field of the Invention 6 This invention relates to couplings used to join sections of pipe 7 together into a continuous pipeline.
9 2. ~escription of Related Art `~ ' 10 11 ~he conventional way to assemble pipelines is to weld individual 12 pieces of pipe together. For large diameter pipes, however, 13 welding is a slow process. One way to avoid the hish cost of 14 welding is to use a sleeve-type coupling to fit over the two ends of the two pipes being joined.
17 Several sleeve-type couplings have been developed. Representa-18 tive is U.S. Patent No. 4,328,983 issued to Jack E. Gibson. The 9 couplins consists of a sleeve having an internal diameter 20 l slightly smaller than the external diameter of the pipe sections 21 I to be joined. Forcing one end of a pipe sectior. into each end of æ I the couplins sleeve effects a press fit, sealed connection be~ween aach pipe section and the coupling.
25¦' Installation of couplings on pipe sections can be accomplished 261~ with a machine disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,328,608 also issued 2~ to Jack E. Gibson. ~his machine grabs the outside o' the pipe, 2~ graos the end of the coupling, then forces the pipe into the ~ ~ !
` ~ ~9, insicie of the coupling usino two hydraulic cylinders which 30i aenerate a force o' approximately '20,C00 1DS. Once the coupling 31l is installe~i onto one end o' a pip~, a secon_ pipe car be~
32 ins.alle~, completing the joint. ; major proble~ wi:n tnis ., , . i :~ .
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' W 0 92/05010 PCT/US91/06762 ~ . ' ., 2 0 9 0 6'7 1 _ 2 - ' ' 1 installed, completing the joint. A major problem wit~, this ! machine is that the hydraulic rams used to exert the forces 3 ¦ necessary to accomplish the press fit must be mounted on a 4 I massive b~ase which, in turn, can with5tand th~ ~orces without 6 becoming deformed. Consequently, this machine can only be used _ where there is ample, unobstructed space for its operation.
Often it is used to construct undergrounc oil transmission 8 pipelines. The pipeline is assembled on the surface and then 9 lowéred into a trench. There normallv is plent~ o~ space around 0 the trench, so the large size of the installation equipmen~ is i not a problem.
13 There are many inst,nces where space is limited Dnd the standard 14 joining press c,annot be us,ed. One example is pipe containing ~5 high voltage electric transmission cables in an urban 16 ¦environment.. Urban pipe-type installations are typically 17 -ncumb-red by frequent crossings o~ other utilities and by trench 18 ~shor~ins, both of which prevent the lowering of a sur.'ace joined pipeline directly into the trench. Cramped quarters and the need to minimize trench size also prohibit placing the e~isting press 21~ into the trench for making the joint.
24 ~One sol~tion to this problem is disclosed in f'J.S. Patent No.¦
~4,389~!763 issued to Richa,rd O. Marsh, Jr. The device used by Ma,rsh h,as a sIotted end plate which a,buts the end of the pipe 26 section opposite thaft to be inserted in the coupling. A hollow 27 ~piston rod is attached to the end plate v~a a hydraulic cylinder and extends inside the pipe for the entire lencth of the pipe sectior.. The hollow piston rod ends with a ,ulti-fingerec' pah~
33l~ mechanlsm which is used to grip a co_pling previously installed i on tne other section o' pipe. The cou?ling use_ with this de-ice 32 ¦ is a cvlinder with annula,r grooves machined or cast in the ends l l l I
, -~ , W O 92/OS010 PCT/~S91/06762 l l 2~90671 1 ~of the cylinder. The ends of the pipe sections are press fit¦
,into the grooves on either end of the cvlindrical sleeve. When 3 ¦ the coupling is installed on one end of a pipe section, the 4 resulting profile of the intern31 wall oE the pipe-couplin(~
combination contains an abrupt step formed by the end of the 6 coupl1ng sleeve. The pawl mechanis~ grips this step and the 7 hydraulic cylinder puts the hollow piston rod in tension, thus 8 drawin~ the end of the pipe section into the annular groove o~¦
the coupling.
11 Althoush this device reduces the size of the installation 12 machinéry, it has a number of significant drawbacks. The device¦
13 is still quite large and unwieldy because the piston rod must be 14 as long as the section of pipe being installed. The device cannot be used on pre-bent pipe because of the straight piston 16 rod. Even if a flexible cable were substituted for the rigid piston rod, the device could not be used with bent pipe because the force is applied to the ends of the pipe and the eccentricity 19 of tne bent pipe would cause it to fold. And finally, the completec pipeline contains numerous steps along its interior 21 I which sien,icantly increase pressure crop when the pipe is used 22 ¦ to transport fluid or which significantly increase the chance of 23 ¦ installation damage to insulation when the pipe contains eIectrical conductors.
26 ¦ It is an object of the invention to provide a small, compact pipe 27 , couplins apparatus which can be used in the confine~ spaces o' a 28! pipe trench.
291', ~ 'i Anothe- OD jec~ o' the invention is -_ provioe a pipe courlinsl :~ : 1, !
; 2pp~-'tUS which can be used to join p-e-bent sections c' pipe.
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WO 92105010 . PCI/US91106762 209 6~ 4-IIt is yet another object of the invention to provide a pipe 2 !coupling apparatus that results in a pipe joint without abrupt 4 steps in the interior surface of the pipeline.
These and other objects are accomplished by the subject 6 invention.
8 Summary of the Invention 9 .
This invention is a new device for installing sleeve type 11 couplings to join steel pipelines. The invention comprises a 12 joininç press which fits inside the pipes to be joined and grabs 13 them on their inside surfaces. It then pulls the pipes together, 1~ forcing the ends of each pipe into the coupling. The invention is comprised of two hydraulically operated grippers to grip the 1 16 pipe and e hydraulically operated cylinder to pull the pipes 17 together. The entire press is controlled using only two ; 19 hydraulic lines.
Brief Description of the ~rawings 23 Figure 1 shows the operational procedure used in joining pipe 24 with the invention and the relationship between the various parts~
~^ of the invention. Figure la shows the press in position to make - ~ 25 a joint. Figure lb shows the pr-ss gripping the two pipes to be 26 ~joined. -Figure lc shows the press with the main cylinder ; 28 retracted and the joint completec.
301 Figure 2 is a view o' the couplinç adapter used in pla^ing a ~ - ' coupling on a pipe.
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W O 92fO50l0 PCT/US91/06762 .
- s 2090671 1 Figure l is a cross sectional view of the outboard gripper of the 2 present invention.
4 Figure 4 is a cross sectional view o~ the main cy1indcr oE the present invention.
6 .
7 ~igure 5 is a cross sectional view o~ the inboard gripper of the 8 main cylinder.
10 Figure 6 is a schematic drawing showing the hydraulic porting of 11 the various parts of the invention.
13 Description of the Preferred Embodiment 15 Referring now to figure la, the invention, generally indicated 16 as lO is shown ready to join first pipe l to second pipe 2 with 17 coupling 3. The m~in cylinder 5 is positioned approximately 18 inside the coupling 3 with its piston rod 4 in the fully extended 19 position. The inboard gripper 7 and outboard gripper 6 are in 20 the retracted position. The second pipe 2 is positioned close to 21 the coupling 3. The hydraulic hose assembly, generally referred 22 to as 8 is snaked through the second pipe 2 and connected to the 23 hydraulic power supply and valve package (not shown).
25 Referring now to figure lb, after the press 10 and p~pes 1,2 are 26 positioned, the inboard gripper 7 and outboard gripper 6 are 27 hydraulically actuated. The inboard gripper 7 grips the first 28 pipe 1 and the outboard gripper 6 grips the second pipe 2. The 29 main _ylinder 5 is then retracted so .he pistor. rod 4 is drawn 30 ¦inside. This pulls the two pipes 1,2 togethe inside the 31 Icouplin- ,. When the two pipes 1,2 touch ea-h other tne joining !
2 0 9 ~ 6 7 ~ - 6 -1 process is complete, and the completed joint is shown in figure 2 ! lc.
` 4 Re$erence is now made to figure lc, which shows a completed joint. The two grippers 6,? are then retracted. The press l0 is 6 then slid to the left by a tension member or rope in the 7 hydraulic hose assembly 8 and partway out of the plpe 2 to get 8 ready to make the next joint using coupling 9. Once the grippers ¦6,7 are retracted, the press rests on plasti~ skid pads 17 as 10 ishown in figure la. The skid pads 17 are made of a low-friction 2 material and protect the pipe 2 from damage that would be caused if the gripping teeth of the grippers 6,7 contacted the pipe 2 as 13 it slid down it. When the grippers 6,7 are engaged, they extend 14 outward beyond the skid pads 17 and grip the pipe.
16 Indicated above is merely one of many possible permutations for constructing a pipeline. Other possible permutations include 18 assembling pipes from left to right instead of from right to left, and having the coupling 3 on the second pipe 2 instead o~
21 on the first pipe l. All permutations can just as easi.y be handled with this invention.
23 It should be further noted that in the sequence shown in Figure la-c, the coupling 3 is depicted as havins been previously 26 attached to the first pipe section 1, prior to completing the 27 pipeline joint. Prejoining of coupling 3 to pipe section l could have been done by a variety of means, including means employing 28 this invention (as described below and in Figure 2). Alternative ~291 means of preattachment of coupling 3 to pipe section l could . ¦linclude, but need not be limited to weldin~, threaded enaaaement, ; ll or intecral construction as in the so-called "bell and s?ic^t" or male-female pipe geometry well known t~ pipeline practitioners.
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WO 92/05010 PCr/US91/06762 I
~ 7 ~ 2090~7 2iAlternatively~ it is possible with the subject invention to join 311couplin~ 3 to pipe sections 1 and 2 simulcaneously, in which case 4 Ithe stroke of main cylinder 5 would need to be at least 5 ¦approximately twice as great as in the configuration depicted in 6 figures la-c.
8 Referring now to figure 2, a coupling adapter 11 is shown which 9 ¦can be used to place a coupling 12 on the end of a pipe 1~ in 10 ¦situations where the coupling 12 has not been preinstalled. The 11 Icoupling 12 is supported by the outside diameter of the adapter 12 11. The coupling 12 is pushed onto the pipe 14 by the shoulder 13 section 15 of the adapter 11. The adapter 11 is in turn grabbed 14 by the inboard gripper 7 which is pulled by the main cylinder 15 S. The coupling 12 is pushed onto the p-pe 14 until the edge 16 16 of the adapter 11 contacts the end of the pipe 14. This assures 17 that exactly ha}f of the coupling 12 overlaps the pipe 14 and the 18 other half of the coupling 12 is ready to accept the other pipe 9 ~not shown), forming the joint.
21 This si;uation is very similar to a normal procedure where two 22 j pipe5 are being joined, as can be seen bv comparing figures 2 and 23 ¦lb. In figure 2, the adapter 11 takes the place of the first 24 ¦pipe 1 of figure lb. Otherwise the procedure is the same.
26 ¦Turning now to figure 3, the mechanical details of the outboard 27 Igripper 6 are indicated. The parts of the gripper 6 which actually grip the inside of the pipe (not shown) are the slips 29ll2l~ Tnere are four slips 21, each forming an approximately 90 3011dearee arc, surrounding a mandrel 22. Tne mandrel 22 is 31lconnecte- t^ the piston rod 4 of the -ain cylinder 5 via threads 32l;~ P-`lin9 force (in a horizontal ^irection to the righ:` is ' ~............ . .
209~)67 - a 2 trans~erred ~rom the piston rod 4, through the threads 23, to the 3 mandrel 22. It is then transferred ~rom the mandrel 22 to the 4 slips 21 through four tapered cone sections 24 and finally from 5 the slips 21 to the pipe (not shown) through a buttress thread 25 on the outside of the slips 21.
1~ 7 Figure 3 shows the gripper 6 in the retracted (or released) 9 position, in which its outside diameter is approximately .75 lO inches less than the inside diameter of the pipe being gripped.
1l To grip the pipe, the slips 21 are pushed to the left by actuator 12 bars 26 and 27. When the slips 21 are pushed to the left relative to the mandrel 22, the tapered cone sections 24 of the '- 14 mandrel 22 push the Qlips radlally outward until they contact and can grip the inside of the pipe (not shown). The angle of the ;~ 16 tapered cones 24 is such that a force to the right from piston '~ l7 rod 4 tends to increase the contact force between the slips 21 - 18 and the pipe, enabling the slips 21 to grip the pipe harder.
.,~ 1 To release the gripper 6, the slips 21 are pushed,to the right.
' 20 ~ 21 Four garter springs 28 then pull the slips 21 radially inward as ;' 22 Ithe slips 21 miintain contact with the tapered cone sections 24.
' 23 This reduces the outside diameter Oc the gripper 6 so that the 24 slips 21 no longer contact the pipe and the gripper 6 ~along with 25 the entire joining press) may slide down the pipeline to make the next joint.
', 26 ~, 27 The actuator bars 26 and 27 reside partly inside a piston 29.
~'" 28 l - IThe vertical bar 26 fits snugly inside a slot in the piston 29 ~;~ 29 ¦and extends outward through slots 30 in the mandrel 22. The ;.' 30 1-~ horizontal ba 27 also fits snuglv inside a slot in the piston 29 !
~;' 31 lano also fits snugly throuoh a slot in the ver:ic2' 02~ 2 Isetscrew 31 holds the two actuato bars 26, 2 toaetne- and' '~ , ~ ~ ' ' : ' -, '' ' - ' : ' . ' 1~ `
-9- 2~90671 2 ! prevents relative motion between the two bars 26, 27 and the 3 , piston 29. The actuator or piston subassembly 26, 27, 29 is able however to slide horizontally relative ~o the mandrel 22 becausC
4 the slots 30 are longer than the actuator bars 26, 27.
6 Motion of the piston 29 is controlled by the hydraulic fluid in 7 ¦ two cavities 32, 33 on either side of it. I~ fluid enters the 8 left cavity 32 and exits the right cavity 33, the piston will be pushed to the right and the gripper will retract. If fluid 11 ¦ enters the right cavity 33 and exits the left cavity 32, the ¦ piston will be pushed to the left and the gripper will engage.
13 Hydraulic fluid enters and leaves the left cavity 32 via quick 14 disconnect 34, manifold block 35, eed tube 36 and port 37.
Hydraulic fluid enters and leaves the right cavity 33 via quick 16 disconnect 38, manifold block 35, feed tube 39 and port 40. In the preferred embodimcnt of the invention, there are a 18 multiplicity of ports 37, 40 and feed tubes 36, 39, increasing the flow area and decreasing the fluid flow velocity. Although 21 not shown in the figure, in the pre~eereà embodiment the manifold block 35 splits the flow from a single quick disconnect 34 into a 22 multiplicity of feed tubes 36 and splits the flow from a single 23 quick disconnect 38 into a multiplicity of feed tubes 39.
26 It is desirable to the operation of this invention to keep the gripper in the fully released position unless the hydraulic 27 ¦ pressure of the fluid at quick disconnect 38 exceeds a certain 28 I thresholc value (approximately 400 psi in the preferred 29 I embodimen~). This is so the main cylinder may retra_t a~ a low !
1 ? essure (less than 400 psi) withou: engaginc the ari?pers asi s wl`' be explained wnen discussin5 the hyd aulic operaticn of the 32l .. . . .
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WO ~2/05010 PCl /1 lS91 /06762 I
209067~ -10-l invention. This feature is accomplished by means of sprinaloaded 2 check valve 42 and check valve 43.
4 When the piston 29 is in the fully retracted position shown in 5 figure 3, fluid from port 40 must flow through a drilled hole 41 6 in the piston 29 and through a spring-loaded check valve 42 7 before it may enter the right cavity 33 and move the piston.
8 Thus the piston will not actuate the gripper until the pressure 9 at port 40 exceeds the preset value Oc the spring-loaded check 10 valve. Once the piston moves and the seal 44 moves past the port 1 40, fluid may enter cavity 33 directly, withou~ flowing through 12 drilled hole 41 and without the pressure drop caused by 13 spring-loaded check valve 42. Fluid may always leave cavity 33 14 and enter port 40 without any restriction or pressure drop. When 15 the piston in the position shown in figure 3, fluid leaves via 16 check valve 43 and hole 41. When the seal 44 is to the left of 17 port 40, fluid may enter port 40 directly.
19 !Hydraulic fluid from quick disconnects 38, 34 is also used to 20 contro' the m2in cylinder (5 in figure 1) and the outDoard 21 gripper (7 in figure 1). ~luid flows from quick disconnec~ 38, æ ¦through the manifold 35 and mandrel 22 and then into a groove 46 23 lin an internal manifold 45. From this groove 46 it enters a hole 24 ¦47 and feed tube 48 and finally goes into the center hole of the 25 Imain cylinder's 5 piston rod 4. Fluid from quick disconnect 34 26 Iflows through the manifold 35 and mandrel 22 and then into a 27 Igroove 49 of internal manifold 45. rrom there it enters a face 28 igroove 50 and then goes into a ~eed hole 52 oc tne piston rod 29 1 7. rluid passage beyond the pisto;n roo h'i' 1 De described 30¦l1ater. I' is important to note that these flows are ~n para!lel 3lllwi~h the Clows into the cavities 32 ano 33 wnich actuate the ~r~
gr l p pe . .
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2 ¦An e,vebo't 53 and locknut 54 are threaded into the manifold 3 3 jand used for pulling the entire invention down the pipe~ine. An ¦end plug 55 is threaded into the mandrel 22 to plug the end of 6 Icavi ty 32.
7 ¦aecause of the many hydraulic passaaes and cavities, there are 8 Iman~- seals used in the gripper 6. There are many different ways 9j'to seal the components and manv klnds of seals, but in the 0 Ipre erred embodimen., the following seals are useo. An O-ringl 11 jseal and modular backup 56 is used in the mandrel 22 to seal the 12 !cavity 32. Also'sealing cavity 32 is poly seal and backup 57. A
POSITIVE SEAL CO'lPLI~G
I INTERNAL JOINI~ PRESS 2 0 9 0 6 71 2 IBackground of the Invention 4 l. Field of the Invention 6 This invention relates to couplings used to join sections of pipe 7 together into a continuous pipeline.
9 2. ~escription of Related Art `~ ' 10 11 ~he conventional way to assemble pipelines is to weld individual 12 pieces of pipe together. For large diameter pipes, however, 13 welding is a slow process. One way to avoid the hish cost of 14 welding is to use a sleeve-type coupling to fit over the two ends of the two pipes being joined.
17 Several sleeve-type couplings have been developed. Representa-18 tive is U.S. Patent No. 4,328,983 issued to Jack E. Gibson. The 9 couplins consists of a sleeve having an internal diameter 20 l slightly smaller than the external diameter of the pipe sections 21 I to be joined. Forcing one end of a pipe sectior. into each end of æ I the couplins sleeve effects a press fit, sealed connection be~ween aach pipe section and the coupling.
25¦' Installation of couplings on pipe sections can be accomplished 261~ with a machine disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,328,608 also issued 2~ to Jack E. Gibson. ~his machine grabs the outside o' the pipe, 2~ graos the end of the coupling, then forces the pipe into the ~ ~ !
` ~ ~9, insicie of the coupling usino two hydraulic cylinders which 30i aenerate a force o' approximately '20,C00 1DS. Once the coupling 31l is installe~i onto one end o' a pip~, a secon_ pipe car be~
32 ins.alle~, completing the joint. ; major proble~ wi:n tnis ., , . i :~ .
:~ . ' , . . .
, : .: -. ~ . . . ~ , ~,. ' , . : .
~; ~
' W 0 92/05010 PCT/US91/06762 ~ . ' ., 2 0 9 0 6'7 1 _ 2 - ' ' 1 installed, completing the joint. A major problem wit~, this ! machine is that the hydraulic rams used to exert the forces 3 ¦ necessary to accomplish the press fit must be mounted on a 4 I massive b~ase which, in turn, can with5tand th~ ~orces without 6 becoming deformed. Consequently, this machine can only be used _ where there is ample, unobstructed space for its operation.
Often it is used to construct undergrounc oil transmission 8 pipelines. The pipeline is assembled on the surface and then 9 lowéred into a trench. There normallv is plent~ o~ space around 0 the trench, so the large size of the installation equipmen~ is i not a problem.
13 There are many inst,nces where space is limited Dnd the standard 14 joining press c,annot be us,ed. One example is pipe containing ~5 high voltage electric transmission cables in an urban 16 ¦environment.. Urban pipe-type installations are typically 17 -ncumb-red by frequent crossings o~ other utilities and by trench 18 ~shor~ins, both of which prevent the lowering of a sur.'ace joined pipeline directly into the trench. Cramped quarters and the need to minimize trench size also prohibit placing the e~isting press 21~ into the trench for making the joint.
24 ~One sol~tion to this problem is disclosed in f'J.S. Patent No.¦
~4,389~!763 issued to Richa,rd O. Marsh, Jr. The device used by Ma,rsh h,as a sIotted end plate which a,buts the end of the pipe 26 section opposite thaft to be inserted in the coupling. A hollow 27 ~piston rod is attached to the end plate v~a a hydraulic cylinder and extends inside the pipe for the entire lencth of the pipe sectior.. The hollow piston rod ends with a ,ulti-fingerec' pah~
33l~ mechanlsm which is used to grip a co_pling previously installed i on tne other section o' pipe. The cou?ling use_ with this de-ice 32 ¦ is a cvlinder with annula,r grooves machined or cast in the ends l l l I
, -~ , W O 92/OS010 PCT/~S91/06762 l l 2~90671 1 ~of the cylinder. The ends of the pipe sections are press fit¦
,into the grooves on either end of the cvlindrical sleeve. When 3 ¦ the coupling is installed on one end of a pipe section, the 4 resulting profile of the intern31 wall oE the pipe-couplin(~
combination contains an abrupt step formed by the end of the 6 coupl1ng sleeve. The pawl mechanis~ grips this step and the 7 hydraulic cylinder puts the hollow piston rod in tension, thus 8 drawin~ the end of the pipe section into the annular groove o~¦
the coupling.
11 Althoush this device reduces the size of the installation 12 machinéry, it has a number of significant drawbacks. The device¦
13 is still quite large and unwieldy because the piston rod must be 14 as long as the section of pipe being installed. The device cannot be used on pre-bent pipe because of the straight piston 16 rod. Even if a flexible cable were substituted for the rigid piston rod, the device could not be used with bent pipe because the force is applied to the ends of the pipe and the eccentricity 19 of tne bent pipe would cause it to fold. And finally, the completec pipeline contains numerous steps along its interior 21 I which sien,icantly increase pressure crop when the pipe is used 22 ¦ to transport fluid or which significantly increase the chance of 23 ¦ installation damage to insulation when the pipe contains eIectrical conductors.
26 ¦ It is an object of the invention to provide a small, compact pipe 27 , couplins apparatus which can be used in the confine~ spaces o' a 28! pipe trench.
291', ~ 'i Anothe- OD jec~ o' the invention is -_ provioe a pipe courlinsl :~ : 1, !
; 2pp~-'tUS which can be used to join p-e-bent sections c' pipe.
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WO 92105010 . PCI/US91106762 209 6~ 4-IIt is yet another object of the invention to provide a pipe 2 !coupling apparatus that results in a pipe joint without abrupt 4 steps in the interior surface of the pipeline.
These and other objects are accomplished by the subject 6 invention.
8 Summary of the Invention 9 .
This invention is a new device for installing sleeve type 11 couplings to join steel pipelines. The invention comprises a 12 joininç press which fits inside the pipes to be joined and grabs 13 them on their inside surfaces. It then pulls the pipes together, 1~ forcing the ends of each pipe into the coupling. The invention is comprised of two hydraulically operated grippers to grip the 1 16 pipe and e hydraulically operated cylinder to pull the pipes 17 together. The entire press is controlled using only two ; 19 hydraulic lines.
Brief Description of the ~rawings 23 Figure 1 shows the operational procedure used in joining pipe 24 with the invention and the relationship between the various parts~
~^ of the invention. Figure la shows the press in position to make - ~ 25 a joint. Figure lb shows the pr-ss gripping the two pipes to be 26 ~joined. -Figure lc shows the press with the main cylinder ; 28 retracted and the joint completec.
301 Figure 2 is a view o' the couplinç adapter used in pla^ing a ~ - ' coupling on a pipe.
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W O 92fO50l0 PCT/US91/06762 .
- s 2090671 1 Figure l is a cross sectional view of the outboard gripper of the 2 present invention.
4 Figure 4 is a cross sectional view o~ the main cy1indcr oE the present invention.
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7 ~igure 5 is a cross sectional view o~ the inboard gripper of the 8 main cylinder.
10 Figure 6 is a schematic drawing showing the hydraulic porting of 11 the various parts of the invention.
13 Description of the Preferred Embodiment 15 Referring now to figure la, the invention, generally indicated 16 as lO is shown ready to join first pipe l to second pipe 2 with 17 coupling 3. The m~in cylinder 5 is positioned approximately 18 inside the coupling 3 with its piston rod 4 in the fully extended 19 position. The inboard gripper 7 and outboard gripper 6 are in 20 the retracted position. The second pipe 2 is positioned close to 21 the coupling 3. The hydraulic hose assembly, generally referred 22 to as 8 is snaked through the second pipe 2 and connected to the 23 hydraulic power supply and valve package (not shown).
25 Referring now to figure lb, after the press 10 and p~pes 1,2 are 26 positioned, the inboard gripper 7 and outboard gripper 6 are 27 hydraulically actuated. The inboard gripper 7 grips the first 28 pipe 1 and the outboard gripper 6 grips the second pipe 2. The 29 main _ylinder 5 is then retracted so .he pistor. rod 4 is drawn 30 ¦inside. This pulls the two pipes 1,2 togethe inside the 31 Icouplin- ,. When the two pipes 1,2 touch ea-h other tne joining !
2 0 9 ~ 6 7 ~ - 6 -1 process is complete, and the completed joint is shown in figure 2 ! lc.
` 4 Re$erence is now made to figure lc, which shows a completed joint. The two grippers 6,? are then retracted. The press l0 is 6 then slid to the left by a tension member or rope in the 7 hydraulic hose assembly 8 and partway out of the plpe 2 to get 8 ready to make the next joint using coupling 9. Once the grippers ¦6,7 are retracted, the press rests on plasti~ skid pads 17 as 10 ishown in figure la. The skid pads 17 are made of a low-friction 2 material and protect the pipe 2 from damage that would be caused if the gripping teeth of the grippers 6,7 contacted the pipe 2 as 13 it slid down it. When the grippers 6,7 are engaged, they extend 14 outward beyond the skid pads 17 and grip the pipe.
16 Indicated above is merely one of many possible permutations for constructing a pipeline. Other possible permutations include 18 assembling pipes from left to right instead of from right to left, and having the coupling 3 on the second pipe 2 instead o~
21 on the first pipe l. All permutations can just as easi.y be handled with this invention.
23 It should be further noted that in the sequence shown in Figure la-c, the coupling 3 is depicted as havins been previously 26 attached to the first pipe section 1, prior to completing the 27 pipeline joint. Prejoining of coupling 3 to pipe section l could have been done by a variety of means, including means employing 28 this invention (as described below and in Figure 2). Alternative ~291 means of preattachment of coupling 3 to pipe section l could . ¦linclude, but need not be limited to weldin~, threaded enaaaement, ; ll or intecral construction as in the so-called "bell and s?ic^t" or male-female pipe geometry well known t~ pipeline practitioners.
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WO 92/05010 PCr/US91/06762 I
~ 7 ~ 2090~7 2iAlternatively~ it is possible with the subject invention to join 311couplin~ 3 to pipe sections 1 and 2 simulcaneously, in which case 4 Ithe stroke of main cylinder 5 would need to be at least 5 ¦approximately twice as great as in the configuration depicted in 6 figures la-c.
8 Referring now to figure 2, a coupling adapter 11 is shown which 9 ¦can be used to place a coupling 12 on the end of a pipe 1~ in 10 ¦situations where the coupling 12 has not been preinstalled. The 11 Icoupling 12 is supported by the outside diameter of the adapter 12 11. The coupling 12 is pushed onto the pipe 14 by the shoulder 13 section 15 of the adapter 11. The adapter 11 is in turn grabbed 14 by the inboard gripper 7 which is pulled by the main cylinder 15 S. The coupling 12 is pushed onto the p-pe 14 until the edge 16 16 of the adapter 11 contacts the end of the pipe 14. This assures 17 that exactly ha}f of the coupling 12 overlaps the pipe 14 and the 18 other half of the coupling 12 is ready to accept the other pipe 9 ~not shown), forming the joint.
21 This si;uation is very similar to a normal procedure where two 22 j pipe5 are being joined, as can be seen bv comparing figures 2 and 23 ¦lb. In figure 2, the adapter 11 takes the place of the first 24 ¦pipe 1 of figure lb. Otherwise the procedure is the same.
26 ¦Turning now to figure 3, the mechanical details of the outboard 27 Igripper 6 are indicated. The parts of the gripper 6 which actually grip the inside of the pipe (not shown) are the slips 29ll2l~ Tnere are four slips 21, each forming an approximately 90 3011dearee arc, surrounding a mandrel 22. Tne mandrel 22 is 31lconnecte- t^ the piston rod 4 of the -ain cylinder 5 via threads 32l;~ P-`lin9 force (in a horizontal ^irection to the righ:` is ' ~............ . .
209~)67 - a 2 trans~erred ~rom the piston rod 4, through the threads 23, to the 3 mandrel 22. It is then transferred ~rom the mandrel 22 to the 4 slips 21 through four tapered cone sections 24 and finally from 5 the slips 21 to the pipe (not shown) through a buttress thread 25 on the outside of the slips 21.
1~ 7 Figure 3 shows the gripper 6 in the retracted (or released) 9 position, in which its outside diameter is approximately .75 lO inches less than the inside diameter of the pipe being gripped.
1l To grip the pipe, the slips 21 are pushed to the left by actuator 12 bars 26 and 27. When the slips 21 are pushed to the left relative to the mandrel 22, the tapered cone sections 24 of the '- 14 mandrel 22 push the Qlips radlally outward until they contact and can grip the inside of the pipe (not shown). The angle of the ;~ 16 tapered cones 24 is such that a force to the right from piston '~ l7 rod 4 tends to increase the contact force between the slips 21 - 18 and the pipe, enabling the slips 21 to grip the pipe harder.
.,~ 1 To release the gripper 6, the slips 21 are pushed,to the right.
' 20 ~ 21 Four garter springs 28 then pull the slips 21 radially inward as ;' 22 Ithe slips 21 miintain contact with the tapered cone sections 24.
' 23 This reduces the outside diameter Oc the gripper 6 so that the 24 slips 21 no longer contact the pipe and the gripper 6 ~along with 25 the entire joining press) may slide down the pipeline to make the next joint.
', 26 ~, 27 The actuator bars 26 and 27 reside partly inside a piston 29.
~'" 28 l - IThe vertical bar 26 fits snugly inside a slot in the piston 29 ~;~ 29 ¦and extends outward through slots 30 in the mandrel 22. The ;.' 30 1-~ horizontal ba 27 also fits snuglv inside a slot in the piston 29 !
~;' 31 lano also fits snugly throuoh a slot in the ver:ic2' 02~ 2 Isetscrew 31 holds the two actuato bars 26, 2 toaetne- and' '~ , ~ ~ ' ' : ' -, '' ' - ' : ' . ' 1~ `
-9- 2~90671 2 ! prevents relative motion between the two bars 26, 27 and the 3 , piston 29. The actuator or piston subassembly 26, 27, 29 is able however to slide horizontally relative ~o the mandrel 22 becausC
4 the slots 30 are longer than the actuator bars 26, 27.
6 Motion of the piston 29 is controlled by the hydraulic fluid in 7 ¦ two cavities 32, 33 on either side of it. I~ fluid enters the 8 left cavity 32 and exits the right cavity 33, the piston will be pushed to the right and the gripper will retract. If fluid 11 ¦ enters the right cavity 33 and exits the left cavity 32, the ¦ piston will be pushed to the left and the gripper will engage.
13 Hydraulic fluid enters and leaves the left cavity 32 via quick 14 disconnect 34, manifold block 35, eed tube 36 and port 37.
Hydraulic fluid enters and leaves the right cavity 33 via quick 16 disconnect 38, manifold block 35, feed tube 39 and port 40. In the preferred embodimcnt of the invention, there are a 18 multiplicity of ports 37, 40 and feed tubes 36, 39, increasing the flow area and decreasing the fluid flow velocity. Although 21 not shown in the figure, in the pre~eereà embodiment the manifold block 35 splits the flow from a single quick disconnect 34 into a 22 multiplicity of feed tubes 36 and splits the flow from a single 23 quick disconnect 38 into a multiplicity of feed tubes 39.
26 It is desirable to the operation of this invention to keep the gripper in the fully released position unless the hydraulic 27 ¦ pressure of the fluid at quick disconnect 38 exceeds a certain 28 I thresholc value (approximately 400 psi in the preferred 29 I embodimen~). This is so the main cylinder may retra_t a~ a low !
1 ? essure (less than 400 psi) withou: engaginc the ari?pers asi s wl`' be explained wnen discussin5 the hyd aulic operaticn of the 32l .. . . .
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WO ~2/05010 PCl /1 lS91 /06762 I
209067~ -10-l invention. This feature is accomplished by means of sprinaloaded 2 check valve 42 and check valve 43.
4 When the piston 29 is in the fully retracted position shown in 5 figure 3, fluid from port 40 must flow through a drilled hole 41 6 in the piston 29 and through a spring-loaded check valve 42 7 before it may enter the right cavity 33 and move the piston.
8 Thus the piston will not actuate the gripper until the pressure 9 at port 40 exceeds the preset value Oc the spring-loaded check 10 valve. Once the piston moves and the seal 44 moves past the port 1 40, fluid may enter cavity 33 directly, withou~ flowing through 12 drilled hole 41 and without the pressure drop caused by 13 spring-loaded check valve 42. Fluid may always leave cavity 33 14 and enter port 40 without any restriction or pressure drop. When 15 the piston in the position shown in figure 3, fluid leaves via 16 check valve 43 and hole 41. When the seal 44 is to the left of 17 port 40, fluid may enter port 40 directly.
19 !Hydraulic fluid from quick disconnects 38, 34 is also used to 20 contro' the m2in cylinder (5 in figure 1) and the outDoard 21 gripper (7 in figure 1). ~luid flows from quick disconnec~ 38, æ ¦through the manifold 35 and mandrel 22 and then into a groove 46 23 lin an internal manifold 45. From this groove 46 it enters a hole 24 ¦47 and feed tube 48 and finally goes into the center hole of the 25 Imain cylinder's 5 piston rod 4. Fluid from quick disconnect 34 26 Iflows through the manifold 35 and mandrel 22 and then into a 27 Igroove 49 of internal manifold 45. rrom there it enters a face 28 igroove 50 and then goes into a ~eed hole 52 oc tne piston rod 29 1 7. rluid passage beyond the pisto;n roo h'i' 1 De described 30¦l1ater. I' is important to note that these flows are ~n para!lel 3lllwi~h the Clows into the cavities 32 ano 33 wnich actuate the ~r~
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2 ¦An e,vebo't 53 and locknut 54 are threaded into the manifold 3 3 jand used for pulling the entire invention down the pipe~ine. An ¦end plug 55 is threaded into the mandrel 22 to plug the end of 6 Icavi ty 32.
7 ¦aecause of the many hydraulic passaaes and cavities, there are 8 Iman~- seals used in the gripper 6. There are many different ways 9j'to seal the components and manv klnds of seals, but in the 0 Ipre erred embodimen., the following seals are useo. An O-ringl 11 jseal and modular backup 56 is used in the mandrel 22 to seal the 12 !cavity 32. Also'sealing cavity 32 is poly seal and backup 57. A
13 seal SB is used to scrape the mandrel bore 59 to keep dirt which 14 enters slot 30 from contacting seal 57. The other side of piston 29 uses identical seals 58 and 57 in similar roles. A seal 44 16 mentioned previously is used to seal the two ends of spring-loaded check valves 42 and check valve 43.
19 An ~-ring 6G seals the cavity 33 from groove 46. An O-ring seal 61 and two modular back-ups seal groove 4c from groove 43.
21 O-ring seal ani two modular back-ups 62 seals feed hole 48 from 22 groove S0. 0-ring seal 63 seals grooves 49 and S0 from the 23 external environment. O-ring seals 64 in a static face seal 2~ Iconfiguration seal ports in the manifold from the external ' '26 ¦environment.
27 Now piease refer to figure 4, which shows a cross section of the 281 mair cvlinder, item 5 in figure 1. The main cylinder is the 291ldevice which generates motion of the two pipe grippe s (items 6 30',lano 7 lr figure 1~. The outboarc s-iP?er (item 6 in figure 1! is 3~¦1attache~ tc tne piston rod 4 wlth threads 2~. Tne inooard i WO 92/05010 PCI`/US91/06762 , 9 ~ 5 l2 gripper (item 7 in figure l) is attached to the end cap 7G with¦
2 threads 7l. Attached to piston rod 4 is the piston 72. ¦
4 Motion of the piston 72 is generated by fluid flow into and out of rod end cavity 73 and cap end cavity 74. Fluid flows into an~
6 out of cavity 73 through feed,holes 77, Sl and port 75. Port 75 7 is connected into the outboard gripper (6 in figure l). Fluid ~lows into and out of cavity 74 through port 76, feed hole 52 and 9 port 76. Port 76 is connected into the outboard grip~ r (6 in figure l), ::: 11 l2 Fluid to control the inboard gripper t7 in igure 1) gets there 13 by lowing through the main cylindçr 5. Fluid which enters port 14 75 can also exit port 79 via feed hole 51, tube 81, and feed hol'e 15 82 and flow into the inboard gripper. Fluid which enters port 76 16 can also exit port 80 via feed hole 52, cavity 74 and feed hole 1/ feed hole 83 and flow into the inboard gripper. It is important l8 to note that fluid flow into the inboard gripper is done in l9 parallel with flow into the main cylinder 5. Thus the grippers (6,7 in figure l) can be actuated without moving the main 21 cylinder 5 and vice versa.
23 The rod end cap 84 contains and 0-ring seal 65 and polypak seal 24 86 to seal cavity 73 from the external environment. It also contains a ~od wiper 87 to clean the rod 4 as it enters the cap 26 64. The end cap 70 contains an 0-ring seal 89 to seal cavity 74 27 ¦ from the environment and threads 88 ~or attaching feed tube 8l.
29il The piston contains a seal 90 and ~-ring seal 94 to seal cavity 30l 73 fro- cavity 74 and a wear rir.^ 91 to minimi~e wear cc the 31,1 insiàe surface o~ cylinder tube 9.. Seal 93 seals cav~ty 7; from I~ l .
W O 92/05010 PCTtUS91/06762 I! l ¦! , - 13 _ 2 09 06 7l ~ eed hole Sl. A setscrew 95 is used to prevent unscrewing of 2¦lpiston rod 4 from piston 72.
3 l 4 ¦Figure i shows a cross sectional view of the inboard gripper, 5 litem 7 in figure l. The inboard gripper is almost identical to ~ ¦the outboard gripper shown in figure 3. Because oF this, a 7 Idetailed description will not be given. The text below will 8~!concentrate on the differences between this gripper and the 91loutcoar~ gripper. The only mechanical difference is that an end llcap 9; cf the inboard gripper replaces the manifold 35 of the outboard gripper. The end cap 95 blocks the ports 97,98 and is 13 ~fastened to the mandrel 99 by bolts 96.
14 ~unctionally, the differences are also very small. The only 15 difference is the portlng and the direction o' fluid flow. Fluid 16 enters and exits the inboard gripper 7 through ports 100 and lOl 17 from the main cylinder. From these ports fluid is directed to 18 the piston actuation cavities 102, 103 in the reverse direction 9 that it occurs in the outboard gripper. All other functions of 20 ¦the two grippers are identical.
22 Referring now to figure 6, the complete hydraulic porting of the 23 invention is shown. The hydraulic cavities 32 and lG3 which 24 release the grippers 6 and 7 and the cavity 74 which extends the 2~ main cylinder 5 are all connected to port 34. Thus pressurizing 26 port 34 will usually extend the main cylinder 5 and release the 27 grippers 6,7. Special cases where this does not occur will be 28 described later. The hydraulic cavities 33 and 102 which engage 29¦!the çrippers 6,7 and the cavi~y ; which retrac-s ~he main 30,~cylinder 5 are all connected to port 38 . Tnus pressur.z:ng port 31¦l38 wi! usually retract the main cylinder 5 and engaçe the 32ll9rippe~s 6,7. Special cases where this does nct oc~ur h"ll De ¦
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W O 92/0501~ PCT/US91/06762 ..,.~
l ¦described later. The grippers 6,7 and the main cylinder j are 2 ¦connected in parallel, so that it is possible to move the main 3 cylinder 5 without moving the gripper actuation pistons 29, 104, 4 and vice versa.
6 The hydraulic operation of the invention proceeds as follows.
7 First, the main cylinder is extended and the grippers are 8 released by pressurizing port 34 and connecting por~ 3B to the 9 reservoir tank (not shown) so that fluid may exit at low I 10 ¦ pressure.
~ 11 12 Next, the grippers 6,7 are engaged without moving the main 13 cylinder 5. In the preferred embodiment this is done by 14 maintaining 9000 psi at port 38 and 6800 psi at port 34. Since the gripper actuation pistons 29, 104 have equal areas on both 16 sides, the pressure difference will cause them to move and engage 17 the grippers 6,7. ~he piston 72 of the main cylinder 5, however, 18 does not have equal areas exposed to the pressure i~n cavities 73 l9 and 7~. aecause of the rod 4, the area exposed to pressure in cavity 73 is only .75 times the area exposed to cavity 7~ (in the 21 preferred embodiment). Thus if cavity 73 has 9000 psi pressurel 22 in i~, the piston ,2 will remain in the extended position as long 23 ¦as the pressure in civity 74 is greater than (.75 x 9000) or 6750¦
24 ¦ psi. Since the pressuré in cavity 74 is 6800 psi, the main 2~ ¦oylinder 5 will remain in the extended position.
26 l 27 ¦ The next operation requires the main cylinder 5 to retract while 28 !the Qrippers 6,~ remain engaged. This is done by pressu-izing 29ll port 36 and connectin~ port 34 to the nydraulic reservoir tank.
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, .' ' , ' ' WO 92/05010 PCl~/US91/06762 ~1 20~0671 1 The next operation is to relea~- the orippers 6 7 and extend the 21~ main cylinder S- This is done by pressurizing port 34 and i connecting port 38 to the reservoir tank (not shown).
The next operation is to retract the main cylinder 5 without engaging the grippers 6,7. This is accomplished using the spring 7 loaded check valve 42 and regular check valve 43 in outboard 9 gripper 6. The inboard gripper 7 has identical components.
Therefore the following description o the outboard g ipper's 6 0 operation will also apply to the inooaro g~ipper 7. In the 11 I preferred em~odiment the sprino loaded cneck valve is set atl 12 approximately 400 psi. Thereore hydraulic fluid will not be 13 able to enter cavity 33 and engage the gripper 6 unless the 14 préssure in port 38 is greater than 400 psi. Under normal noload conditions, the main cylinder 5 will be able to retract at a 16 pressure of approximately 100-200 psi. Therefore if the pressure 17 at port 38 is controlled to be less than or equal to 300 psi the 18 main cylinder 5 will retract, but the grippers 6,7 will not 19 actuate.
21 ¦ After the main cylinder is fully re~racted it is slid down the 22 pipeline and placed in position to make the next joint. The 24 process described above is then repeated.
25 The hydraulic power supply for this invention can be a gasoline 26 or diesel-driven hydraulic pump and a valve package to regulate 28 ¦ the pressures as specified above. Ine power system is designed I to supply up to 7 gallons per minute at a pressure less than 4000 29 I ps:, and up to 3.5 gallons pe minu~e a~ pressures between 4000 3 li an~ 9v^G ps:. The power supply, vDlv- package, anc tne p~ess all 3l! fit on ;OD of a fla bed trailer apc-oximatelv 4 fee: wide and 8 32 fee^ long-1 2 0 9 0 6 7 ~ - 16 -2 ¦While a specific embodiment of the invention ls described 3 hereinabove, it is understood that variations of thc apparatus 4 and method herein described may be made within the scope and 5 terms of the following clalms.
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19 An ~-ring 6G seals the cavity 33 from groove 46. An O-ring seal 61 and two modular back-ups seal groove 4c from groove 43.
21 O-ring seal ani two modular back-ups 62 seals feed hole 48 from 22 groove S0. 0-ring seal 63 seals grooves 49 and S0 from the 23 external environment. O-ring seals 64 in a static face seal 2~ Iconfiguration seal ports in the manifold from the external ' '26 ¦environment.
27 Now piease refer to figure 4, which shows a cross section of the 281 mair cvlinder, item 5 in figure 1. The main cylinder is the 291ldevice which generates motion of the two pipe grippe s (items 6 30',lano 7 lr figure 1~. The outboarc s-iP?er (item 6 in figure 1! is 3~¦1attache~ tc tne piston rod 4 wlth threads 2~. Tne inooard i WO 92/05010 PCI`/US91/06762 , 9 ~ 5 l2 gripper (item 7 in figure l) is attached to the end cap 7G with¦
2 threads 7l. Attached to piston rod 4 is the piston 72. ¦
4 Motion of the piston 72 is generated by fluid flow into and out of rod end cavity 73 and cap end cavity 74. Fluid flows into an~
6 out of cavity 73 through feed,holes 77, Sl and port 75. Port 75 7 is connected into the outboard gripper (6 in figure l). Fluid ~lows into and out of cavity 74 through port 76, feed hole 52 and 9 port 76. Port 76 is connected into the outboard grip~ r (6 in figure l), ::: 11 l2 Fluid to control the inboard gripper t7 in igure 1) gets there 13 by lowing through the main cylindçr 5. Fluid which enters port 14 75 can also exit port 79 via feed hole 51, tube 81, and feed hol'e 15 82 and flow into the inboard gripper. Fluid which enters port 76 16 can also exit port 80 via feed hole 52, cavity 74 and feed hole 1/ feed hole 83 and flow into the inboard gripper. It is important l8 to note that fluid flow into the inboard gripper is done in l9 parallel with flow into the main cylinder 5. Thus the grippers (6,7 in figure l) can be actuated without moving the main 21 cylinder 5 and vice versa.
23 The rod end cap 84 contains and 0-ring seal 65 and polypak seal 24 86 to seal cavity 73 from the external environment. It also contains a ~od wiper 87 to clean the rod 4 as it enters the cap 26 64. The end cap 70 contains an 0-ring seal 89 to seal cavity 74 27 ¦ from the environment and threads 88 ~or attaching feed tube 8l.
29il The piston contains a seal 90 and ~-ring seal 94 to seal cavity 30l 73 fro- cavity 74 and a wear rir.^ 91 to minimi~e wear cc the 31,1 insiàe surface o~ cylinder tube 9.. Seal 93 seals cav~ty 7; from I~ l .
W O 92/05010 PCTtUS91/06762 I! l ¦! , - 13 _ 2 09 06 7l ~ eed hole Sl. A setscrew 95 is used to prevent unscrewing of 2¦lpiston rod 4 from piston 72.
3 l 4 ¦Figure i shows a cross sectional view of the inboard gripper, 5 litem 7 in figure l. The inboard gripper is almost identical to ~ ¦the outboard gripper shown in figure 3. Because oF this, a 7 Idetailed description will not be given. The text below will 8~!concentrate on the differences between this gripper and the 91loutcoar~ gripper. The only mechanical difference is that an end llcap 9; cf the inboard gripper replaces the manifold 35 of the outboard gripper. The end cap 95 blocks the ports 97,98 and is 13 ~fastened to the mandrel 99 by bolts 96.
14 ~unctionally, the differences are also very small. The only 15 difference is the portlng and the direction o' fluid flow. Fluid 16 enters and exits the inboard gripper 7 through ports 100 and lOl 17 from the main cylinder. From these ports fluid is directed to 18 the piston actuation cavities 102, 103 in the reverse direction 9 that it occurs in the outboard gripper. All other functions of 20 ¦the two grippers are identical.
22 Referring now to figure 6, the complete hydraulic porting of the 23 invention is shown. The hydraulic cavities 32 and lG3 which 24 release the grippers 6 and 7 and the cavity 74 which extends the 2~ main cylinder 5 are all connected to port 34. Thus pressurizing 26 port 34 will usually extend the main cylinder 5 and release the 27 grippers 6,7. Special cases where this does not occur will be 28 described later. The hydraulic cavities 33 and 102 which engage 29¦!the çrippers 6,7 and the cavi~y ; which retrac-s ~he main 30,~cylinder 5 are all connected to port 38 . Tnus pressur.z:ng port 31¦l38 wi! usually retract the main cylinder 5 and engaçe the 32ll9rippe~s 6,7. Special cases where this does nct oc~ur h"ll De ¦
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W O 92/0501~ PCT/US91/06762 ..,.~
l ¦described later. The grippers 6,7 and the main cylinder j are 2 ¦connected in parallel, so that it is possible to move the main 3 cylinder 5 without moving the gripper actuation pistons 29, 104, 4 and vice versa.
6 The hydraulic operation of the invention proceeds as follows.
7 First, the main cylinder is extended and the grippers are 8 released by pressurizing port 34 and connecting por~ 3B to the 9 reservoir tank (not shown) so that fluid may exit at low I 10 ¦ pressure.
~ 11 12 Next, the grippers 6,7 are engaged without moving the main 13 cylinder 5. In the preferred embodiment this is done by 14 maintaining 9000 psi at port 38 and 6800 psi at port 34. Since the gripper actuation pistons 29, 104 have equal areas on both 16 sides, the pressure difference will cause them to move and engage 17 the grippers 6,7. ~he piston 72 of the main cylinder 5, however, 18 does not have equal areas exposed to the pressure i~n cavities 73 l9 and 7~. aecause of the rod 4, the area exposed to pressure in cavity 73 is only .75 times the area exposed to cavity 7~ (in the 21 preferred embodiment). Thus if cavity 73 has 9000 psi pressurel 22 in i~, the piston ,2 will remain in the extended position as long 23 ¦as the pressure in civity 74 is greater than (.75 x 9000) or 6750¦
24 ¦ psi. Since the pressuré in cavity 74 is 6800 psi, the main 2~ ¦oylinder 5 will remain in the extended position.
26 l 27 ¦ The next operation requires the main cylinder 5 to retract while 28 !the Qrippers 6,~ remain engaged. This is done by pressu-izing 29ll port 36 and connectin~ port 34 to the nydraulic reservoir tank.
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, .' ' , ' ' WO 92/05010 PCl~/US91/06762 ~1 20~0671 1 The next operation is to relea~- the orippers 6 7 and extend the 21~ main cylinder S- This is done by pressurizing port 34 and i connecting port 38 to the reservoir tank (not shown).
The next operation is to retract the main cylinder 5 without engaging the grippers 6,7. This is accomplished using the spring 7 loaded check valve 42 and regular check valve 43 in outboard 9 gripper 6. The inboard gripper 7 has identical components.
Therefore the following description o the outboard g ipper's 6 0 operation will also apply to the inooaro g~ipper 7. In the 11 I preferred em~odiment the sprino loaded cneck valve is set atl 12 approximately 400 psi. Thereore hydraulic fluid will not be 13 able to enter cavity 33 and engage the gripper 6 unless the 14 préssure in port 38 is greater than 400 psi. Under normal noload conditions, the main cylinder 5 will be able to retract at a 16 pressure of approximately 100-200 psi. Therefore if the pressure 17 at port 38 is controlled to be less than or equal to 300 psi the 18 main cylinder 5 will retract, but the grippers 6,7 will not 19 actuate.
21 ¦ After the main cylinder is fully re~racted it is slid down the 22 pipeline and placed in position to make the next joint. The 24 process described above is then repeated.
25 The hydraulic power supply for this invention can be a gasoline 26 or diesel-driven hydraulic pump and a valve package to regulate 28 ¦ the pressures as specified above. Ine power system is designed I to supply up to 7 gallons per minute at a pressure less than 4000 29 I ps:, and up to 3.5 gallons pe minu~e a~ pressures between 4000 3 li an~ 9v^G ps:. The power supply, vDlv- package, anc tne p~ess all 3l! fit on ;OD of a fla bed trailer apc-oximatelv 4 fee: wide and 8 32 fee^ long-1 2 0 9 0 6 7 ~ - 16 -2 ¦While a specific embodiment of the invention ls described 3 hereinabove, it is understood that variations of thc apparatus 4 and method herein described may be made within the scope and 5 terms of the following clalms.
9 . '~
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Claims (23)
[received by the International Bureau on 3 March 1992 (03.03.92);
original claims 1,2,8,14,15 amended, new claims 16-23 added;
other claims unchanged (11 pages)]
We claim;
1. A pipe coupling apparatus for press fitting the ends of first and second sections of pipe together wherein the end of said first pipe sections has an internal diameter slightly less than the external diameter of the end of said second pipe section, said apparatus comprising:
two grippers each of which fits in the end sections of said first and second pipes to be joined and frictionally engages the interior walls of said pipes; and means for drawing said grippers toward one another until the exterior surface of said second pipe section frictionally engages the interior surface of said first pipe section effecting a press fit joint between said pipes.
Amend claim 2 as follows:
two grippers each of which fits in the end sections of said first and second pipes to be joined and frictionally engages the interior walls of said pipes; and means for drawing said grippers toward one another until the exterior surface of said second pipe section frictionally engages the interior surface of said first pipe section effecting a press fit joint between said pipes.
Amend claim 2 as follows:
2. A pipe coupling apparatus for press fitting the ends of first and second pipe sections into a coupling disposed between said ends and containing apertures for receiving said ends, said apparatus comprising:
two grippers each of which fits in the ends of said first and second sections of pipe to be joined and frictionally engages the interior walls of said pipes; and means for drawing said grippers toward one another until the exterior surfaces of said first and second pipe sections engage the interior surfaces of said apertures effecting press fit joints between said first pipe section and said coupling and between said second pipe section and said coupling.
two grippers each of which fits in the ends of said first and second sections of pipe to be joined and frictionally engages the interior walls of said pipes; and means for drawing said grippers toward one another until the exterior surfaces of said first and second pipe sections engage the interior surfaces of said apertures effecting press fit joints between said first pipe section and said coupling and between said second pipe section and said coupling.
3. A pipe coupling apparatus according to either claim 1 or 2 wherein said means for drawing said grippers toward one another further comprises:
a hydraulic actuator connected to said grippers;
a hydraulic power source; and fluid communication means connecting said actuator and said source;
whereby hydraulic power is transferred from said source to said actuator to move said grippers toward one another.
a hydraulic actuator connected to said grippers;
a hydraulic power source; and fluid communication means connecting said actuator and said source;
whereby hydraulic power is transferred from said source to said actuator to move said grippers toward one another.
4. A pipe coupling apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said hydraulic actuator comprises a hydraulic ram having a cylinder connected to one gripper and a piston with piston rod connected to said other grippers.
5. A pipe coupling apparatus according to either claim or 2 wherein said grippers further comprise:
a mandrel which can be inserted in the end of said pipe;
a plurality of slip pads arranged concentrically around the axis of said mandrel; and a means for extending said slip pads radially outward from said mandrel until said slip pads frictionally engage the interior walls of said pipes.
a mandrel which can be inserted in the end of said pipe;
a plurality of slip pads arranged concentrically around the axis of said mandrel; and a means for extending said slip pads radially outward from said mandrel until said slip pads frictionally engage the interior walls of said pipes.
6. A pipe coupling apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said means for extending said slip pads further comprises:
exterior surfaces on said mandrel inclined in relation to the axis of said mandrel; and an inclined surface on the back of said slip pads which is inclined at a reverse angle to said mandrel exterior surfaces and is in contact with said mandrel exterior surface;
whereby relative axial motion between said mandrel and said slip pads along the axis of said pipe causes said slip pads to extend radially away from said axis until said slip pads frictionally engage the interior wall of said slip pipe or to retract radially away from the interior wall of said pipe allowing said apparatus to be moved and positioned within said pipe.
exterior surfaces on said mandrel inclined in relation to the axis of said mandrel; and an inclined surface on the back of said slip pads which is inclined at a reverse angle to said mandrel exterior surfaces and is in contact with said mandrel exterior surface;
whereby relative axial motion between said mandrel and said slip pads along the axis of said pipe causes said slip pads to extend radially away from said axis until said slip pads frictionally engage the interior wall of said slip pipe or to retract radially away from the interior wall of said pipe allowing said apparatus to be moved and positioned within said pipe.
7. A pipe coupling apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said mandrel contains a plurality of low friction devices mounted on the exterior of said mandrel at a position radially further distant from the axis of said mandrel than said slip pads when said slip pads are in the retracted position whereby said apparatus can be moved axially within said pipe using minimal force.
8. A pipe coupling apparatus for press fitting the ends of pipe sections into a hollow coupling having a plurality of ends, each end containing an aperture for receiving one of said pipe section ends, said apparatus comprising:
a hollow, pipe coupling adapter having an elongated section shaped to fit within one of said apertures and a raised shoulder on the exterior thereof for abutting an end of said coupling;
at least two grippers one of which fits in the end section of said pipe and one of which fits within the hollow section of said adapter disposed in said aperture of said coupling, said grippers frictionally engaging the interior walls of said pipe and said adapter; and means for drawing said grippers toward one another;
whereby the end of said pipe section is press fit into said coupling.
a hollow, pipe coupling adapter having an elongated section shaped to fit within one of said apertures and a raised shoulder on the exterior thereof for abutting an end of said coupling;
at least two grippers one of which fits in the end section of said pipe and one of which fits within the hollow section of said adapter disposed in said aperture of said coupling, said grippers frictionally engaging the interior walls of said pipe and said adapter; and means for drawing said grippers toward one another;
whereby the end of said pipe section is press fit into said coupling.
9. A pipe coupling apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said means for drawing said grippers toward one another comprises:
a hydraulic actuator connected to said grippers;
a hydraulic power source; and fluid communication means connecting said actuator and said source;
whereby hydraulic power is transferred red from said source to said actuator to move said grippers toward one another.
a hydraulic actuator connected to said grippers;
a hydraulic power source; and fluid communication means connecting said actuator and said source;
whereby hydraulic power is transferred red from said source to said actuator to move said grippers toward one another.
10. A pipe coupling apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said hydraulic actuator comprises a hydraulic ram having a cylinder connected to one gripper and a piston with a piston rod connected to said other gripper.
11. A pipe coupling apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said grippers further comprise:
a mandrel which can be inserted in the end of said pipe or said adapter;
a plurality of slip pads arranged concentrically around the axis of said mandrel; and a means for extending said slip pads radially outward from said mandrel until said pads frictionally engage the interior walls of said pipes.
a mandrel which can be inserted in the end of said pipe or said adapter;
a plurality of slip pads arranged concentrically around the axis of said mandrel; and a means for extending said slip pads radially outward from said mandrel until said pads frictionally engage the interior walls of said pipes.
12. A pipe coupling apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said means for extending said slip pads further comprises:
exterior surfaces on said mandrel inclined in relation to the axis of said mandrel; and an inclined surface on the back of said slip pads which is inclined at a reverse angle to said mandrel exterior surfaces and is in contact with said mandrel exterior surface;
whereby relative axial motion between said mandrel and said slip pads along the axis of said pipe or said adapter causes said slip pads to extend radially away from said axis until said slip pads frictionally engage the interior wall of said pipe or said adapter or to retract radially away from the interior wall of said pipe or said adapter allowing said apparatus to be moved and positioned within said pipe.
exterior surfaces on said mandrel inclined in relation to the axis of said mandrel; and an inclined surface on the back of said slip pads which is inclined at a reverse angle to said mandrel exterior surfaces and is in contact with said mandrel exterior surface;
whereby relative axial motion between said mandrel and said slip pads along the axis of said pipe or said adapter causes said slip pads to extend radially away from said axis until said slip pads frictionally engage the interior wall of said pipe or said adapter or to retract radially away from the interior wall of said pipe or said adapter allowing said apparatus to be moved and positioned within said pipe.
13. A pipe coupling apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said mandrel contains a plurality of low friction devices mounted on the exterior of said mandrel at a position radially further distant from the axis or said mandrel than said slip pads when said slip pads are in the retracted position whereby said apparatus can De moved axially within said pipe or said adapter using minimal force.
14. A process of building a pipeline from sections of piping and couplings containing apertures for receiving the ends of said sections in a press fit comprising the steps of:
placing said coupling between two said sections of piping;
placing a pipe coupling apparatus having two grippers on opposite ends thereof within said pipe sections and said coupling;
expanding said grippers to frictionally engage the interior surfaces of said pipe sections; and drawing said grippers toward one another thereby effecting a press fit between said pipe sections and said apertures in said coupling.
placing said coupling between two said sections of piping;
placing a pipe coupling apparatus having two grippers on opposite ends thereof within said pipe sections and said coupling;
expanding said grippers to frictionally engage the interior surfaces of said pipe sections; and drawing said grippers toward one another thereby effecting a press fit between said pipe sections and said apertures in said coupling.
15. A process of building a pipeline from sections of piping and couplings containing apertures for receiving the ends of said sections in a press fit comprising the steps of:
placing said coupling between a section of piping and a hollow adapter which fits in the end of said coupling and has a shoulder for abutting the end of said coupling;
placing a pipe coupling apparatus having two grippers on opposite ends thereof within said section of pip(e)ing and said adapter;
expanding said grippers to frictionally engage the interior surfaces of said section of piping and said adapter;
drawing said grippers toward one another to press fit said coupling on the end of said pipe section;
removing said adapter;
placing said coupling apparatus between said pipe section having said coupling press fit thereon and a second pipe section so that said grippers extend into the interior of both pipe sections;
expanding said grippers to frictionally engage the interior surfaces of said pipe sections; and drawing said grippers toward one another thereby effecting a press fit between said second pipe section and said coupling.
placing said coupling between a section of piping and a hollow adapter which fits in the end of said coupling and has a shoulder for abutting the end of said coupling;
placing a pipe coupling apparatus having two grippers on opposite ends thereof within said section of pip(e)ing and said adapter;
expanding said grippers to frictionally engage the interior surfaces of said section of piping and said adapter;
drawing said grippers toward one another to press fit said coupling on the end of said pipe section;
removing said adapter;
placing said coupling apparatus between said pipe section having said coupling press fit thereon and a second pipe section so that said grippers extend into the interior of both pipe sections;
expanding said grippers to frictionally engage the interior surfaces of said pipe sections; and drawing said grippers toward one another thereby effecting a press fit between said second pipe section and said coupling.
16. A process of building a pipeline from sections of piping with each section having a wide mouth end and a narrow mouth end, the exterior diameter of said narrow mouth end being slightly larger than the interior diameter of said wide mouth end, said process comprising the steps of:
placing first and second pipe sections in axial alignment with said wide mouth end of said first pipe section adjacent to said narrow mouth end of said second pipe section;
placing a pipe coupling apparatus having two grippers on opposite ends thereof within the ends of said pipe sections;
expanding said grippers to frictionally engage the interior surfaces of said sections; and drawing said grippers toward one another thereby effecting a press fit between said pipe sections.
placing first and second pipe sections in axial alignment with said wide mouth end of said first pipe section adjacent to said narrow mouth end of said second pipe section;
placing a pipe coupling apparatus having two grippers on opposite ends thereof within the ends of said pipe sections;
expanding said grippers to frictionally engage the interior surfaces of said sections; and drawing said grippers toward one another thereby effecting a press fit between said pipe sections.
17. A process of building a pipeline from sections G.
piping according to claim 14 further comprising the steps of:
placing an additional pipe section at the end of said joined pipe sections;
placing a coupling between said additional pipe section and the end of said joined pipe sections;
moving said coupling apparatus through said joined pipe sections to said end of said joined pipe sections; and repeating the steps of claim 14 to build a multi-section pipeline.
piping according to claim 14 further comprising the steps of:
placing an additional pipe section at the end of said joined pipe sections;
placing a coupling between said additional pipe section and the end of said joined pipe sections;
moving said coupling apparatus through said joined pipe sections to said end of said joined pipe sections; and repeating the steps of claim 14 to build a multi-section pipeline.
18. A process of building a pipeline from sections of piping according to claim 15 further comprising the steps of:
placing an additional pipe section at the end of said joined pipe sections;
moving said coupling apparatus through said joined pipe sections to said end of said joined pipe sections; and repeating the steps of claim 15 to form a multi-section pipeline.
placing an additional pipe section at the end of said joined pipe sections;
moving said coupling apparatus through said joined pipe sections to said end of said joined pipe sections; and repeating the steps of claim 15 to form a multi-section pipeline.
19. A process of building a pipeline from sections of piping according to claim 16 further comprising the steps of:
placing the wide mouth end of an additional pipe section adjacent to the narrow mouth end of said joined pipe sections;
moving said coupling apparatus through said joined pipe sections to said end of said joined pipe sections; and repeating the steps of claim 15 to form a multi-section pipeline.
placing the wide mouth end of an additional pipe section adjacent to the narrow mouth end of said joined pipe sections;
moving said coupling apparatus through said joined pipe sections to said end of said joined pipe sections; and repeating the steps of claim 15 to form a multi-section pipeline.
20. A process of building a pipeline from sections of piping according to claim 16 further comprising the steps of:
placing the narrow mouth end of an additional pipe section adjacent to the wide mouth end of said joined pipe sections; and repeating the steps of claim 16 to form a multi-section pipeline.
placing the narrow mouth end of an additional pipe section adjacent to the wide mouth end of said joined pipe sections; and repeating the steps of claim 16 to form a multi-section pipeline.
21. A process of building a pipeline from sections of piping according to claim 14 wherein said step of expanding said grippers further comprises the step of hydraulically actuating a power cylinder causing a mandrel with exterior surfaces inclined to the axis of said pipe coupling apparatus to move axially in relation to slip pads mounted on the exterior surface of said mandrel and having reverse inclined surfaces mating with said inclined surfaces on said mandrel so that relative motion of said mandrel to said slip pads causes said slip pads to move radially with respect to the axis of said pipe coupling apparatus.
22. A process of building a pipeline from sections of piping according to claim 15 wherein said step of expanding said grippers further comprises the step of hydraulically actuating a power cylinder causing a mandrel with exterior surfaces inclined to the axis of said pipe coupling apparatus to move axially in relation to slip pads mounted on the exterior surface of said mandrel and having reverse inclined surfaces mating with said inclined surfaces on said mandrel so that relative motion of said mandrel to said slip pads causes said slip pads to move radially with respect to the axis of said pipe coupling apparatus.
23. A process of building a pipeline from sections of piping according to claim 16 wherein said step of expanding said grippers further comprises the step of hydraulically actuating a power cylinder causing a mandrel with exterior surfaces inclined to the axis of said pipe coupling apparatus to move axially in relation to slip pads mounted on the exterior surface of said mandrel and having reverse inclined surfaces mating with said inclined surfaces on said mandrel so that relative motion of said mandrel to said slip pads causes said slip pads to move radially with respect to the axis of said pipe coupling apparatus.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US566,022 | 1990-09-20 | ||
| US07/566,022 US5079816A (en) | 1990-09-20 | 1990-09-20 | Positive seal coupling internal joining press |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2090671A1 true CA2090671A1 (en) | 1992-03-21 |
Family
ID=24261129
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002090671A Abandoned CA2090671A1 (en) | 1990-09-20 | 1991-09-18 | Positive seal coupling internal joining press |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US5079816A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0549719A4 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH06500960A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2090671A1 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1992005010A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2286635A (en) * | 1994-02-22 | 1995-08-23 | Hydra Tight Ltd | Means for separating bodies having aligned holes |
| WO2007112533A1 (en) * | 2006-04-05 | 2007-10-11 | Donald George Stewart | Adjustable sprinkler head riser |
| CA2638995C (en) * | 2008-08-20 | 2014-07-15 | Donald George Stewart | Adjustable sprinkler head riser with cushioning region |
| US20140310942A1 (en) * | 2013-04-18 | 2014-10-23 | Marubeni-Itochu Tubulars America Inc. | Positive seal coupling system |
| CN103639688A (en) * | 2013-12-02 | 2014-03-19 | 神华神东保德煤矿 | Gear sleeve pulling-out device of driving and bolting machine |
| CN108145412A (en) * | 2018-02-02 | 2018-06-12 | 重庆鑫源动力制造有限公司 | A kind of spark plug guide pipe equipment pressure head |
| EP3969896A1 (en) * | 2019-05-15 | 2022-03-23 | Waters Technologies Corporation | Method and apparatus for high pressure sealing |
| CN114193367B (en) * | 2021-10-22 | 2022-08-12 | 扬州恒德工业科技有限公司 | Assembling die |
| CN114633986A (en) * | 2022-04-29 | 2022-06-17 | 安徽永生机械股份有限公司 | Welding-free bearing seat carrier roller and processing equipment thereof |
Family Cites Families (18)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3061916A (en) * | 1958-10-27 | 1962-11-06 | Russell F Kretz | Vehicular pipe laying ram |
| US3233315A (en) * | 1962-12-04 | 1966-02-08 | Plastic Materials Inc | Pipe aligning and joining apparatus |
| US3259964A (en) * | 1963-06-28 | 1966-07-12 | Kahle Eng Co | Pipe clamp |
| US3466738A (en) * | 1965-06-07 | 1969-09-16 | Wadsworth W Mount | Method of joining tubes by driven force fit and joint produced thereby |
| US3469298A (en) * | 1966-10-04 | 1969-09-30 | Atlas Pipe Popper Corp | Pipe pulling apparatus |
| US3486214A (en) * | 1967-10-06 | 1969-12-30 | Robert M Sandvick | Pipe laying apparatus |
| US3639967A (en) * | 1969-05-26 | 1972-02-08 | B & B Pipul Inc | Pipe-joining machine |
| US3644977A (en) * | 1969-12-03 | 1972-02-29 | L Travis Valentine | Apparatus for aligning the ends of adjoining lengths of pipe |
| US3699635A (en) * | 1970-05-26 | 1972-10-24 | Edmund G Bradley | Internal line-up clamp for pipe lines |
| FR2151598A5 (en) * | 1971-09-06 | 1973-04-20 | Pont A Mousson Fond | |
| US3787951A (en) * | 1972-04-14 | 1974-01-29 | Mead Corp | Tools for joining or disconnecting pipes |
| US3831256A (en) * | 1973-04-26 | 1974-08-27 | Reed Mfg Co | Plastic pipe assembly tool |
| AU1488576A (en) * | 1975-06-23 | 1977-12-15 | Porto & Valente Ind Pty Ltd | Joining pipes |
| US4389763A (en) * | 1978-12-11 | 1983-06-28 | Marsh Jr Richard O | Apparatus for joining pipe sections by jacking |
| US4328983A (en) * | 1979-06-15 | 1982-05-11 | Gibson Jack Edward | Positive seal steel coupling apparatus and method therefor |
| US4328608A (en) * | 1980-06-05 | 1982-05-11 | Gibson Jack Edward | Pipeline building method and apparatus |
| US4329124A (en) * | 1980-08-25 | 1982-05-11 | Pridy Whetstine B | Connector assembly |
| GB8702572D0 (en) * | 1987-02-05 | 1987-03-11 | Hunting Oilfield Services Ltd | Pipe connecting tools |
-
1990
- 1990-09-20 US US07/566,022 patent/US5079816A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1991
- 1991-09-18 WO PCT/US1991/006762 patent/WO1992005010A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1991-09-18 JP JP3517889A patent/JPH06500960A/en active Pending
- 1991-09-18 EP EP19910918671 patent/EP0549719A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1991-09-18 CA CA002090671A patent/CA2090671A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US5079816A (en) | 1992-01-14 |
| EP0549719A4 (en) | 1993-09-22 |
| WO1992005010A1 (en) | 1992-04-02 |
| EP0549719A1 (en) | 1993-07-07 |
| JPH06500960A (en) | 1994-01-27 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Discontinued |