US3387512A - Backup wrench - Google Patents

Description

June 11, 1968 A. B. CAMPBELL 3,387,512

BACKUP WRENCH Filed April 18, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l ,ZwE/vrae ANDREW -55 CHMPBELL, ,5; Ms HrmAwE /XT 52215; fdzecv-r, fiassezz fKEQ/K June 11, 1968 A. B. CAMPBELL BACKUP WRENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet P3 Filed April 18, 1966 a W 4 m w wm K a v 5 u m W W W 5, it v N a 4 I 4 a w H d 3 S H 2 M klllmm w H 5 H w r 3 H 11 E w? H Q. 0 H) y D p c m N 0 E m- M M l k 1.1-- y w w s a m F1 f .i. I W W .i I a m Z w A. 7 r

United States Patent 3,387,512 BACKUP WRENCH Andrew B. Campbell, San Marino, Califi, assigncr to Hillman-Kelley, Los Angeles, Calif., a partnership Filed Apr. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 543,329 7 Claims. (CI. 81-54) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A back-up wrench for a power wrench used to make or break threaded joints. The back-up wrench is pivotally mounted on the power wrench for movement into and out of engagement with one part of the threaded joint, the power wrench being engageable with the other. The backup wrench comprises a body having a stationary jaw and a movable jaw linearly movable relative to the stationary jaw to accommodate different pipe or tubing sizes, and pivotable relative to the stationary jaw to open and close the jaws. The pivot for the movable jaw is linearly movable with the movable jaw so as to maintain the stationary and movable jaws in substantially the same positions relative to the axes of pipes or tubings of different diameters. For this purpose, the movable jaw is pivotally mounted on a slide member slidable relative to the wrench body in directions to move the movable jaw toward and away from the stationary jaw.

The present invention relates in general to wrenches for making and breaking threaded joints in pipe or tubing strings, or the like, and, more particularly, to a device which is especially suitable for use as a backup tong or wrench in conjunction with a power tong or wrench for making or breaking pipe or tubing joints. Consequently, the invention will be considered in connection with such an environment herein for convenience.

Summary and objects of invention A general object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for making and breaking a threaded joint interconnecting upper and lower members of an upright pipe or tubing string, or the like, which includes: a power wrench; means supporting the power wrench for movement into and out of engagement with the upper member; a support depending from the power wrench; and a backup wrench pivotally mounted on the support for move ment into and out of engagement with the lower member when the power wrench is in engagement with the upper member. With the foregoing construction, when the power wrench is in engagement with the upper member, the back-up wrench is automatically located in a position to be swung into engagement with the lower member to prevent rotation of the lower member upon rotation of the upper member by the power wrench in making or breaking the threaded joint between the two members, which is an important feature.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a back-up wrench comprising: a wrench body which is pivotally mounted on the depending support for movement relative thereto about a pivot axis parallel to the axis of the pipe or tubing string, and which includes a stationary jaw; a movable jaw pivotally mounted on the wrench body for movement, about a pivot axis paralleling the pipe or tubing string axis, between an operative, extended position, wherein the movable jaw is generally opposite the stationary jaw, and an inoperative, retracted position; and spring means for biasing the movable jaw toward its operative, extended position. To accommodate different pipe or tubing sizes, the movable jaw is mounted on the wrench body for linear movement toward and away from the stationary jaw so as to vary the spacing 3',3&7,51Z Patented June 11, 1968 of such jaws when the movable jaw is in its operative, extended position. Preferably, the pivot for the movable jaw is linearly movable with the movable jaw, as by mounting it on a slide member slidable relative to the wrench body in a direction to move the movable jaw toward and away from the stationary jaw, so as to maintain the stationary and movable jaws in substantially the same positions relative to the axis of pipes or tubings of different diameters. In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the slide member carrying the pivot for the movable jaw is moved linearly relative to the wrench body by screen means interconnecting the slide member and the wrench body.

An important object of the invention is to provide a back-up wrench of the foregoing nature which includes an actuating means which either pivots the stationary and movable jaws relative to the support into engagement with a pipe, or the like, to be gripped therebetween, or which pivots the movable jaw relative to the stationary jaw into its inoperative, retracted position, and simultaneously pivots the stationary and movable jaws relative to the support into a position out of engagement with the pipe, or the like, gripped therebetween. With this construction, the back-up Wrench may be engaged with and disengaged from the pipe, or the like, quickly and easily, which is an important feature.

A further object of the invention is to provide a backup wrench of the foregoing nature wherein the actuating means mentioned includes: a handle pivotally mounted on the wrench body; first stop means on the wrench body on one side of the handle and engageable by the handle to pivot the stationary and movable jaws relative to the support into engagement with a pipe, or the like, to be gripped therebetween, upon pivotal movement of the handle in one direction; and second stop means on the movable jaw on the opposite side of the handle and engageable by the handle, upon pivotal movement of the handle in the opposite direction, to pivot the movable jaw into its inoperative, retracted position and to substantially simultaneously pivot the stationary and movable jaws relative to the support out of engagement with the pipe, or the like, gripped therebetween.

The foregoing objects, advantages, features and results of the present invention, together with various other objects, advantages, features and result thereof which will be evident to those skilled in the wrench art in the light of this disclosure, may be achieved with the exemplary embodiments of the invention described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus of the invention for making or breaking threaded joints in pipe or tubing strings, or the like, when running such strings into or out of oil wells, for example;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, horizontal sectional view taken along the arrowed line 22 of FIG. 1 and showing the back-up tong or wrench of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of invention Referring initially to FIG. 1 of the drawings, illustrated therein is an apparatus 10 of the invention for making or breaking threaded joints in pipe or tubing strings, such as a threaded joint 12 in a drill string 14 being run into or Q out of an oil well. The entire apparatus is shown as suspended from a hook 16 at the lower end of a cable, not shown, so that it may be swung laterally into and out of engagement with the drill string 14.

More particularly, the apparatus 10 includes a vertical post 18 shown as having at its upper end an eye 28 engageable with the hook 16. Carried by the post 18 is a power tong or wrench 22 engageable with or disengageable from an upper section 24 of the drill string 14 by swinging it to the left or right, as viewed in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The power wrench 22 engages the upper section 24 of the drill string 14 above the threaded joint 12 between the upper section 24 and a lower section 26. The purpose of this is to avoid rotating the lower section 26, and any still-lower sections in the well therebeneath, in rotating the upper section 24 to make or break the threaded joint 12. The latter may be of the usual pin and box type, the pin being formed at the lower end of the upper section 24 and the box being formed at the upper end of the lower section 26.

The power wrench 22 per se forms no part of the present invention and is fully disclosed in my co-pending patent application Serial No. 527,720, filed February 15, 1966, and in the co-pending patent application of Fred I Hillman, Serial No. 543,280, filed April 18, 1966, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. Consequently, the power wrench 22 will not be considered in detail herein.

The apparatus 10 also includes a back-up tong or wrench engageable with the box at the upper end of the lower section 26 of the drill string 14 to prevent rotation thereof while making or breaking the threaded joint 12. The back-up wrench 30 is supported by a subpost 32 depending from the power wrench 22 and paralleling the drill string 14. Preferably, the upper end of the subpost 32 is releasably secured in 21 depending socket 34 on the power wrench 22 so that it can be removed readily if desired. The back-up wrench 30 is supported on the subpost 32 by a compression spring 36 seated on a removable pin 38. By removing the pin 38 and the spring 36, the back-up Wrench 30 may be slipped downwardly off the lower end of the subpost 32 so that it can be turned over and re-installed on the subpost upside down relative to the position shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. With this construction, the position of the back-up wrench 36 on the subpost 32 can be reversed readily when switching from making threaded joints to breaking them, or vice versa. In FIG. 1 of the drawings, the back-up wrench 30 is shown in its joint-making position, being adapted to prevent rotation of the lower section 26 of the drill string 14 when the upper section 24 is rotated in the clockwise direction by the power wrench 22.

An important feature of the invention is that the backup wrench 30 is pivotable about the axis of the subpost 32 into and out of engagement with the lower drill-string section 26 when the power wrench 22 is in engagement with the upper drill-string section 24. Consequently, once the power wrench 22 has been engaged with the upper drill-string section 24 the proper distance above the threaded joint 12, the back-up wrench 30 can be engaged with the box at the upper end of the lower drill-string section 26 automatically merely by swinging it about the subpost 32 in the clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The compression spring 36 supporting the back-up wrench 30 allows for upward movement of the power wrench 22 relative to the back-up wrench in breaking the threaded joint 12.

Considering the back-up wrench 30 of the invention in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 of the drawings, it includes a wrench body 4! provided thereon with a vertical bearing 42 in which the subpost 32 is journalled to permit pivoting of the back-up wrench into and out of engagement with the drill-string section 26. The wrench body 44 is provided at one end thereof with a stationary jaw 44 adapted to cooperate with a movable jaw 46 to grip the drillstring section 26. The movable jaw 46 is pivotally connected to the wrench body 40 by means of a pivot 48 the axis of which is parallel to the axis of the subpost 32. The pivot 48 permits the movable jaw 46 to swing relative to the stationary jaw 44 between an inoperative, retracted position, not shown, and an operative, extended position, shown in FIG. 2, wherein the movable jaw is generally opposite the stationary jaw and cooperates therewith to grip the drill-string section 26.

The back-up wrench 30 is adjustable to accommodate aipes, tubings, or the like, of different sizes. To achieve such adjustment, the pivot 48 is mounted on the wrench body 40 for linear movement in directions to vary the spacing of the stationary and movable jaws 44 and 46. More particularly, the pivot 48 is slidable in longitudinal slots 50 in the wrench body 40 and is carried by a slide block 52 slidable longitudinally of the wrench body in a guide 54. Making the pivot 48 for the movable jaw 46 linearly movable with the movable jaw, in adjusting the spacing between the stationary and movable jaws, is advantageous because it maintains substantially the same positions of the stationary and movable jaws relative to the axes of pipes or tubings of different sizes.

The back-up wrench 30 preferably includes screw means for adjusting the position of the slide block 52 to adjust the spacing of the stationary and movable jaws 44 and 46. In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 of the drawings, a screw 56 is rigidly connected to the slide block 52 and extends longitudinally of the guide 54 and the slots 50. A nut 58 is threaded onto the screw 56 and is rotatable by means of a handle 60 connected thereto. Axial movement of the nut 58 is prevented by screws 62 extending into an annular groove therein. An alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings and includes a slide block 52a having a screw 56a rotatably connected thereto and extending longitudinally of the guide 54 and the slots 56. The screw 56a is threaded through a fixed nut 58a and is adapted to be rotated by a handle 60a suitably secured thereto. In all other respects, the embodiment of FIG. 5 is identical to the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4 and identical reference numerals are applied to identical parts. In both embodiments, rotation of the handles 69 and 60a results in linear movement of the pivots 48 relative to the wrench bodies 40 in directions to vary the spacings of the stationary and movable jaws 44 and 46 to accommodate different pipe or tubing sizes.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 2 to 4 of the drawings, the movable jaw 46 is biased toward its operative, extended position, shown in FIG. 2, by a tension spring 64 connected at one end to the stationary jaw 44 and at its other end to the movable jaw. With this construction, when the back-up wrench 30 is pivoted about the subpost 32 into engagement with the drill-string section 26, the spring 64 automatically pivots the movable jaw 46 int-o proper engagement with the drill-string section 26.

The back-up wrench 30 includes a handle 66 pivotally connected to the wrench body 40 by a pivot means 68 the axis of which parallels the axis of the subpost 32 and the axis of the pivot 48. As best shown in FIG. 2, the handle 66 is disposed between a stop or stop means 70 on the wrench body 4% and a stop or stop means 72 on the movable jaw 46. The stop 70 on the wrench body 40 is so located that when the handle 66 is pivoted in the clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, it is engaged by the handle to swing the entire back-up wrench 30 into gripping engagement with the drill string section 26. This condition is shown in solid lines in FIG. 2 of the drawings. Conversely, the stop 72 on the movable jaw 46 is so positioned that when the handle 66 is pivoted in the counterclockwise direction, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 2, this stop is engaged by the handle to pivot the movable jaw 46 into its inoperative, retracted position, and to substantially simultaneously pivot the entire back-up wrench 30 out of engagement with the drill-string section 26.

Thus, the handle 66 performs a triple function, i.e., it

pivots the stationary and movable jaws 44 and 46 relative to the supporting subpost 32 into engagement with the pipe, or the like, to be gripped between the jaws, it pivots the movable jaw relative to the stationary jaw into a position wherein the movable jaw is disengaged from the pipe, or the like, and it pivots both the stationary and movable jaws relative to the supporting subpost into positions completely out of engagement with the pipe, or the like, which is an important feature of the invention.

Although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been disclosed herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims which follow.

Claims I claim as my invention:

1. In a wrench, the combination of:

(a) a support;

(b) a wrench body including a stationary jaw and pivotally mounted on said support for movement relative thereto about a first pivot axis;

(c) a movable jaw;

(d) means mounting said movable jaw on said wrench body for linear movement of said movable jaw toward and away from said stationary jaw, and for pivotal movement of said movable jaw relative to said stationary jaw about a second pivot axis parallel to said first pivot axis between an operative, extended position, wherein said movable jaw is generally opposite said stationary jaw, and an inoperative, retracted position;

(e) said mounting means including a movable member carrying said movable jaw and mounted on said wrench body for movement relative thereto in directions to move said movable jaw toward and away from said stationary jaw;

(f) said mounting means also including pivot means connecting said movable jaw to said movable member for pivotal movement of said movable jaw about said second pivot axis between its inoperative, retracted position and its operative, extended position;

(g) spring means for biasing said movable jaw toward its operative, extended position;

(h) adjusting means interconnecting said movable member and said wrench body for moving said movable member relative to said wrench body in said directions; and

(i) actuating means for pivoting said stationary and movable jaws relative to said support about said first pivot axis into engagement with a pipe, or the like, to be gripped therebetween, for pivoting said movable jaw relative to said stationary jaw about said second pivot axis into its inoperative, retracted position, and for pivoting said stationary and movable jaws relative to said support about said first pivot axis out of engagement with a pipe, or the like, gripped therebetween.

2. A wrench as defined in claim 1 wherein said actuating means includes:

(a) ahandle;

(b) pivot means mounting said handle on said Wrench body for pivotal movement of said handle about a third pivot axis parallel to said first and second pivot axes;

(c) first stop means on said wrench body and engageable by said handle to pivot said stationary and movable jaws relative to said support about said first pivot axis into engagement with a pipe, or the like, to be gripped therebetween, upon pivotal movement of said handle in one direction; and

((1) second stop means on said movable jaw and engageable by said handle, upon pivotal movement of said handle in the opposite direction, to pivot said movable jaw about said second pivot axis into its inoperative, retracted position, and to pivot said stationary and movable jaws relative to said support out of engagement with a pipe, or the like, gripped therebetween.

3. A wrench according to claim 2 wherein said first and second stop means are on opposite sides of said handle.

4. A wrench according to claim 2 wherein said adjusting means includes two relatively rotatable, threadedly interengaged elements one connected to said movable member and the other to said wrench body.

5. A wrench according to claim 2 wherein one of said threadedly engaged elements is a screw and the other is a nut threaded on said screw.

6. A wrench as set forth in claim 1 wherein said movable member is a slide member carrying said movable jaw and slidably mounted on said Wrench body for movement relative thereto in said directions.

7. In a wrench applicable to a pipe, or the like, the combination of:

(a) a wrench body including a stationary jaw;

(b) a movable jaw cooperable with said stationary jaw to grip a pipe, or the like, between said stationary and movable jaws;

(c) a movable member carrying said movable jaw and mounted on said wrench body for movement relative thereto in a direction to move said movable jaw toward and away from said stationary jaw;

(d) means pivotally mounting said movable jaw on said movable member for pivotal movement of said movable jaw toward and away from said stationary J (e) means interconnecting said movable member and said wrench body for moving said movable member toward and away from said stationary jaw;

(f) a handle pivotally mounted on said wrench body;

(g) stop means on said wrench body and engageable by said handle to move said stationary and movable jaws into engagement with a pipe, or the like; and

(h) another stop means on said movable jaw and engageable by said handle to disengage said movable jaw from a pipe, or the like, between said jaws.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 788,772 5/1905 Johnson 8l---90.3 X 2,040,669 5/1936 Odmark 269-238 X 2,668,689 2/1954 Cormany 81-57.l1 2,855,964 10/1958 Zelany 269-238 X 3,330,552 7/1967 Bucher 269- JAMES L. JONES, 1a., Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 ,387 ,512 June 11 1968 Andrew B. Campbell It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, between lines 2 and 29, insert Background of Invention Column 2, line 8, "axis" should read axes line 12, "screen" should read screw Column 6, line 23,

claim reference numeral "2" should read 4 Signed and sealed this 18th day of November 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward Fletcher, It. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

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