Back to results
US 4,064,293 AGranted
Treating hollow articles by fluid driven bug
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorManfred E. Nicklas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorManfred E. Nicklas
Estimating the term…
A method of sandblasting and coating the interior surface of pipe is provided by the present invention. A plurality of legs extend outwardly from a central mounting plate and are adjustable in length and angular disposition to accommodate different sized pipe. The mounting plate has a central opening for receiving an elongated lance of either a painting or sandblasting tool. The lance carries a collar which is adapted to abut the mounting plate. A spring-biased locking pin on the mounting plate is received by the collar to releasably lock the two plates together. The method of the invention comprises positioning the aforedescribed device in one end of the pipe and then securing a rope of a length equal to that of the pipe to the device. Next, a lightweight bucket is positioned in front of the device and the rope is coiled inside the bucket. A blast of air is then passed through the lance to move the bucket the length of the pipe. Once this has taken place the device is pulled through the pipe with the rope and the rope is moved to an out of the way location. The device is then moved back through the pipe sandblasting or painting as it travels at a steady rate.
A method of working the internal surface of an elongated, hollow, open-ended object with a device capable of traveling along said internal surface, said method comprisng the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Designed for abrasive blasting of particular work, e.g. the internal surfaces of cylinder blocks: for internal surfaces, e.g. of tubes
Specially designed for treating the inside of hollow bodies: arrangements of nozzles or spray heads specially adapted for treating the inside of…
Moved by externally powered mechanical linkage, e.g. pushed or drawn through the pipes: provided exclusively with fluid jets as cleaning tools
Coating apparatus: pipe and tube inside
Term ended 20 Dec 1994 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This invention relates generally to the coating of pipe and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for coating pipe stacked in a fixed location.
All pipe used in the transmission of petroleum products is provided with a protective exterior coating. In many instances it is also desirable to protect the internal surface of the pipe with a coating. In some instances an internal coating is applied in a highly automated procedure where the pipe is rotated and may even be advanced longitudinally at the same time as a coating is sprayed around the circumference of the internal surface. In other instances because of the limitations of available equipment or a decision to coat the internal surface at a point in time after the pipe has been removed from the vicinity of the equipment it is necessary to apply the internal coating as the pipe remains in a fixed stacked location.
Heretofore, the coating of pipe stacked in a fixed location has been accomplished by moving a very long lance the length of the pipe while first sandblasting and then spray coating the internal surface. Because of the required length of the lance which moves the sandblasting and coating heads through the pipe it is extremely awkward to work in close quarters. Also, it is not unusual to encounter pipe of a length such that the operation can be performed on only half of the length and the men and equipment must then be moved to the opposite end to work on the other half of the pipe.
Other objects of the invention will be made clear or become apparent from the following description and claims when read in light of the accompanying drawing wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the pipe working bug which forms a part of the present invention with one of its tools, a sandblasting lance and head, secured to it;
FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and with a pipe being illustrated in phantom surrounding the pipe working bug;
Referring initially to FIG. 1, a pipe working device is designated generally by the numeral 10 and comprises a central circular mounting plate 12 which presents opposed faces 14 and 16. Each face 14 and 16 is provided with four circumferentially spaced ears 18 which project outwardly from the respective faces. As seen from viewing FIG. 2, the ears 18 on each of the faces are disposed at approximately 2, 4, 8 and 10 o'clock positions around the face adjacent the peripheral edge. Bridging plate 12 at each opposed pair of ears 18 is a rigid loop 20 for purposes to be described hereinafter. Also extending laterally from face 16 at locations approximately 180.degree. apart are two eyelets 22. Only one of the eyelets 22 is used at any one time to secure a swivel head 24 and a length of rope 26 attached to the swivel head.
Pivotally mounted on each ear 18 is an elongated angularly extending adjustable leg designated generally by the numeral 28. Since each of the legs 28 is identical only one will be described in detail and corresponding reference numerals will be used on each of the legs.
Each leg 28 comprises a first telescoping section 30 which is pivotally coupled with an ear 18 via a nut and bolt assembly 32. Section 30 is of generally polygonal cross-sectional configuration and is provided with aligned openings 34 on opposed sides to accommodate adjustment of the effective length of the leg.