US 4,382,325 A · Heavy pipe joining system

Abstract

A light weight, portable, self-contained pipe joining device and system for installing succeeding, very heavy, concrete pipe sections into the end of a preceding pipe section positioned in a trench. The pipe joining device includes a power operated winch which is mounted on an adjustable height stand which may be mounted on a sled. The adjustable height stand allows the positioning of the winch inside the initial pipe section at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical centerline of the pipe section. The winch cable is anchored to the winch stand, passed through a snatch-block and secured to the winch drum. Secured to the snatch-block is a two part sling with a hook at the free end of each part. The winching cable assembly is led through the interior of the succeeding pipe section being installed, and the hooks are placed over the pipe wall at the far end. The pipe joining device is anchored in the initial pipe section by means of a static two part sling. The anchoring sling is attached to the stand of the pipe joining device, and hooks are fitted to the free ends. The anchoring hooks are placed over the pipe wall at the end of the initial pipe section to which the pipe section being installed is not to be joined. The winching action applies an axial pulling force to the succeeding pipe section, thereby properly seating it into the receiving end of the preceding, initial pipe section. The technique is then repeated for subsequent pipe sections to the capacity of the cable length of the pulling winch.

A light weight, portable, self-contained pipe joining device for temporary attachment to an initial, curvilinear pipe section for imparting axial movement to subsequent curvilinear pipe sections to facilitate joining of the pipe sections together, comprising:

a support stand positionable within the initial curvilinear pipe section, said support stand comprising four multi-part telescoping legs, two front legs and two rear legs, and a securing pin for each leg, each of which legs has an upper section of different cross-sectional area than the next corresponding, lower section into which it is secured by said pin, one of each said sections being fitted with a series of at least two, vertically spaced holes penetrating through the entire diameter of said one section in a front-to-back, longitudinal direction to receive said pin and said other section being fitted with a corresponding hole penetrating through the entire diameter of said other section to likewise receive a respective one of said pins, said telescoping legs being symmetrically and equidistantly spaced above the front-to-back longitudinal axis and the left-to-right transverse axis of said support stand to permit the alignment of said support stand with respect to the intersection of the vertical and horizontal axes of the cross-section of the initial curvilinear pipe section, a vertical plate mounted on edge and extending vertically upward from the upper end of said upper section adjacent the front telescoping leg sections in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said support stand, said plate having an opening about which is fitted two sets of two rollers, each set of said rollers being fitted with one roller at each horizontal extent of said opening and the other set of said rollers being fitted one roller each at each vertical extent of said opening;
said support stand being mounted on a sled foundation, said sled foundation comprised of a single flat plate horizontally oriented with a front to back longitudinal dimension greater than the left to right transverse dimension, said plate fitted with receptacles sized to receive the lower section of the telescoping leg of said support stand, said lower section of the telescoping leg secured in said receptacle by a pin said receptacles each fitted with a single hole appearing beneath the upper edge of said receptacle and penetrating through the entire diameter of said receptacle in a front to back longitudinal direction to receive said pin with a corresponding single hole appearing above the lower edge of said lower section of the telescoping leg and penetrating through the entire diameter of said lower section of the telescoping leg to receive said pin, said receptacle positioned symmetrically and equidistant about the front to longitudinal axis of said flat plate;
a power operated winch mounted symmetrically about the longitudinal axis of said support stand, said winch being outfitted with a winch cable, said winch cable being mounted on the cable drum of said winch, said cable drum having its axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said support stand, its left and right extremes being equidistant from the longitudinal axis of said support stand and its axis a vertical height above said support stand being substantially equal to the vertical height above said support stand of said opening in said vertical plate through which said winch cable is lead;
winch power drive unit means operably connected to said winch for powering said winch;
engaging means connected to said winch cable for engaging the subsequent pipe section next to be joined;
and
anchoring means associated with said support stand for temporarily engaging the back end of the initial pipe section anchoring said support stand preventing any axial movement of the support stand relative to the initial pipe section.

4 more elements

Heavy pipe joining system

Life of this patent

Heavy pipe joining system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14