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US 9,038,723 B2Granted
Tubular member cutting tool
AssigneeLeon Bernard Trudeau
InventorsLeon Bernard Trudeau, Ronald Denis Denniel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cutting tool for cutting pipe or the like from the inside out includes a housing assembly. A first blade actuating wedge assembly is inside the housing assembly and is movable along a longitudinal axis. The first blade actuating wedge assembly has multiple first tapered blade actuating wedges. Each cutting blade is supported in a manner such that a position of the cutting blade relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis is substantially fixed. Each cutting blade is coupled to a respective one of the first tapered blade actuating wedges such that movement of the first tapered blade actuating wedge assembly along the longitudinal axis causes each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades to move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
Claims21
A cutting tool comprising:
- a housing assembly;
- a first blade actuating wedge assembly inside the housing assembly and movable relative to the housing assembly along a longitudinal axis, the first blade actuating wedge assembly comprising a plurality of first tapered blade actuating wedges;
- and
- a first plurality of cutting blades, each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades being supported in a substantially fixed position relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis,
- wherein each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades is coupled to a respective one of the first tapered blade actuating wedges,
- wherein movement of the first tapered blade actuating wedge assembly along the longitudinal axis causes each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades to move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
- a second blade actuating wedge assembly inside the housing assembly and movable relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis, the second blade actuating wedge assembly comprising a plurality of second tapered blade actuating wedges;
- and
- a second plurality of cutting blades, each cutting blade in the second plurality of cutting blades being supported in a substantially fixed position relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis,
- wherein each cutting blade in the second plurality of cutting blades is coupled a respective one of the second tapered blade actuating wedges,
- wherein movement of the second tapered blade actuating wedge assembly along the longitudinal axis causes each cutting blade in the second plurality of cutting blades to move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
- wherein the first blade actuating wedges are tapered in a first direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and the second blade actuating wedges are tapered in a second direction, opposite the first direction, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.
9 more elements
A cutting tool comprising:
- a housing assembly;
- a first blade actuating wedge assembly inside the housing assembly and movable relative to the housing assembly along a longitudinal axis, the first blade actuating wedge assembly comprising a plurality of first tapered blade actuating wedges;
- and
- a first plurality of cutting blades, each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades being supported in a substantially fixed position relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis,
- wherein each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades is coupled to a respective one of the first tapered blade actuating wedges,
- wherein movement of the first tapered blade actuating wedge assembly along the longitudinal axis causes each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades to move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
- a second blade actuating wedge assembly inside the housing assembly and movable relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis, the second blade actuating wedge assembly comprising a plurality of second tapered blade actuating wedges;
- and
- a second plurality of cutting blades, each cutting blade in the second plurality of cutting blades being supported in a substantially fixed position relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis,
- a hydraulic drive mechanism configured to move the first and second blade actuating wedges along the longitudinal axis, the hydraulic drive mechanism comprising:
- a hydraulic cylinder;
- a first double-acting hydraulic piston inside the hydraulic cylinder and coupled to the first blade actuating wedge assembly via a first piston shaft;
- and
- a second double-acting hydraulic piston inside the hydraulic cylinder and coupled to the second blade actuating wedge assembly via a second piston shaft,
- wherein each cutting blade in the second plurality of cutting blades is coupled a respective one of the second tapered blade actuating wedges,
- wherein movement of the second tapered blade actuating wedge assembly along the longitudinal axis causes each cutting blade in the second plurality of cutting blades to move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
- wherein the first blade actuating wedges are tapered in a first direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and the second blade actuating wedges are tapered in a second direction, opposite the first direction, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis,
- wherein the second piston shaft extends through the first piston and through the first piston shaft to couple to the second blade actuating wedge assembly.
15 more elements
A drive mechanism comprising:
- a cylinder housing;
- a first double-acting piston configured for reciprocal motion along an axis inside the cylinder housing;
- a first piston shaft extended from the first piston in a first direction along the axis;
- a second double-acting piston configured for reciprocal motion along the axis inside the cylinder;
- a second piston shaft extended from the second piston in the first direction along the axis through the first double-acting piston and through the first piston shaft;
- a first fluid port near a first longitudinal end of the cylinder housing;
- a second fluid port near a second longitudinal end of the cylinder housing, opposite the first longitudinal end;
- and
- a centrally-disposed fluid port approximately centrally-disposed relative to the first and second longitudinal ends.
6 more elements
A drive mechanism comprising:
- a cylinder housing;
- a first double-acting piston configured for reciprocal motion along an axis inside the cylinder housing;
- a first piston shaft extended from the first piston in a first direction along the axis;
- a second double-acting piston configured for reciprocal motion along the axis inside the cylinder;
- and
- a second piston shaft extended from the second piston in the first direction along the axis through the first double-acting piston and through the first piston shaft;
- wherein the drive mechanism is configured to drive a cutting tool that comprises:
- a housing assembly;
- a first blade actuating wedge assembly inside the housing assembly and movable relative to the housing assembly along a longitudinal axis, the first blade actuating wedge assembly comprising a plurality of first tapered blade actuating wedges;
- a first plurality of cutting blades, each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades being supported in a substantially fixed position relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis,
- wherein each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades is coupled a respective one of the first tapered blade actuating wedges,
- wherein movement of the first tapered blade actuating wedge assembly along the longitudinal axis causes each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades to move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis;
- a second blade actuating wedge assembly inside the housing assembly and movable relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis, the second blade actuating wedge assembly comprising a plurality of second tapered blade actuating wedges;
- a second plurality of cutting blades, each cutting blade in the second plurality of cutting blades being supported in a substantially fixed position relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis,
- wherein each cutting blade in the second plurality of cutting blades is coupled a respective one of the second tapered blade actuating wedges,
- wherein movement of the second tapered blade actuating wedge assembly along the longitudinal axis causes each cutting blade in the second plurality of cutting blades to move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
- wherein the first piston is coupled to the first blade actuating wedge assembly the second piston is coupled to the second blade actuating wedge assembly.
14 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing a cutting tool that comprises:
- a housing assembly;
- a first blade actuating wedge assembly inside the housing assembly and movable relative to the housing assembly along a longitudinal axis, the first blade actuating wedge assembly comprising a plurality of first tapered blade actuating wedges;
- a first plurality of cutting blades, each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades being supported in a substantially fixed position relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis,
- a second blade actuating wedge assembly inside the housing assembly and movable relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis, the second blade actuating wedge assembly comprising a plurality of second tapered blade actuating wedges;
- and
- a second plurality of cutting blades, each cutting blade in the second plurality of cutting blades being supported in a substantially fixed position relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis,
- wherein each cutting blade in the first and second plurality of cutting blades is coupled a respective one of the tapered blade actuating wedges,
- wherein the first tapered blade actuating wedges are tapered in a first direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and the second tapered blade actuating wedges are tapered in a second direction, opposite the first direction, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis,
- wherein movement of the first and second tapered blade actuating wedge assemblies along the longitudinal axis causes each cutting blade to move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis;
- positioning the cutting tool inside a pipe;
- and
- causing the first and second tapered blade actuating wedge assemblies to move in opposite directions along the longitudinal axis to cause each cutting blade to move between a retracted position and an extended position relative to the housing assembly.
10 more elements
A cutting tool comprising:
- a housing assembly;
- a first blade actuating wedge assembly inside the housing assembly and movable relative to the housing assembly along a longitudinal axis, the first blade actuating wedge assembly comprising a plurality of first tapered blade actuating wedges;
- and
- a first plurality of cutting blades, each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades being supported in a substantially fixed position relative to the housing assembly along the longitudinal axis,
- wherein each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades is coupled to a respective one of the first tapered blade actuating wedges,
- wherein each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades includes an outwardly-facing cutting edge,
- wherein movement of the first tapered blade actuating wedge assembly along the longitudinal axis causes each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blades to move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the outwardly-facing cutting edge of each cutting blade in the first plurality of cutting blade to contact and cut through an object.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.