US1765825A - Machine for screwing couplings on pipe - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1.930.'- H. v. coRK. 1,765,825

v `lMACH-INE FOR SCREWING COUPLINGS ON PIPE Filed sept. 24, 1928: e-sheets-sneet 1 8 gg a l; wg

/NVENTOR @y Mama/l fron/vens June 24,193.0. H v CORK 1,765,825

MACHINE FOR SCREWING COUPLINGS ON PIPE 'kiara Can/5f.

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June 24, 1930. H. v.v CORK* MACHINEFOR SCREWNG COUPLINGS ON-PIPE Filed sept. 24, 19223 e sheets-sheet w/ TNESSv June 24, 1930. 1 H. v. CORK MACHINE FOR SCREWING COUPLINYGS ON PIP Filed Sept. 24, 1928 Y 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 June 24, l1930.

H. v. CORK' MACHINE FOR SCREWING COUPLINGS ON PIPE Filed sept. 24', 1928 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 NUN.

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June 24,1930. l H. v. CORK 1,765,825 1 MAHINE FOR SGKREWING GOUPLINGS ON PIPE Filed spt. 24, 1928 e sheets-shea e INVENTO? Patented June 24, 1930 FFlcE HERBERT 'VIVVIAN CORK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS MACHINE FOR SCREWING COUPLINGS ON PIPE Application tiled September 24, 1928. Serial No. 807,858.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a machine for screw- 1 ing couplings onto the ends of pipe sub- Y stantially automatically and with great e rapidity and economy. I

Further objects, advantages and 'novel features of design, construction and arrangement comprehcnded by the invention are hereinafter more iarticularly mentioned or will be apparent from the following description of a machine constructed in accordance therewith and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

A brieffre erence, as follows, to the general arrangement and principles of o )eration of the machine will first be made as the same will be ofassistance in facilitating a proper comprehension of theinvcntion as hereinafter more fully explained: Viewed I in its broader aspects the function of the machine is to receive pipes which have been threaded on at least'one end from a suitable source of supply; toconsecutively' bring each pipe to a predetermined position in alignment with an internally threaded coupling delivered to a predetermined position from another source of supply; to then move the pipe longitudinally into engagement with the coupling so as to push the latter into a rotatingD chuck which automatically grips the coupling and then screws it onto the nonrotating pipe; to then move the pipe `with the coupling positioned thereon in the opposite direction so as to withdraw the coupling from the chuck and to finally eject the ipe and coupling as a unit from `the mac ine. To this end the machine embodies, among other thin s,y

ling. For accomplishing these ends any suitable means or instrumentalities may be employed although ordinarily I prefer to utilize means of substantially the character hereinafter described as the same are Well 5 adapted for the accomplishment of their respective functions. It Will thus be understood that essentially the machine comprises two more or less separate and distinct but operatively interconnected and conjointly c@ acting mechanisms, namely, themeans or mechanism for moving the pi e both before and after the application o the coupling thereto and the means or mechanism for effecting the actual application of the coup 05 ling to the pipe after the latter has been brought to proper position for that operation.

In the accompanying drawings, lFi 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the s ids and associated mechanism, the primary function of which is to effect the movement of the pipe, and Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section substantial'ly on line 3-3 75 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view showing certain of the parts illustrated in Fig. 3 but in a different position from that s iown in said figure. Fig. 4 is a frag- B0 mentary top plan View of that portion of the machine, the primary function of which is lto effect the application of the coupling to the pipe, the coupling magazine and feeding mechanism being omitted for the sake g5 of clearness but their general position being indicated by broken lines, and Fig. 5 1s a Vertical central section substantially on line 5 5 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 6 is an enlarged frag- 90 Vmentary vertical section showing certain of the parts illustrated in Fig. 5 but in a different position from that shown in said figure, the purpose of this view being to more particularly illustrate the actual a 95 plication of the coupling to the end of tle pipe. Fig. 7 is an end vlew of the coupling chuck removed from the machine and Fig. 8 is a detail View illustrating the construction of the pipe grip. Fig. 9 is a top plan 10o view of the coupling feed mechanism and Fig. 10 is a side elevation thereof, the coupling rest and certain other parts more particularly illustrated in Figs. 4, 5.an'd 6 being also fragmentarily sliownto indicate the relation of the feed mechanism to the other arts of the machine as a whole. Fig. 11 is an enlarged vfragmentary view, partially in side elevation and partially 1n vertical section,of the gate mec ianism and adjacent parts of the coupling feed mechanism. The same symbols are used to designate the same parts in the several figures and all sections are to be understood as taken in the directions indicated by the arrows on the section lines. Q

As shown, the machine comprises a plui'alit of skids 1, 1,-1 arranged at longitudina ly spaced intei'vals, tied together by longitudinally extending members and adapted to support the p1 ie when delivered thereto from the source o supply. Ordina-` rily a plurality of lifts of pipe are placed on the front ends of the skids at one time and a manually operable gate, generally designated as 2, may be provided foi' controlling the passage of the pipes toward the rear of the machine, that is, in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. 'l`lie upper faces of the skids are downwardly inclined from front to rear so the pipes will gradually roll therealong until the leading pipe P1 encounters an inclined stop 3 arranged at the rear end of each skid to thereby temporarily arrest its further progress. For the purpose of clearness, no pipes are shown in Fig. 1 and only the leading pipe ll in Fig. 2 but in Fig. 3 a plurality of pipes arcshown with the leading pipe ll against the stops 3 and a plurality of other pipes behind the leading pipe and resting on the positioning rolls now to be described. I

Conveniently two of these rolls 5, 5 are employed and as they are of similar construction a description of one of them will suffice. Thus each roll is disposed on a shaft 6 mounted for revolution in a bracket 7 carried by the adjacent skid, the roll being so arranged as to project a little above the surface of tlie'latter, and as the roll shaft is horizontal or substantially so it will be apparent that as the pipes pass down the skid and onto the roll they will be lifted ofl of arrested by the stops.

the skid and supported solely by the roll so long as they remainV thereon; as the pipes consecutively reach the rear end of the roll, however, which terminates somewhat short of the inclined face of. the stop 3 they will drop off of the roll onto the skid and again move therealong until further progress is Each roll carries at its forward end one half of an ove-rrunning clutch, generally designated as 8, the other half of which is carried b a pulley 9 slidably mounted on the rol shaft and constantly ur ed towards the roll by a spring 10. A cab e 11 is carried about the pulleys 9 and provided at one end with a counterweight 12 and the other end of the cable is attached to an arm 13 movable with the pipe carriagp hereinafter described, the arrangement eing such that when the carria e is moved to theleft when viewed as in `ig. 1, the counterweght will pull the cablein a similar direction so as to keep it into engagement with a stop rail 15 extending transversely of the machine. In consequence, each pipe before it reaches the rear end of the rolls is automatically brought to a predetermined longitudinall aligned position with respect to the mac ine so -that a correct and proper relation is established between the pi e and the pipe carriage and rip by whic it is subsequently received as lereinafter described.

For lubricating the threads on the ends of the pipes to which the couplings are to be applied, a rotary lubricating brush 16 is mounted in a lubricant container 17 secured to the stop rail 15 in such position that as the pipes pass over the rolls 5 their ends will engage the brush so as to receive a coating of lubricant therefrom.

The leading pipe P1 having thus reached the stops 3 is in position toy be introduced to the pipe trough which is formed by a plurality of small rollers 2() mounted on horizontal shafts 21 supported in generally U- shaped brackets 22 conveniently adjacent the skids; these brackets in turn are supported on a longitudinally extending shelf 23Which also serves as one of the members which tie the skids together, and are desirably arranged for vertical adjustment.

'lo enable theleading pipe to pass the stops 3 and fall into the pipe trough it must be lifted and moved up on the inclined faces of the stops and for 'this purpose means in the form of lifting jacks in association with means for operating them at the proper time in the cycle are provided. Preferably a pair of' these jacks are employed and arranged respectively adjacent the skids 1 and `1. As best shown in Fig. 3, each jack comwill cooperate with the superjacent pipe so as to carry it over the stops 3 to a osition in which it is free to fall into t e pipe trough. The lower end of each rod 25 is connected to a normally horizontally extending lever 29 substantiall midway between its ends and that end o this lever nearest the front of the machine is pivoted to a fixed bracket 30 secured to the adjacent skid while its opposite or rear end has connected to it a generally upwardly extending'link 31 which, 1n turn, is connected to a superjacent lifting arm 32; preferably three o these arms are employed, respectively located adjacent the several skids and secured on a horizontally extending shaft. 33 so as to turn therewith. This shaft is journaled-in brackets 34 respectively carried by U-shaped members 35, 35', 35 disposed in alignment with the skids and forming a receptacle for the pipe after it is ejected from the machine as hereinafter described. While, as stated, three of the lifting arms are preferably employed, only the arms adjacent skids 1, l are connected through the lncdiumof links 31 and levers 29 with the jacks while a single crank 37 is extended rearwardly from shaft 33 and connected through the medium of a link 38 with one end of a short lever 39 pivoted at its center on a bracket 40 carried` by the member-35', the other end of this lever 39 being connected with a cable 41 in such manner that a pull on the cable, effected as hereinafter described, is operative to swing lever 39 from its normal -or full line osition to dotted line position (Fig. 3) an thus rock shaft 33 in a counterclockwise direction so as to correspondingly swing the lifting arms 32 upwardly from normal or full line to dotted line position; durin this movement of the lifting arms the motion thereof is communicated through links 31 and levers 29 to the rods 25 of the lifting jacks so as to likewise raise the same from full to dotted line position. Preferably each lifting arm is provided at its free end with a pivoted finder 32 so arranged that it can swing upwardly from its normal position in 'which it is aligned with the arm (Fig. 3) to a position substantially at right angles thereto (Fi 3a) for a purpose to be hereinafter describe desirably, the connection between the finger and the arm is such as to prevent the finger from moving downwardly, that is, in the opposite direction, with respect to the arm beyond its normal position.

Brief lreference will now be made as fol`- lows to the operation ofv those parts of the machine which have hitherto been described: As the ipes are deposited onthe front end of the s i`ds they roll down toward the rear ends thereof, their movement being controllable by the manually operable gate 2. As the pipes consecutive y pass onto rolls 5 the latter are intermittently rotated,as herein- .the movement of the liftin effected by movement of ca le 41, the lifting after described, through the medium of cable 11, thus carrying the pipes longitudinally toward stop rail 15 until they engage the same, after which the rolls during any further rotation merely slip relatively to those 'pipes which abut the rail. As the series of pipes continuously move down the inclined skids in front of the rollers, the leading pipes are graduall forced rearwardly along the rolls and ast ey move thereover their threaded ends` adjacent stop rail 15'are lubricated by their passage over the lubricatin brush 16 and when the foremost pipe Pl as passed over the rear ends of the rolls and dropped onto the skids, it is then in position to be lifted by the jacks to the position P2 at the proper time in the cycle of operations so as to pass over the stops 3 and drop into the pipe trough on the'rollers 20.

As the upward movement of the jacks requisite for raising the pipe has been e'ected near the end of the preceding cycle through 'i arms 32 in turn arms, when pipe passes into the trough are inraised position, that is, dotted line position as shown in Fig. 3, but as soon as the pifpe is seated in the trough, as at P8, the i ting arms are returned to normal position through release of cable 41 assisted by coil sprin s 42 connected with levers 29 and with rackets 43 carried by the skids 1, 1. During this return movement of the lifting arms the hinged iin ers 32' thereof swing upwardlyl about. their pivotal connections with the arms (see Fig. 3) so as to clear the pipe which is now positioned in the pipe trough ready for the application of tl e coupling in the manner and b the means soon to be described. The liftlng arrniin1 gers are thus now disposed below the pipe,

and after the cou ling has beenI applied thereto they, toget er with arms 32, are again elevated through actuation of cable 41 so as to lift the pipe upwardly from the trough and discharge it onto auxiliary skids 44, 44', 44 (as at P4, Fig. 3) carried by and aligned with the U-shaped members 35, 35', 35 and which provide an inclined surface down which the pipes may roll into the U-shaped portion of the members from which, when a suicient quantity of the pipes have accumulated thereun, they may be .removed by any suitable means. lf desired an indicating device or counter, generally indicated at 45, may be ositioned adjacent one of the auxiliary ski s so as to register the number of pipes passing thereover.

It will thus be apparent that when each pipe reaches. the rollers 2O it occupies a predetermined longitudinal position with respect to the machine due to the fact that the threaded end of the pipe to which the coupling is to be applied has previously been automatically brought against the fixed stop ses ' To guard rail 15.4 From this position on the rollers I' ,the pipe is now ready to be advanced to the l1 and 2, will overhang the last or left hand roller even after the pipe is advanced to the right to the maximum extent and will thus derive support from the said roller. However as it frequently happens that some of the pipes in a given lot are slightly shorter than the average, the left hand ends of these shorter pipes might clear the Vlast roller during their longitudinal advance and on the return movement being thus unsupported by the last roller might strike the skid 1 or other portion of the ap aratus.

affainst this contingency preferably provide an inclined trough 46 adjacent the last roller 2O so arranged that it will receive and guide upwardly over the roller the ends of any short len ths of pipe during their return movement a ter the coupliigs have been applied to their opposite en s.

The mechanism by which the coupling is actually applied to the pipe is' best illustrated inFi s. 5, 6, 7 and 8, and consists essentially o means for gripping and advancing the pipe longitudinally, means for supporting the coupling in longitudinal alignment with the pipe and means for gripping the coupling and screwing it onto the end of the pipe. More particularly, this portion of the machine may comprise a table 50 sup orted on pedestals or legs 51 and aligne with the pipe trough'heretofore descrlbed. The table is provided with longitudinally extending laterally spaced ways 53 adapted to slidably support a carriage, generally designated as 54, for reciprocal movement thereon. This carriage in turn is arranged to supportsmechanism, generally designated as 55, adapted to grip thepipe and hold it suiiiciently tightly so as to cause it to reciprocate with the carriage and prevent it from rotating under normal conditions. The reciprocating movement of the carria e is effected from a piston 56 disposed in a uid cylinder 57, the fluid employed desirably being air, and carrying a piston rod 59 connected through a depending fork 60 with the carriage; desirably this connection between the fork and piston rod is not a rigid one but effected through the medium of cushioning spri-ngs 61 disposed on opposite sides ofthe fork between collars 62 on the rod. The fluid for actuating the piston in the fluid cylinder is admitted and exhausted through pipes 63 connected into the cylinder near, its opposite ends and is conmesses trolled as hereinafter described. That end of the table 50 which su ports the carriage 54 is disposed adjacent t e skid l so that as cach pi )e drops into the pipe trough it will be received between the pipe grips of the pipe gripping mechanism 55; near the center of the table is disposed the coupling chuck, generally designated as 70, and adjacent the opposite or outer end of the table, the mechanism for driving the chuck as well as other parts now to be described.

The coupling chuck is rotatable in a housing 7l carried by and fixed with respect to the table, and is supported on and in turn rotatable with a hollow drivin r shaft 72 carrying a gear ,73 meshing witi a pinion 74 on a shaft 75 journaled belo\v"tl|e driving shaft in brackets` carried by the table. 'lhe opposite or outer end. of the hollow drive shaft is journaled in a housing 76, also fixed with respect to the table, and any-suitable means are provided for driving shaft 75 and pinion 74 so as to cause rotation of the chuc For this purpose I prefer to utilize an electric motor M which may be mounted on a plate-like support 78 disposed above the housings 71 and 76 and supported therefrom; this motor is arranged to drive a pin-- ion 79 and in turna gear 8() disposed on a shaft 81 which, at its outer cud, is provided with a sprocket 82 adapted for the reception of a suitable chain 83 leading downwardly to another sprocket 84 on the outer end of a shaft 85 journaled in suitable brackets or housings on the front side of the machine, this shaft being desirably in the same horizontal plane as shaft 75. As the speed of shaft 85 is normally constant and as it is desirable to provide for variation of the rotational speed of thecoupling chuck 70 as Well as for reversing the direction of its rotation so that it can be used for applying left hand thread couplings as well right hand ones, l mayl interpose between the shaft 85 and the shaft 75 a set of sliding gears, generally designated as 86, or any other form of variable speed transmission suitable for controlling the speed of shaft 75 and/or reversing its direction of rotation, but as the construction and operation of such gear sets are well understood and specifically form no art of the present invention, I have not illustrated the gear set in detail nor shown the shifting fork or other means for operating it;` it will, however, of course be understood that suitable means are provided for shifting the sliding gears or otherwise operating, when and as desired, whatever other form of variable speed transmission may be employed.

The coupling chuck 70`comprises a substantially cup-shaped externally cylindrical head 90 providing a bearing surface adapted to be received in the bushing 7 1 of the housing 71 and a hollow neck 90 for the messes reception of the end of the shaft I2 to which it is ke ed or otherwise secured. Within the hea are disposed segmental jaws 91, three being preferably employed and respectively provided with removable inserts 92 carrying sharp points 93` adapted to engage the coupling. 'When assembled in the head, thejaws do not completely fill the same but are of such length as to leave clearances 94 between their adjacent ends and small coil springs 95 are disposed therebetween so as to continuously urge them apart.

The inner peripheral surface 96 of the head 90 is inclined or conical and against this surface the jaws are arranged to seat and slide longitudinally but are prevented from relative rotation with respect to the head by one or more keys 97. ln practice, two keys respectively cooperative with two of the jaws as shown in Fig. 7 have been found sufficient for this purpose, the third jaw being thus allowed to fioat. with consequent reduction of friction during the closing of the jaws on the coupling; under certain circumstances, however,` it may be deemed preferable to utilize a key for each jaw or but a single key. The jaws are also desirably provi( ed with longitudinal slots or depressions 98 in their outer surfaces thus reducing the bearing area of each jaw on the surface 96 with consequent ret` uction of friction during the sliding movement of the jaws, as. well as providing spaces through which an scale, chips, dirt or the like which may be s aken off the pipe or coupling can pass into the cavity in the head behind the jaws and from thence escape through holes 99 extending outwardly through the wall of the head. i

Each of the jaws 91 is provided at its inner end with a radially inwardly directed lug 91 which extends into an annular groove formed in a block 100 disposed with- 1n the head and from which, through the hollow shaft 72, a`jaw retainer shaft 101 extends outwardly beyond the end of the shaft through a plug 102 in the end thereof and in which the jaw retainer shaft is slidable. Between this plug and a collar 103 disposed on the shaft is seated a compression coil spring 104 which constantly tends to urge the shaft to the left (Figs. 5 and 6) and thus tends to move the jaws radially outward by slidin them along the conical surface 96 of the c uck` head.

For centering and supporting the coupling C while it is being applied to the pipe, a mandrel 106 is provided and is detachably secured lto the block in any convenient way as by providing the mandrel. with a threaded extension 106 adapted to be screwed into a correspondingly internal-lyvthreaded bore at the center of the block, the mandrel of course being substantially coaxial with the chuck. The operative portion of the mandrel is tion and the base which seats against the A block 100. Preferably the mandrel isof suilicient length to project somewhat beyond the outer face of the chuck and is rounded at its free end and it will, of course, be appreciated that mandrels of'different sizes are employed for different sized couplings, being interchanged as required.

For initially holding the couplings in proper position between'the pipe and the mandrel I provide a coupling rest 110 desirably of V-shape and supported on a bracket 111 secured to the table, provision for adjusting the rest vertically and also transversely with respect to the bracket being preferably provided so that the rest may be readily brought to a position to properly support the coupling. The couplings may be manually supplied .to the rest one at a time but are preferably automatically and consecutively supplied thereto bv suitable feeding mechanism which may e of any construction suitable for the accomplishment of its intended function although I prefer to employ mechanism of the character.' best illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 and. 11 and which comprises a sheet metal hopper 112 disposed in front of the machine and supported on legs 112. This hopper is of suilicient size to contain a considerable number of couplings at a time and communicates at its rear end'with a chute 113, one side of which is preferably arranged for adjustment so that the width of the chute maybe accommodated to different lengths of couplings. The bottoms of the h'opper and chute are corres ondingly downwardly inclined towards t e coupllng rest at a sufficient angle to cause the couplings to roll theretowards While adjacent the coupling rest the bottom ofithe chute is still more sharply downwardly inclined to form a lip or extension 113 terminating close to the rest, thel chute and ho per being desirably made of sheet metal. djacent and slightly behind the lip 113 is arranged a gate mechanism adapted to permit the couplings to consecutively pass to the lip and to hold the succeeding couplings in check; this gate comprises a pair of vertically disposed stops 114- and 114 which slidably project through openings in the bottom of the chute, spaced apart for a distance approximating the, ex-

sullicient distance to cause one stop to be projected above the bottom of the chute and the other retracted therebelow. Thus when a supply of the couplings is disposed in the chute and the stops are in the position shown in Fig. 11, the leading coupling is prevented by stop 114 from passing tothe lip 113 and thence to the coupling rest, but when the lever 116 is swung lupwardly from the positionshown in said Fig. 11 stop 114 will be lowered so as to release theleading coupling and stop 114 moved to a position to hold back the succeeding couplings with thev result that as the lever is oscillated aboutits pivot, the couplings will rbe consecutively fed to the coupling rest; desirably the' upper ends of the stops are beveled in opposite directions to facilitate the performance of their respective functions. For actuating lever 116 at the proper time in the cycle of operations of the machine, suitable means are. provided conveniently comprising a cable 117 attached at one end to the lever and thence carried over a sheave 118 on the chute for connection as hereinafter described, so that when thecable is pulled the lever will be raised from lowered position in which it is normally maintained by a weight 119 to thereby permit one coupling to pass to the coupling rest 11() and thus to a position between and in substantial alignment with the pipe to which it is to be applied and the mandrel 106.

Suitable means are provided for actuati'ng the gripping jaws of the pipe grip 55 and also for pulling the cable 41 to actuate the jacks and lifting arms, said means preferably comprising a piston 130 disposed in a cylinder 131 mounted on thecarriage 54 and carrying a piston rod 132 extending horizontally through the. rear end of the cylinder. lVhile the actuation of the piston iu the. cylinder may be effected by any suitable (luid, I prefer to employ an' for that purpose which is introduced to the cylinder l' through pipes .133, 134. .As best shown .in

Fig. 4, the outer end of the piston rod 132y I sconnected to a lever 135 approximately midway between its ends, this lever being arranged in an inclined position and extending= through a closed fork 136 at the end of a plunger 137 slidable tram-:versely of the 'machine in a housing 138 and operative to actuate one of the gripping jaws of the pipe grip 55.` That extremity of the lever extending beyond fork 136 is pivotally connected to an arm 140 in turn pivoted to a "lug on the carriage while the other end of the lever is connected to the end of cable 41 opposite. to that which is connected to the oscillating lever 39. It will thus be apparent that when pist-ou 130 is moved outwardly in cylinder 131 Afrom the osition shown in Fig. 4, plunger v137 will e correspondingly moved outwardly for a short distance so as to open the pipe. gri jaws while a pull ot' considerable magnitude will be lexerted on the cable 41 so as to swing lever 39 from full line or normal position to dotted line position as shown in Fig. E ually so, when the` piston is moved in towar the eenter line of the machine to the osition shown in Fig. 4, plunger 137 Will e correspondingly movedl inward and the pull onthe cable relieved to thereby enable oscillating lever 39 to return to normal position under the influence of springs 42 and the weight of the parts interconnected therewith.

To cushion and slow up the movement of the carriage 54 toward the end of its forward stroke, a paix' of air cylinders or dash pots 145 may be disposed on opposite sides of cylinder 57 to respectively cooperate with pistons 146 secured to the carriage and a spring buffer 147 arranged to cushion the carriage at the end of its reverse movement.

As best shown in Fig. 8 the pi e grlp 55 may comprise a pair of horizonta ly extending jaws 15() and 151 disposed on opposite sides of and in substantially the same horizontal planeV as the axis of the pipe when in the pipe trough, the inner opposed ends of the jaws being curved out in substantial correspondence tothe surface of the pipe. The jaw 15() lying in front of said axis is ixedly, yet removably, secured in a supporting housing 153 which may be ot any suitable construction and is mounted on the carriage, the jaw being conveniently held in position in the housing which is sultably recessed for its reception bya keeper-plate 154. The other jaw 151, however, in the rear of the axis of the pipe is slidably mounted in housing 138 supported on the carriage and removably retained in the housing by a keeperplate 156 or in any other suitable manner; this jaw is connected at its rear end to the plunger 137 so that it will move in and out inthe housing in correspondence with the movements of lever 135.` For affording vertical support to and centering the pipe when it. drops into the pipe trough, a vertically a igreaeea cooperative pairs of diz'erent sizes for use with the different sizes or pipe which 'the machine is adapted w handle and are interchanged when and as required.

i after its application to the to release the jaws 91 from 'the coupling ipe, l preferably provide means by whic the operator can release the jaws in case a coupling gets jammed in the chuck or under any other conditions when the strength of the spring is insuicient to open the jaws, said means conveniently comprising a vertically extending lever 160 horizontally pivoted on a brackety 161 supported on the endfof the table 50. At its upper end this lever is provided with a yoke 160 which receives'the end of the jaw retainer shaft 101 projecting beyond the plug 102 and which is threaded to carry an adjustable stop nut 162. At its lower end lever 160 is connected through the medium of links 163, 164 and a, bell-crank 165 with afoot pedal 166 extending toward the front of the machine to a position for convenient actuation by the operator; .a spring 167 is arranged to normally draw the lower end of lever 16() toward t ie VAbase of vthe machine. 'lhe stop nut 162 may thus be so adjusted on shaft 101 that when the coupling jaws 91 are closed on a eoupling in the chuck the stop mit will lie adjacent yoke 160 so that if at the proper time in the cycle of operationsthe spring 104 is .ineffective to move the jaw retainer shaft longitudinally to open the jaws and free tliecoupling, the operator may supplement the force of the spring by stepping on pedal 166 thereby movinnfV yoke 160 againstthe stop nut and thereafter positively forcing the shaft in a direction to open the jaws.

As hitherto stated I prefer `to utilize air for the actuation of the pistons 66 and 130 and to suitably manually control the flow thereof to and from the cylinders in which the pistons are respective y disposed. For this purpose I may arrange on a bracket 1 ?0 disposed on the front side of the machine in a position convenient for the operator two control levers L, L respectively arranged to' actuate suitable valves (not shown) disposed in the air piping leading to the cylinders and to ,a source of air supply.` As the arrangement of these valves and piping is a matter of choice and specifically `forms no art of the Ipresent, invention, no attempt has een made to illustrate the same in the draw-l ings nor will any extended description thereof be given, for as numerous methods of arranging the piping and controlvalves for efecting actuation of various elements of machines of dierent sorts are in common use and well understood b those familiar with the art,'the same wou d be superfluous herein so long as it is understood that the levers L, L may be operated so as to admit air or other fluid to the cylinders 57 and 131 as may be desired to bring about the reqluiA site movement of the pistons therein at the f proper times in the cycle of operations of lWhile the spring 104 is normally e'ective the machine. j

j peratz'o'a While the operation of the machine will probably be fairly apparent from the vforegoing escription, brief reference may be made thereto as follows: For'convenience it will be assumed that a pipe having passed down the skids, during which movement as previously explained it has received a coating of lubricant on its threaded end and has been brought into engaoement With the stop rail 15, has been lifted by the jacks over the stops 3 and has dropped upon the rollers 20 `to assume its position in the pipe trough. At this time the lifting arms 32 are in raised position, the piston 130 at the outer end of its stroke and the pipe carriage at the left hand end of its pathl of movement when viewed as in `Fig. 4 so that the grippin jaws of the pipe grip are open Aand disposed on op osite sides of tlie (pipe a short distance rom its leading en that is, the end to which the coupling is to be applied and suitable manipulation of one of the operating levers, for example lever L, so as to first move piston 130 inwardly, thus closing the gripping jaws on the pipe and simultaneouslj; releasing the tension or pull on cable 41, t ius permitting lifting arms 32 and the lift- 1ng j acks to return to normal or full line position; during the downward movement of the lifting arms the fingers 32 move relatively thereto so as to pass over the pipe 1n the pipe trough and assume a position therebelow. The pipe being thus firmly gripped and operatively secured to the carriage so as to move therewith, further movement of lever L is operative to admit air to cylinder 57 so as to cause the carriage to move `the pipe longitudinally forward toward the chuck and thus engage its leading end with a coupling which is now resting in the coupling rest, to which it has been supplied by the coupling feeding mechanism. As the pipe is thus moved forwardly, it successively pushes the coupling over the end of mandrel 106 and then along the larger portion of the mandrel on which the vcoupling forms a snug lt until the leading end of the coupling is brought up against the shoulder 108 adjacent the base 106 of the mandrel. As the coupling is brought tol does not entirely cease so that, throughthe iso coupling, a longitudinal thrust is next effected on block 100 so as to move the block incal surface of the1 chuck head and thereby close them upon the coupling. It will of `course be understood that as a preliminary to putting the machine in operation the motor M has been started and the gear set or transmission 86 so adjusted to bring about continuous rotation of the hollow driving shaft 72 and chuck 70 at a predetermined speed and in an anti-clockwise direction when looking towards the face of the chuck assuming that the pipe and coupling are provided with right hand threads; the chuck is thus continuously rotating throughout the loperation of the machine. As the chuck` jaws close on the coupling the latter is caused to rotate Ysynchronously with the chuck and mandrel and is thus screwed onto the pipe which, of course, is prevented from rotation through the action of the pipe grips so long as the'friction between the threads on the coupling and on the pipe is not greater than the lrictional engagement of the pipe grips with the latter which is gradually drawn forward along with the carriage since the coupling, once it is gripped by the chuck jaws, is incapable of longitudinal movement; asl soon, however, as thecoupling is screwed fully into place on the pipe, the resistance between the cooperating threads becomes greater than that exerted by the pipe grips so that the pipe is caused to turn relatively to the latter, the faces of which are desirably made smooth so as not to mar the pipe when slip ing over the surface thereof unless it be esired to screw the coupling very tightly in place in which case the 'aws 150, 151 may have roughened faces or lie provided with sharp points adapted to cut into the pipe and thus afford great resistance to its axial rotation. It will be. apparent that ythe greater the longitudinal forward thrust of the pipe and coupling upon the mandrel, the greater will be the inward radial pressure exerted by the jaws 91 on the coupling, thus preventing any slippage between the coupling and the chuck throughout the o ieration.

As soon as `the coupling 1s properly screwed into place the operator by suitable manipulation of the operating levers L, L admits air to the cylinder 57 so as to reverse the motion of the piston therein and thereby move carriage 54 together with the pi e and coupling-longitudinally away from tiie chuck, and as the thrust on the block 100 is thus relieved, jaws 91 are normally constrained by spring 104 to open outwardly and immediately release the coupling; how# ever, should the jaws stick or otherwise retain their hold upon the coupling, the operator by depressing pedal 166 can positively force block 100 outwardly for a sufficient distance to release them. The reverse movement of the carriage is continued.vv until the end of the latter comes into contact with the spring buffer 145 and is thereby brought to rest, the air of course being cut off from cylinder 57 substantially simultaneousl t erewith and air is then admitted to cy inder 131 in such manner as to move piston 130 outwardly, thereby releasing jaws 150, 151 from their hold upon the pipe and exerting on cable 41 the pullrequisite to raise the lifting arms and thus carry the pipe with the couphng applied thereto onto the skids 44, that is, to position P, from. which it rolls by gravity to Ps in the trough formed bymembers 35, 35', 35". This movement of lever 135 effected by piston 130 is also operative to pull the cable 117, which is attached to the same end of the lever as cable 41, suiiciently to depress stop 114 and allow another coupling to pass to the coupling rest in position for englagemcnt by the next pipe, while through t e o eration oflever 29 v'1nduced by the upwar movement of the lifting arms 32 that pipe is lifted by'the jacks' over the stops 3 so it can drop into the pipe trough to position P, thus completing the cycle of operations.

The machine, as hitherto mentioned, may be readily adapted to pipe of diferentjdiameters by merelfy inserting a mandrel and pipe grip jaws o proper size and adjustingthe height of the rollers 20 so that the pi e when in the pi e trough will be in su stantial axial alignment with the mandrel. Ordinarily these are the only adjustments required when changingfrom one size of pipe to another since the coupling chuck is desirably so constructed that the jaws thereof will open widely enough to receive the largest size coupling which is customarily employed for the largest pipe -which the machine is intended to handle; under certain circumstances, however, and particularly if extra thick couplings are to be used on very large sizes of pipe, it may be found desirable to substitute shorter inserts 92 in the chuck jaws 91 so as to increase the distance between the opposed faces of the inserts when the chuck 1s open so as to accommodate such couplings.

It will tlus be apparent that I have provided a machine satisfactorily operative for its intended function and be means, of which couplings can be rapidly and substantially automaticall screwed upon the previously threaded en s of pipes or tubes of varying diameters within the limits which the rnascribed with considerable particularity a machine constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention, .I do not thereb desire. or intend to specifically limit myselfY thereto as numerous changes and modifications may be in ade in the design, construction and arrangementof the various parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims,

Havin thus described my invention, I claim an desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States: v

1. A machine for screwing couplings on pipes comprising means for conveyin the threaded pipe consecutively to a pre etermined position, a rotatable chuck adapted to receive and hold a coupling, means for supporting a coupling ad]acent the chuck, means for movin the pipe longitudinally toward the coup ing to engage the p ipe therewith and thereafter push the couplin into the chuck, and means operable throng the longitudinal movement of the pipe and coupling after the coupling is received in the chuck to cause the chuck to close on the. coupling and thereby rotate thev same relatively to the pipe to screw the coupling onto the end thereof.

2. A machine substantially as specified in claim land comprising means operable to move the pipe longitudinally away from the chuck after the coupling has been applied thereto and means operative to ca usef the chuck to open and release the coupling following the initiation of said movement of the pipe. v

3. A machine substantially as specified in claim l and comprising a mandrel disposed at the center of the chuck and rotatable therewith and adapted to receivethe coupling when it is moved into the chuck.

4. lA machine substantially as s eciied in claim 1 andcomprising a mandre disposed at the center of the chuck and rotatable therewith and provided with zones of different diameters respectively substantially corresponding to the internal diameter of the pipe and of the coupling.

5, In a machine for screwing couplings on pipes, the combination of means for gripping the pipe, means for moving the pipe longitudinally after it is gripped by the'gripping means, a rotatable chuck, means for rotating the chuck, means for supporting a coupling in the longitudinal path of movement of the pipe between the 'pipe and the chuck and in substantial axial alignment therewith, a

mandrel disposed at the center of the chuck,

rotatable therewith and provided with a zone adapted to receive and support the coupling and a shoulder at the inner end of the zone, and means operative to cause the chuck to close on the coupling after the latter has been seated on .the mandrel over said outer zone,

`means supported by and and is pressed against said shoulder by Ithe -longitudinal movement ofthe pipe.

6. a machine for screwing couplings on pipes, the combination of al reciprocal carriage,'means for gripping the pipe carried by and movable with the carriage a rotata le\chu'ck having radially movable Jaws, a mandrel disposed at the center the chuck, means for supporting the mandrel and rotatable with the chuck, said mandrel having an inner zone adapted 'to receive and support a coupling and a shoulder at the inner end of said zone and an outer 'zone adapted to receive the end of the pipe, means for supporting a coupling between the end of the pipe and the chuck when the carriage is at one end of its path of movement and retractedfrom the chuck whereby When the carriageis moved toward the chuck the coupling will be pushed by the pipe over the mandrel onto said inner zone and against said shoulder and the pipe will be ,pushed and'means whereby the longitudinal thrust exerted onl the shoulder the coupling'under'the influence of the moving pipe is operative to move the chuck Jaws inwardly against the coupling so as to grip the same.

7. In a machine for screwing couplings l on pipes, a reciprocal carriage, p ipe gripping movable with the carriage, a rotatable chuck having radially movable Jaws, means for rotating the chuck, a mandrel disposed at the center of the chuck and having a zone ada ted to receiye and support a coupling an a shoulder adJacent the inner endv of the zone, means for supporting the mandrel and rotatable with the chuck, means for supporting a coupling between and in substantial axial alignin ent witli the pipeand the chuck'wlien the pipe isripped by thepipe gripping means, means or moving the carriage and the pipe toward the chuck so as to carry the coupling from the coupling supporting means onto ghe mandrel and press it against said shouler, supporting means are moved longitudinall by the thrust of the couplingv against the s oulder' to cause the chuck jaws to close on and grip the coupling.

8. In a machine for screwing couplings on pipes, a reciprocal carriage, pipe gripping means supported by and movable with the carriage, a rotatable chuck having radially movable 'aws,`means for rotating the chuck, a man rel disposed at the centervo the chuck and having a zone adapted to receive and support a coupling and a shoulder adjacent the inner end of the zone, means for supporting the mandrel and rotatable with the chuck, means for pling between and in substantial axial alignin ent witli the pipe and the chuck when the pipe is gripped by the pipe gripping means,

supporting a couv means for moving the carriage and the ipe toward the chuck so as to carry the coup ing from the coupling supporting means onto the mandrel and press; it against said shoul- Yiis mined position, means for positioning the pipes longitudinally during their passage to said predeterminedv position, means for transferring the pipes consecutively from said position to another predetermined position, areciprocal carriage, gripping'means carried by said carriage adapted to grip each pipe after it reaches said second position, means for reciprocatingl the carriage, a rotatable chuck adjacent one end of tie path of movement of the carriage, means for i'otatingthe chuck, means for positioning a coupling between and in substantial axial alignment with the chuck and the pipe when in said second predetermined position, means operable to cause said carriage moving means to movethe carriage and the pipe longitudinally'toward the coupling to causeV the end of the pipe" to engage the coupling and thereafter carry it into the chuck, means for centering the coupling in the chuck, means opera le bythe lon itudinal movenient of the pipe and coupling to cause the chuck to close on the coupling after it is centered therein so as to turn the coupling relatively to the pipe, means operable to cause said carriage moving means to move the carriage in the opposite direction after the coupling has been screwed on the pipe by rotation .of the chuck, means operative to release the chuck from the coupling upon said movement of the carriage, means operable to release said pipe gripping means as the carriage returns to initial position, and means operative to discharge the pipe from the machine after the carriage has attained said position.

10. A machine for screwing couplings on pipes comprising means for consecutively conveying a series of pipes to a predetermined position, means for positioning the pipes longitudinally during their passage to said predetermined position, means for transferring the pipes consecutively from said position to another predetermined position, a reciprocal carriage, gri ping means carried by said carriage adapte to grip each pipe after it reaches said second position,

means for reciprocating the carriage, ay rotatable chuck adjacent one endof the path of movement of the carriage, means for rotating the chuck, means for positioning a coupling between and in substantial axial alignment with the chuck and the pipe when in said second predetermined position, means `operable to cause said carriage moving means to move the carriage and the pipe longitudinally toward the coupling-to cause,

said movement of the carriage, means oper able to release said pipe gripping means as -the carriage returns to initial osition, and means operative to discharge tlie pipe from the machine after the carriage has attained 1said position, said discharging means being interconnected with said pipe gripping mezlns and operable in timed relation therewit 11. A machine for screwing couplings on pipe, comprising means for consecutively conveying pipes to a predetermined position, means for supporting a coupling in axial alignment with each ipe when in said position, rotatable coup ing gripping means, means for moving the. pipe axially to advance the couplinginto said gripping means, and means for causing the gripping means while rotating to grip the coupling and rotat-e it relatively to the pipe to screw it thereonto.

12. A machine for screwing couplings on pipe, comprising means for consecutively conveying pipes to a predeterminedposition,

means for supporting a coupling in axial alignment with each ipe 'when in said position, rotatable coup in gripping means, means for rotating sai means, means for l moving the pipe axially to advance the couf pling into said gripping means, means for causing the gripping means while rotating to grip the coupling and rotate it relative to the'pipe to screw it thereunto, and means for releasing the gripping means and for retracting the pipe and coupling therefrom after the coupling has been screwed into position.

13. In a machine for screwing couplings on pipe, means for supporting a coupling in a predetermined position, means for supporting a pipe in substantial axial alignment therewith, coupling gripping means and means for advancing the pipe ongitudinally against the coupling to thereby carry the coupling into said gripping means.

14. In a lmachine for screwing couplings on pipe, means for supporting a c ou ling in a predetermined position, means or supporting a pipe in substantial axial alignment therewith, coupling gripping means, means for advancing the pipe longitudinally against thecoupling to thereby` carry the coupling` into said griplpi-ng means, and means operative to cause t e gripping means to grip the coupling after it is positioned therein with aforce pro ortional to the longitudinal thrust exerte by the pipe upon the coupling.

15. In a machine for screwing couplings on pipe, means for supporting'a cou ling in a predetermined position, means or supporting a pipe in substantial axial alignment therewith, coupling gripping means, means for advancing the pipe longitudinally against the'cou ling to thereby carry the coupling into sai gripping means, and means operable by the thrust of the pipe on the .coupling after it -has'entered the gri ping means to close said means upon the coupling. l,

16. In a machine for screwing couplings on pipe, means for'supporting a cou ling in a predeterminedposition, means or supporting a pipe in substantial axial alignment therewith, couplin gripping means, means for advancing t e pipe longitudinally against the coupling to thereby carry the coupling into said gripping means, means operative to cause the gri ping means to grip the coupling after 1t is positioned therein with a-force pro 'ortional to the longitudinal thrust exerte by the pipe upon the couplin and means operative to release the rip o the grip ing means u on the coup ing when said ongitudinal tlirust is relieved. v

17. In a method of screwing a coupling on the previously threaded end of a pipe,

the ste of brin ing the cou lin to a redetermiisied position, bringing theg pipe i)nto substantial axial' alignment with the' coupling, advancing the pipe axiallyI a ainst one end of the coupling so as to shi the coupling axially to another predetermined position, and then rotating the couplin relatively to the pipe when in said secon ppsition so as to screw it onto the end thereo l 18. In a .method of screwing a coupling on the previously threaded end of a pipe, the steps of bringing the couplingl to a predetermined position, bringing t e pipe into substantial axial alignment with the coupling, advancing the pipe axially a ainst one "end of the coupling so as to shi t the coupling longitudinally to another ...predethe steps of bringing the coupling to a pre- Y.determined position, bringing the pipe into substantial axial alignment with the coupling, advancing the pipe axially aoainst one end of the coupling so as to shit the coupling longitudinally to another predetermined position, rotating the coupling relatively to tle pipe when in said secon position so as to screw it onto the endrof the ipe while restraining the pipe from axial) rotation until the frictional engagement between the threads and the pipe and coupling. approximate the force exerted to effect said restraint and then retracting the pipe and coupling axially to substantially the position initially occupied by the pipe.

20. In'a method of screwing a coupling onto the previously threaded end of a pipe,

.\ the steps of bringing the coupling to a predetermined position, bringing thc pipe into substantial axial alignment with t'hecoupling, moving the pipe axially against the end of the, coupling so as to shift the coupling laterally to a second predetermined position, grippin the coupling and rotating it relatively to t e pipe until screwed into position thereon, and then substantially simultaneously releasing the grip on the coupling and retracting the ipe and coupling to substantiallyv the positionv initially occupied by the pipe.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 19-da of September, 1928. HERBE T VIVIAN CORK.

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