US1762057A - Coupling for drill rods - Google Patents

Description

June 3, 1930. c, GATES ET AL 7 1,762,057

COUPLING FOR DRILL .RODS

Filed June 29, 1929 6.6612666, I2. I44 CZd/A, PC. VVZ'ZZ6.

v iremely simple Patented'June 3, 1930 GQU BTIING r foia D ILL-eons Application filed J'une 29;

This invention relates toiniprovements in couplings for drill rods and the like and has for an important object thereof the pro- 7 vision of a simple and efiicient device of this 5 character whereby thedrill and bit'shaft may be efiectually connected nected' position.

A further obj ectoftheinvention is to provide a, device of this character which is ex-i rangement, durable in service and inwhich the separate parts by their coaction with one another serve to so look) the device as to practically preclude all possibility .of accidental disengagement 0f thesa ne These and other 0b]ects we attain the construction and arrangementshown in the accompanying I drawings wherein for. the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of ourinvention and wherein like reference charactersdesignate like parts-- throughout, p

In theclrawings 1 Figure 1; is a viewpartly in -section and v partly in elevation illustrating a-coupling or lock j oint fordrill rods constructed in accordance wlth an embodnnent of ourfinventlon;

Figure '2 1s a sectional v ew taken substan- 1 tially on the line 22 of Figure 1; 3 Figure 3 is a fragmentary ylew in eleu;vat i =f f thelower end .portionof the drill shaft;.- 1

Figure 415a fragmentary view in elevationof the upper endport'ion of the bit shaft; Figure-5 is a sectional view taken through the locking sleeve unapplied Referring now more particularly to the drawing the numeral 10""designates a bit. shaft, the upper'end of which is providedwith" an enlargedportion 11 having a reduced extension 12. Formed at the upper end-ofthe enlarged-portion 11 is a shoulder 13.? The v extensionl2 is provided'atits upper end with 5 an axially arranged conical extensionl4," the base of'whichis of less size than'the upper end of the extension 12 and which according- I lyg'provides an upwardly directed. annular A shoulder 15 i The extension 12 1's provi,clejd 5% was its exterior with lefthand serewahreads and locked in conin-its construction and i929. seriarivoie'zaees.

GEORGE oeA'rEs, 3E2; w. CLARK, m ;P ssef wm p:m msqs ommm I l6 and the conical extension 14 isprovided a with right hand screw-threads v17.

The drill shaft18is providedat its lower end with a; circular head 19 having-the same external diameter as the extension 12 and;

whichis provided with gleft ha ndscrewthreads 20." In-its lowersfac ethehead 19 is V receive the conical extension 14 and having" right hand screw-threads 22" for coaction -.tl1erewith. WVhe'n the conical ,eir'tension l tis 1 fully seated in the :bore 21, the lower end of the head 19 firmly abuts the sh0ulder'15 and Y at this time the threads 20 of thliead 19 and r I '65 tinuous left'hand fthread. lThe head=19jis 7 connected 'withthe dril'l' shaft. 18 by all- 11p? I the threads 16 of the extension 12 form-a conwardly tapering shank for neck 23.

The numeral 24 designates a'locking sleeve r V provided with left hand screw-threads for provided with a conicalbore 21 adapted to coaction .withthe screw-threads of the head 19 I and extension 12. When the locking sleeve; c .24 is in position upon thehead 19 and exten-' 5' sion 12, the lower end thereof abuts the; I

shoulder 13 very firmly so as to'tighten the same against the'threads of the-extension 12 andlhead19. When the sleeve is in position F with the lower end thereof abutting theshouL' I der 13, the upper end thereo f'projects above s so v the form of "a shoulder 25 and this portiongo'f i the upper end of the head 19 which is in the; sleeve projecting abovethe shoulder'25 i has its inner face formed with a tapered bore" which" increases upwardly and which is};

Withi-n this recess is, arranged a packer 31 formed of some resilient material, such as I rubber; and is o'f a; size greater than the space represented by thespace between the tapered a neck 23 and the outer wall of'the recess when the cap ieifi fully seated position this cap ie fully seated; the lower are thereof abuts the shoulder at the upper end of the head for a purpose presently to appear. Each section 27 a and 2'7 of the cap 27 has afiixed to an. edge thereof a dowel 33, the projecting end of which is adapted to engage in a socket 34 formed in the other of the sections to align the sections. As a means for maintaining the sections in assembled relation and for drawing the sections together about the packer,

each section is provided adjacent the edge thereof inits periphery with a notch or re-. .cess'3'5,ione wallof which substantially parallels the edge of'the section and is in communication therewith by a bore 36. The opposed portion of the othersection has formed therein a threaded bore 37 and a screw 38 having its shank rotatable in the bore 36 and the threaded portion engaging the bore 37'iis extended through the bore 36 and employed to draw these sections together, each of'the sections being thus provided. When the bolt is inposition within thebore 36, the; head '39 thereof extends into close proximity to the inner wall 40. of the recess.

' This'wall isprovided with a threaded socket in'which is extended a headed screw-thread- (ed-member 41'; the head of which abuts against the head 39 of the screw to prevent retrac tion thereof and accordingly to prevent any separation of the sections of the head( In assembling'the device, the drill shaft 18'is first connected to the bit shaft by engaging :the conical extension 14 in the socket or bore 21. The sleeve 24 is'then placed in posi tion and-firmly seated with the results above setvforth. The packer 31 which is formed with a tapered split 31 is then placed about the shaft and the cap '27 assembled thereon. This cap is, as above stated, formed in two sections -27 "and;27 "assembled -'about the shaft 18-and,packerf31-. It is apparent that the "packer before mentioned being slightly larger' than the inner face of the cap, when 7 h i loosened for the'purpose of releasing; its compression on the wall of the stem, the action would'expand the two parts of 'gthe cap, therefore, the action ,of thelocking bolt firmly uniting the-two parts. Also that the pin-serves an extra purpose in holding; the two parts on an equal vertical plane elimir' ating the possibilityof mismatching threads ,on? the parts. 'Furthermore as the wrenches-necessary"to 'breaking and setting lb effore described in order that'the weightof thejoints rest on the top of'the cap, it is apparent that the capshould' be strongly reinforced'as by the action of these pinshereinthe =w'r1e1'mhe may'n0t displace either portion which occurshould the twohalves not be m r ne edhe ap nepa fa m lv i' the mov d d wnw d y t l the a thesi Qf h ldwr e 'o he ep hi h'are r ght. hand ngage thelrig he i h e ds' Y 321 formed 'upon the, upwardly enlarging.por-

1 are sle e the; i r teta by m a s of a wrench until the lower end thereof firmly abuts the shoulder 25. This abutment causes the cap 27 toexert an upward pull upon the sleeve 24 and a downward thrust upon the head 19 further locking together the threads of the sleeve and head 19 and of the head 19 and the extension 14. In addition this downward movement reduces the size of 'the annular recess formed by the enlargement of the tapered bore 28 of the cap and the packer 31 is accordingly further compressed and has a" tendency to move upwardly within the capwhere the tapered upper end 30 forces it inwardly against the tapered neck 23 of the shaft 18. By this means a friction lock is applied to the cap preventing rotation thereof and since the cap is reversely threaded as respects the sleeve 24-, rotation of both the cap and sleeve is effectually prevented.

From the foregoing it is believed to be obvious that a coupling constructed in ac-.

cordance with our invention willefl'ectually prevent disengagement of the drill and bit shafts and is at the same'time one which may be very readily applied and cheaply constructed. While we have described the coupling for the specific purpose of connecting these shafts, it will, of course, be obvious that the same may be employed as a connection for sucker rod joints or any other form of rod coupling whi'chmay be desired. We,

portion adjacent the extension, a conical extension formed upon the-upper end of'sai d extension and having screw-threads adapted to coact with. the screw threads of said bore,

the exterior of said extension and said head being oppositely screw-threaded to the screw-threads of said conical extension and bore, a sleeve having its lower end provided with screw-threadsadapted to engage thecircular head 'and extension and having its lower extremity adapted for engagement with said flange, the upper'end of said sleeve beingoppositely screw-threaded to -the lower .end thereof, a caphaving a central aperture adapted to receive the drill shaft, said cap being exteriorly screw-threaded for engagement with the threads of the upper end of the sleeve, the aperture of the cap being enlarged to form about the shaft when the cap is in position thereon an annular recess, a packing element located in said recess and formed'of compressible material, the packing element 7 being normally of asize Egreater'than the space between the walls of the recess and the bit. stem and being compressedby the enextension,

gagement of the cap with said sleeve, the lower end of said cap abutting the upper end of said circular head. 1 V e 2. In a couplingof the class described, the combination with a drill and bit shaft, one of which is provided with a reduced threaded extension and the-other of whichis provided with athreaded socket adapted to receive the the exterior of the shafts adjacent the ends thereof beingthreaded oppositely to the threads of the socket and extension, a

sleeve provided with interior screw-threads at one end thereof and adapted for engage ment with theexterior threads of said shafts:

. tion of theshaft, the cap being provided upon its exterior with screw-threads adapted for the last named screw- I packing element adapted for engagement in the groove of the than said groove, said engagement ,with 30 and at the opposite end upon its interior with an oppositely threaded portion extending about one of the shafts adjacent the exteriorly threaded end thereof, the last named I shaft being provided adjacent such threaded portion a groove, adapted for the reception of the tapered porthreads of the sleeve, and a cap of greater size 7 packing element being compressible.

V In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix,

our signatures. g v

, GEORGE C. GATES.

REX W. CLARK.

with a tapered reduction, ofacap I having a tapered bore formed in its face, with the tapered bore of the cap being REsLAYoWILLsi-

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