Suspension of adjustable pipe spinner

A well pipe spinner includes two body parts carrying rollers and mounted by two pivotal connections for swinging movement between a closed position in which the rollers grip and drive a well pipe and an open position releasing the pipe. A structure extends between and interconnects the two pivotal connections in a relation permitting relative adjustment of their pivotal axes toward and away from one another for gripping different sizes of pipe. The tool is supported by a structure which is adapted to be suspended from a line or other element and which suspends the two body parts and pivotal connections at essentially the locations of the two pivotal axes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to improved well pipe spinning tools for rotating a 
first pipe section rapidly relative to another pipe section to screw them 
into or out of threaded engagement. 
Two prior copending application Ser. Nos. 6/257,105 filed Apr. 24, 1981 by 
Boyadjieff et al. on "Pipe Spinning Tool", now U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,761, 
and Ser. No. 351,462 filed Feb. 23, 1982 by Lawrence E. Wells on 
"Suspension of Pipe Spinner", now U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,827 disclose a type 
of pipe spinner including two body parts carrying rollers and mounted for 
swinging movement about two different pivotal axes respectively to move 
the rollers toward and away from one another and into and out of driving 
engagement with a well pipe. At least one and preferably all of the 
rollers are power driven to frictionally drive the pipe rotatively in 
order to spin it into and out of threaded engagement with another pipe 
section. An adjustable connection attaches the two pivotal connections 
together in a manner enabling their pivotal axes to be adjusted toward and 
away from one another to adjust the spinner for effective driving 
engagement with different sizes of pipe. This adjustable connection may 
include two nuts having right and left-hand threads respectively and 
engaging corresponding right and left-hand threads on a rotary adjusting 
shaft which acts when turned to shift the nuts and the associated pivotal 
connections and body members relatively toward and away from one another. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A major purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved 
arrangement for suspending the weight of a tool similar to those of the 
above discussed prior applications in a manner maintaining proper balance 
of the tool in a predetermined desirably level orientation in all of the 
various conditions to which the tool may be adjusted, and allowing for 
positive powered actuation of the rollers against the pipe and effective 
rotation of the pipe by the rollers in those different adjusted 
conditions. In addition, the suspension is such as to allow for adjustment 
of the two pivotal axes relatively toward and away from one another with 
minimum actuating force. 
To attain optimum suspension of the tool, it is supported by a structure 
which is adapted to be connected to a suspending line or other element and 
which has portions extending toward the locations of the two relatively 
adjustable pivotal axes, with those portions acting to suspend the two 
pivoting body members and the two pivotal connections at essentially the 
locations of those axes. As the two axes are adjusted toward or away from 
one another, these points of support move with the axes, so that in all of 
the adjusted positions of the pivotal connections the support remains at 
essentially the locations of the two axes. The arrangement is such that 
the support member suspends the tool at essentially the locations of these 
axes without transmission of the suspension forces through the discussed 
adjusting screw or other element or elements of the adjustable connection 
extending between the two pivotal connections. Preferably, the suspending 
mechanism includes a hanger element having projections extending in 
different directions toward the two pivotal axes, at locations offset from 
and desirably above the adjusting screw or its equivalent, with those 
projections movably carrying parts which suspend the two body members and 
their pivotal connections. These parts may shift longitudinally along the 
projections during and in correspondence with the discussed relative 
adjusting movement of the two axes. To maintain the body members and 
carried parts, when suspended, in a proper horizontally extending level 
orientation, the hanger structure may have a portion whose movement is 
restricted by the adjusting screw, or other portion of the adjustable 
connection extending between the two pivotal connections, in a relation 
preventing tilting movement of the body parts about a horizontal axis from 
that level condition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The spinner 10 shown in the drawings is adapted to be suspended as 
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 for engagement with a vertical well pipe 
section 11, and acts to spin that pipe section rapidly about the vertical 
axis 12 of the well to either connect the lower threaded end 13 of section 
11 to the next lower section 14 of a drill string or other string of well 
pipe, or to spin section 11 out of threaded engagement with section 14. 
Tool 10 includes two body halves 15 and 16 which may be essentially mirror 
images of one another with respect to a vertical central plane 17 of the 
tool extending through axis 12. Each of the body halves 15 and 16 carries 
two externally cylindrical rollers 18 and 19 (FIG. 2), which are driven 
rotatively relative to the corresponding body section 15 or 16 and about 
two vertical axes 20 and 21, with two motors 22 being carried by the body 
sections 15 and 16 respectively and acting to drive the rollers to turn an 
engaged well pipe. 
Body section 15 and its carried rollers and motor are mounted by a pivotal 
connection 23 (FIG. 4) for swinging movement about a vertical axis 24 
relative to a hanger assembly 25 by which the tool is suspended from a 
flexible line or other suspending member 26 attached to the rig derrick. A 
second pivotal connection 27 mounts the second body section 16 for pivotal 
movement about another vertical axis 28 relative to hanger assembly 25 and 
relative to section 15. These pivotal connections thus mount the two body 
sections and carried rollers for swinging movement between open positions 
represented in broken lines at 15' and 16' in FIG. 2, in which positions 
the rollers are out of engagement with the well pipe and the tool can be 
moved into and out of active position about the pipe, and the full line 
active position of FIG. 2 in which the rollers engage and tightly grip the 
pipe to turn it rotatively. 
To enable adjustment of the tool for engagement with pipes of different 
sizes, the two pivotal connections 23 and 27 are joined together by an 
adjustable connection 29 enabling the pivotal connections and their axes 
24 and 28 to be shifted toward and away from one another along a 
transverse axis 30 which is perpendicular to plane 17. In any of the 
various settings of pivotal connections 23 and 27 relative to one another, 
the body sections can be pivoted about their individual axes 24 and 28 in 
directions to bring their left ends as viewed in FIG. 2 toward one another 
and against the pipe, with this gripping actuation of the body members and 
rollers being effected by a fluid pressure operated actuating unit 31 
interposed between and acting to forceably spread apart the right end 
portions 32 of body sections 15 and 16. 
Each of the body sections 15 and 16 may be formed primarily of a rigid 
metal casting having vertically spaced horizontal and parallel top and 
bottom walls 33 and 34 (FIG. 4) joined near their left ends as viewed in 
FIG. 1 by vertical walls 35, and joined at their right ends by portions 36 
and 37 which merge together at 38 and carry circular end plates 39 of the 
fluid pressure actuated assembly 31. A hollow gear housing 40 may be 
connected to the underside of each of the body sections 15 and 16, as by 
bolts or other fasteners represented at 41, to contain a gear train 42 for 
turning the rollers. 
Each of the drive motors 22 is mounted to one of the body sections 15 or 
16, and is received between top and bottom walls 33 and 34 of that 
section. The driven shaft of the motor projects downwardly beneath bottom 
wall 34 and acts through gear train 42 to drive rollers 18 and 19 
rotatively in a common direction about their vertical axis 20 and 21. The 
rollers are mounted for such rotation relative to body sections 15 or 16 
by upper and lower bearings represented diagrammatically at 43 and 44. 
This entire drive mechanism is duplicated for each of the body halves and 
carried rollers, with the gear mechanism functioning as a reduction gear 
assembly acting to turn the rollers at a speed substantially slower than 
the speed of rotation of the motor. The two rotary motors are preferably 
fluid driven, either hydraulically or pneumatically, under the control of 
a manually actuated reversing valve represented at 45 in FIG. 1, whose 
actuating handle 46 is movable between a central off position in which no 
fluid is supplied to the motors and they do not turn, a second position in 
which fluid is supplied to both of the motors to turn them in a first 
direction for spinning pipe 11 in one direction, and a third position in 
which fluid is supplied to the motors to turn them in the opposite 
direction to reverse the direction of drive of the well pipe. Valve 45 is 
carried by one of the two body sections 15 and 16, and is connected to the 
two motors by appropriate fluid supply and exhaust lines 46 which include 
flexible hoses extending to the motor of the other body section to avoid 
interference by the fluid lines with the previously discussed relative 
movement of the sections. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, the pivotal connection 23 which mounts body part 
15 for pivotal movement about axis 24 may include a nut element 47 having 
aligned upper and lower stub shaft portions 48 journalled within bushings 
49 carried by body section 15 to mount the body section for the desired 
pivotal movement about axis 24 relative to element 47. The second pivotal 
connection 27 similarly includes a nut element 50 having upper and lower 
stub shafts 51 journalled in body section 16 to mount that section for 
pivotal movement relative to element 50. 
The adjustable connection 29 which permits relative shifting movement of 
the two pivotal connections 23 and 27 may include a threaded adjusting 
shaft 52 extending along and centered about transverse axis 30, and 
include portions of nut elements 47 and 50 containing internal right and 
left-hand threads 53 and 54 respectively engaging two sets of right and 
left-hand threads 55 and 56 formed on opposite ends of the shaft. A 
tubular bushing 57 is carried about and rotatable relative to a central 
unthreaded portion 58 of the shaft, and is retained against axial movement 
relative thereto by pins 59 carried by and projecting radially outwardly 
from the shaft into annular recesses 60 formed in the opposite ends of the 
bushing 57. 
As will be understood, rotation of the shaft 52 in one direction acts by 
virtue of the right-hand and left-hand threads to move nut elements 47 and 
50 relatively toward one another while rotation of the shaft in the 
opposite direction moves the nut elements away from one another. Seals may 
be provided axially between each of the nut elements and the intermediate 
bushing 57 by a pair of annular axially extensible bellows 61 and 62 each 
having one of its ends secured to and about bushing 57 by an annular clamp 
63 and its other end secured by an annular clamp 64 to a ring 65 welded or 
otherwise attached to a corresponding one of the nut elements. Seals may 
be provided at the other ends of the two sets of threads by an end plate 
66 attached by screws 166 to nut element 47 and an annular seal member 67 
secured to nut element 50 and sealed to the shaft by an O-ring 71. 
The threaded shaft 52 may be tubular, and be adapted to be rotated by an 
inner shaft assembly 72 which is adapted to be withdrawn from the inactive 
retracted position shown in FIG. 4 to the active position shown in FIG. 5. 
This inner shaft assembly 72 is received within a bore 73 formed in the 
threaded shaft 52, and in the FIG. 4 condition projects leftwardly into a 
bore 74 which is formed in end cap 66 and is of a diameter corresponding 
to passage 73 in the screw shaft. Assembly 72 may be formed sectionally to 
include a first part 75 and an axially outer handle portion 76 attached by 
a hinge connection 77 to inner part 75 for relative pivotal movement about 
an axis 78 extending transversely of and intersecting axis 30. Part 75 has 
an externally hexagonal portion 79 near its left end as viewed in FIGS. 4 
and 5, and may have an annular groove 80 beyond hexagonal portion 78 
containing a rubber O-ring 81 engageable with bores 73 and 74 to 
frictionally retain the inner shaft assembly 72 in either the FIG. 4 
position or FIG. 5 position. 
At its right end as viewed in FIG. 4, the inner shaft assembly 72 may carry 
an externally knurled knob 82, connected threadedly to part 76 at 83 and 
adapted to be grasped by an operator to facilitate axial withdrawal of 
assembly 72 from the inactive FIG. 4 position to the active FIG. 5 
position. 
At its right end, the threaded shaft 52 has a portion 84 whose outer 
cylindrical surface is engageable with the previously mentioned seal ring 
71 carried by part 67, and whose internal surface 85 is of hexagonal 
cross-section corresponding to the hex portion 79 of part 75. When 
assembly 72 is to be utilized for adjusting threaded shaft 52, assembly 72 
is pulled rightwardly from the FIG. 4 position to the FIG. 5 position in 
which hexagonal portion 79 of part 75 is received within hexagonal passage 
85 in threaded shaft 52 to transmit rotation from part 75 to shaft 52. The 
handle part 76 is swung through ninety degrees to the position illustrated 
in FIG. 5, and can then be used to rotate part 75 and shaft 52 and thereby 
adjust the body parts of the tool for gripping a pipe of any desired size. 
The hanger assembly 25 by which the spinner is suspended in a rig may 
include a first hanger element 86 (FIGS. 1 and 3) pivotally connected by a 
horizontal pin 87 to an upper or second hanger element 88 taking the form 
of a rigid arm extending upwardly along an inclined axis 89 to an upper 
connecting portion 90 containing an opening or other means by which part 
88 is attached at a suspension point 91 to line 26 hanging from the upper 
end of the rig derrick. The lower hanger element 86 may be formed of two 
parts 92 and 93 welded rigidly together at 94 (FIG. 4). The first of these 
parts 92 may be a rigid metal plate extending vertically above the central 
unthreaded portion 58 of adjusting shaft 52 and having its central 
vertical plane coincident with the previously mentioned central vertical 
plane 17 of the tool. The second part 93 may be formed as a rigid metal 
rod extending along a transverse axis 95, and having a central relatively 
large diameter portion 96 received within an opening 97 in part 92 and 
welded thereto, with reduced diameter externally cylindrical portions 98 
of shaft or rod 93 projecting in opposite directions along axis 95 to 
positions above the two nut elements 47 and 50. As will be apparent from 
FIG. 4, the horizontal axis 95 of rod 93 is parallel to and offset above 
axis 30 of adjusting shaft 52, lies in the same vertical plane as axis 30, 
and intersects the vertical axes 24 and 28 of the pivotal connections 
formed by portions 48 and 51 of the nut elements. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, the upper extremity of portion 92 of the lower 
hanger element 86 projects upwardly into a recess 99 in upper hanger part 
88. An adjusting screw 100 is threadedly connected to lower hanger element 
86 as seen in FIG. 3, with the end of the screw engageable at 101 with a 
wall surface 102 formed in part 88 at the front of recess 99 to adjust the 
orientation of element 86 relative to element 88 and thereby level the 
tool. Screw 100 may extend through rod 93 and engage it threadedly at 103, 
with the screw being spaced slightly from unthreaded bores in part 92 at 
104 and 105, and with a jamb nut 106 being tightenable against a 
transverse face 107 formed on part 92 to frictionally lock the screw 100 
in any desired set position. 
The two body members 15 and 16 of the tool are suspended from the opposite 
end portions 98 respectively of rod 93 by two shiftable preferably 
identical connector parts 108 and 109. The parts may contain tubular 
bushings 110 received about the externally cylindrical portions 98 of rod 
93 and movable axially therealong between the full line positions of FIG. 
4 and the broken line positions of that figure. This movement may be 
limited by provision of stop shoulders at the outer ends of portions 98 
typically formed by locating circular washers 111 about reduced diameter 
threaded ends 112 of rod 93 and retaining those washers rigidly in place 
on the rod by nuts 113. 
At their lower ends, the two parts 108 and 109 are connected pivotally to 
body members 15 and 16 of the spinner in a manner allowing the body 
members to pivot relative to elements 108 and 109 about axes 24 and 28. 
For this purpose, each element 108 and 109 has a lower externally 
cylindrical enlarged diameter portion 114 received rotatably within a 
cylindrical recess 115 formed in the upper end of an insert 116 connected 
into a cylindrical bore 117 in the upper portion of the corresponding body 
member. A top plate 118 is connected to the upper side of the body member 
by screws 119 (FIG. 2) and contains a circular opening 120 within which a 
reduced diameter cylindrical portion 121 of the part 108 or 109 is 
received and rotatable. Upward forces for suspending the tool are 
transmitted from part 108 or 109 to the corresponding top plate 118 by 
engagement of an upper annular horizontal shoulder 122 on part 108 or 109 
with the underside of plate 118, while downward movement of the part 108 
or 109 is limited by engagement of its horizontal undersurface 123 with an 
upwardly facing shoulder 124 formed in insert 116. 
In order to prevent rotation of the two body sections 15 and 16 and carried 
parts about horizontal axis 95 relative to the suspending rod 93, the part 
92 of hanger element 86 has a portion 125 (FIG. 3) projecting downwardly 
beneath rod 93 and containing a semicircular downwardly facing recess 226 
at its lower end within which the outer cylindrical surface of bushing 57 
about shaft 52 is rotatably received. This interfitting relationship 
between element 86 and shaft 52 thus maintains the tool against tilting 
movement from a desired level condition in which body members 15 and 16 
extend directly horizontally for proper engagement with a directly 
vertical well pipe. 
Actuating unit 31 for pivoting body sections 15 and 16 between their active 
and released positions preferably takes the form of a bellows assembly 
interposed between the outer ends of the body sections and urging them 
relatively apart. The bellows assembly may include several annular bellows 
elements 126 (typically three as shown) bonded or otherwise secured 
annularly in sealed relation to intermediate rings 127 and to the 
previously mentioned end plates 39 attached to sections 15 and 16. These 
various parts all form together a single bellows assembly containing an 
inner chamber for receiving pressurized air or other actuating fluid and 
adapted to expand along an axis 128 (FIG. 2) when pressurized to force the 
roller carrying ends of body sections 15 and 16 against the pipe. When the 
pressure within the bellows is released, the right ends of body parts 15 
and 16 as viewed in FIG. 2 are returned toward one another by a coil 
spring 129, whose ends are connected to parts 15 and 16 respectively and 
which is at all times under tension to urge the right ends of parts 15 and 
16 together. A manually actuated valve 130 controls delivery of 
pressurized fluid to the bellows and discharge of the pressurized fluid 
therefrom. 
In placing the spinner in use, the tool may first be suspended from line 26 
as illustrated in FIG. 1, and be retained against rotation about the well 
pipe axis by connection of a line 131 to portion 32 of one of the body 
sections, after which screw 100 may be adjusted as necessary to maintain 
the tool in a directly horizontal position with the screw being locked in 
its set position by jamb nut 106. Valve 130 is actuated to a condition in 
which it relieves fluid pressure from the interior of bellows structure 
31, to enable spring 129 to pull the right end portions of body sections 
15 and 16 as seen in FIG. 2 relatively toward one another and thus spread 
the rollers 18 and 19 apart so that the tool can be moved to a position 
about the well pipe. Valve 130 may then be actuated to apply fluid 
pressure to the interior of the bellows assembly 31, and spread the right 
ends of body sections 15 and 16 apart causing their left ends and rollers 
18 and 19 to move toward one another into tight gripping engagement with 
the well pipe. Valve 45 is then actuated to a condition causing rotation 
of motors 22 in a predetermined direction for spinning the pipe either to 
connect section 11 to section 14 or unscrew the sections as desired. After 
the threaded connection has been made or broken as desired, valve 45 is 
actuated to stop the motors and valve 130 is operated to release the 
pressure to the bellows and enable the roller carrying ends of the body 
sections to open under the influence of spring 129 until the next 
successive spinning operation. The reversibility of motors 22 enables pipe 
to be spun in either direction for either connecting or disconnecting two 
pipe sections. 
If the device is to be utilized on a different size pipe, the operator 
pulls the inner shaft assembly 72 within adjusting screw 52 from its FIG. 
4 position to its FIG. 5 position, swinging outer section 76 of that 
assembly 72 to its FIG. 5 condition in which it can be utilized as a 
handle to rotate the screw in either direction to a new setting. 
the screw turns, its right-hand and left-hand engagement with the two nut 
elements 47 and 50 causes those nut elements to be shifted either toward 
or away from one another to new relative settings in which the pivotal 
axes 24 and 28 of the connections between those nut elements and the two 
body sections 15 and 16 are a desired distance apart. The body sections 
shift with the nut elements, as do connector parts 108 and 109. These 
connector parts shift to new positions along portions 98 of rod 93 as the 
body sections move toward or away from one another, so that in any 
position to which the nut elements, body sections and parts 108 and 109 
are moved the pivotal connections between elements 108 and 109 and the 
corresponding body sections remain aligned with the pivotal axes 24 and 28 
about which the body sections pivot relative to the nut elements. The 
hanger structure 25 thus always suspends the body members and nut elements 
and carried parts at essentially the locations of the pivotal axes 24 and 
28 about which the body members swing in gripping and releasing a pipe. 
In any of the various settings of the adjustable connection 29 formed by 
adjusting screw 52 and nut elements 47 and 50, the entire spinner tool is 
suspended from hanger structure 25 in an effectively balanced horizontal 
condition. Regardless of the spacing between axes 24 and 28 to which the 
adjustable connection is set, the two pivotal connections 23 and 27 and 
their axes 24 and 28 are offset equal distances in opposite directions 
from the central vertical plane 17 in which hanger elements 86 and 88 and 
the suspension line 26 effectively lie, and by virtue of the symmetry of 
the entire tool with respect to the hanger assembly. In the properly 
balanced horizontal or level condition of the tool, the point 91 from 
which the upper hanger element and thus the tool are suspended is directly 
above the center of gravity 132 of the entire tool. Screw 100 of FIG. 3 is 
adjusted to attain this positioning of the suspension point 91 relative to 
the center of gravity. Because the center of gravity is to the right of 
the hanger element, the weight of the two body members 15 and 16 and 
carried parts applies force in a direction urging the end 101 of screw 100 
against wall 102 of upper hanger part 88 so that adjustment of this single 
screw can attain the desired function of leveling the tool. 
While a certain specific embodiment of the present invention has been 
disclosed as typical, the invention is of course not limited to this 
particular form, but rather is applicable broadly to all such variations 
as fall within the scope of the appended claims.