Patent GB-1013350-A (GB)
Title: Drill pipe sections and method of and apparatus for automatically breaking out the connections thereof
IPC: E21B19/16
Filed: 1963-12-20
Abstract: 1,013,350. Boring earth &c. GEORGE E. FAILING CO. Dec. 20, 1963 [May 27, 1963], No. 50479/63. Heading E1F. [Also in Division F2]  A drill pipe section comprises a member 2, a threaded pin 9 at one end of the member, a threaded box 4 at the other end of the member, a socket 19 in the box, and a head 12 on a spigot 11 extending from the pin, the head and socket being of similar cross-section and adapted to transfer the torque necessary to break a joint between sections. To start drilling a rotary member 48, having a threaded pin 50, a spigot 52 and head 53 similar to those of a pipe section, is fixed to a rotary spindle 44 carried by a carriage 25 slidably mounted on a drilling mast 28. A first pipe section carrying a ratchet device 65 and a bit (not shown) is positioned so that the bit depends through a hole 70 in a fixed platform 33 at the base of the mast and the part 66 of the ratchet is fixed to the platform. The carriage is lowered by a cable 46 and the member 48 is rotated to thread its pin into the box at the upper end of the section. Chains 29, 30 are driven to lower the carriage and force the rotating bit into the ground. When the member 48 approaches the ratchet a fork 99 is engaged in grooves 23, 24 on the bar, so that on reversing rotation of the member 48 lugs 101, 102 on the fork engage faces 89, 90, on the ratchet part 71 to prevent rotation of the section so that the pin 50 is unscrewed from the box and the section is left supported by the fork which rests on surfaces 87 of the part 71. The carriage is raised and a second section is positioned vertically with its spigot 11 passing through the socket at the top of the first section. The carriage is lowered so that its spigot 52 passes through the socket in the second section, and the member 48 is rotated to join the member 48 to the second section and join the second to the first section, after which the fork 99 is removed and the drilling is continued by lowering the carriage and rotating the member 48. As drilling progresses additional sections are added in a similar manner to form a pipe string. To pull the string the carriage is raised by the cable until the grooves 23, 24 of the uppermost joint in the string are above the ratchet. The fork is inserted and the string lowered until the fork lugs 101, 102 seat on the face 88 of the ratchet. Rotation of the member 48 in the reverse of the drilling direction breaks out one or the other of the joints of the uppermost section. Whichever joint breaks the remainder of string sinks until the lugs 101, 102 rest on the surfaces 87 and the broken joint is completely free. This sinking movement causes either the head 53 to engage the socket 19 of the upper section, or the head 12 to engage the socket 19 of the section supported by the fork so that further rotation of the member 48 causes the other joint to break. The disconnected section is removed, the carriage is lowered and the member 48 is rotated to connect it to the remaining string of pipe so that the next section may be removed.