Pipe aligning and joining apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNING AND JOINING IN ENDWISE ABUTMENT A PAIR OF TUBULAR PIPE MEMBERS THE APPARATUS COMPRISING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDED FRAME; A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED, RADIALLY EXPANSIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE ELEMENTS, EACH BEING ADAPTED FOR FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID PIPE MEMBERS; MEANS MOUNTING ONE OF SAID EXPANSIBLE ELEMENTS ON THE FRAME FOR AXIAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE OTHER ELEMENT; MEANS MOUNTING THE OTHER OF SAID ELEMENTS ON THE FRAME AT A FIXED AXIAL LOCATION AND MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID OTHER ELEMENT IN RADIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THAT END OF ONE OF SAID PIPE MEMBERS WHICH IS ADJACENT THE OTHER PIPE MEMBER; SAID MOUNTING MEANS PROVIDING FOR RELATIVELY ROTATION BETWEEN SAID ELEMENTS; POWER MEANS OPERABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ELEMENTS TO EFFECT SELECTIVE RADIAL EXPANSION THEREOF AND CONSEQUENT FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID PIPE MEMBERS; AND POWER MEANS CARRIED BY THE FRAME TO EFFECT SELECTIVE RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT OF ONE ELEMENT RELATIVE TO THE OTHER WHEREBY EXPANSION OF SAID ELEMENTS AND SUBSEQUENT RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF ONE ELEMENT TOWARD THE OTHER EFFECTS LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT AND ABUTMENT OF THE PIPE MEMBERS.