Pipe aligning clamping device

Claim 1

A device for lining up and temporarily maintaining oriented ends of two pipe sections in alignment preparatory to welding and permanently joining said sections comprising a plurality of companion clamps adapted to be conjointly positioned at circumferentially spaced points around the exterior surface of one of said pipe sections, a plurality of individual chains operatively coordinated with and linking said clamps together, manually regulatable slack take-up and chain tautening means for adjustably connecting free end portions of two of said chains whereby all of the chains are caused to snugly encircle said one pipe section, said clamps having corresponding ends which are capable of extending and projecting beyond a terminal end of said one pipe section and which provide circumferentially spaced jawlike piloting guides through the medium of which a terminal end portion of the other pipe section can be centered and axially aligned with said one pipe section, and means carried by said guides for securely fastening a coacting terminal end portion of said other pipe section in a manner to retain it in a given position prior to final welding, said clamps comprising a bottom clamp, and a pair of side clamps which when in use are situated on diametrically opposite sides of said one pipe section, each clamp embodying an elongated rigid plate having an inward flat surface provided with a pair of elongated spaced parallel rods in a common plane and adapted to rest directly on a coacting convex surface of said one pipe section.

Claim 2

A device for lining up and temporarily maintaining oriented ends of two pipe sections in alignment preparatory to welding and permanently joining said sections comprising a plurality of companion clamps adapted to be conjointly positioned at circumferentially spaced points around the exterior surface of one of said pipe sections, a plurality of individual chains operatively coordinated with and linking said clamps together, manually regulatable slack take-up and chain tautening means for adjustably connecting free end portions of two of said chains whereby all of the chains are caused to snugly encircle said one pipe section, said clamps having corresponding ends which are capable of extending and projecting beyond a terminal end of said one pipe section and which provide circumferentially spaced jawlike piloting guides through the medium of which a terminal end portion of the other pipe section can be centered and axially aligned with said one pipe section, and means carried by said guides for securely fastening a coacting terminal end portion of said other pipe section in a manner to retain it in a given position prior to final welding, said clamps comprising a bottom clamp, and a pair of side clamps which when in use are situated on diametrically opposite sides of said one pipe section, each clamp embodying an elongated rigid plate having an inward flat surface provided with a pair of elongated spaced parallel rods in a common plane and adapted to rest directly on a coacting convex surface of said one pipe section.

Claim 6

A device for lining up and temporarily maintaining oriented ends of two pipe sections in alignment preparatory to welding and permanently joining said sections comprising a plurality of companion clamps adapted to be conjointly positioned at circumferentially spaced points around the exterior surface of one of said pipe sections, a plurality of individual chains operatively coordinated with and linking said clamps together, manually regulatable slack take-up and chain tautening means for adjustably connecting free end portions of two of said chains whereby all of the chains are caused to snugly encircle said one pipe section, said clamps having corresponding ends which are capable of extending and projecting beyond a terminal end of said one pipe section and which provide circumferentially spaced jaw-like piloting guides through the medium of which a terminal end portion of the other pipe section can be centered and axially aligned with said one pipe section, and means carried by said guides for securely fastening a coacting terminal end portion of said other pipe section in a manner to retain it in a given position prior to final welding, said slack take-up and chain tautening means comprising, in combination, an L-shaped cleat having one leg provided with a snap-fastener-hook which can be releasably connected with a selected chain link, the other leg having a keeper notch, a sleeve having an internally threaded bore, said sleeve having one end provided with a fixed cross-head providing a handle, the other end having end thrust engagement with said notched leg, and a jack-screw having one end screwed into the threaded bore of said sleeve, the other end being provided with an integral accessibly usable snap-fastener-hook similar to said first named snap-fastener-hook and adapted to be releasably connected with an adjacent encircling chain.

Claim 7

A device for lining up and temporarily maintaining oriented ends of two pipe sections in alignment preparatory to welding and permanently joining said sections comprising a plurality of companion clamps adapted to be conjointly positioned at circumferentially spaced points around the exterior surface of one of said pipe sections, a plurality of individual chains operatively coordinated with and linking said clamps together, manually regulatable slack take-up and chain tautening means for adjustably connecting free end portions of two of said chains whereby all of the chains are caused to snugly encircle said one pipe section, said clamps having corresponding ends which are capable of extending and projecting beyond a terminal end of said one pipe section and which provide circumferentially spaced jaw-like piloting guides through the medium of which a terminal end portion of the other pipe section can be centered and axially aligned with said one pipe section, and means carried by said guides for securely fastening a coacting terminal end portion of said other pipe section in a manner to retain it in a given position prior to final welding, said slack take-up and chain tautening means comprising, in combination, an L-shaped cleat having one leg provided with a snap-fastener-hook which can be releasably connected with a selected chain link, the other leg having a keeper notch, a sleeve having an internally threaded bore, said sleeve having one end provided with a fixed cross-head providing a handle, the other end having end thrust engagement with said notched leg, and a jack-screw having one end screwed into the threaded bore of said sleeve, the other end being provided with an integral accessibly usable snap-fastener-hook similar to said first named snap-fastener-hook and adapted to be releasably connected with an adjacent encircling chain.

Claim 8

A device for lining up and temporarily maintaining oriented ends of two pipe sections in alignment preparatory to welding and permanently joining said sections comprising several individual clamps, namely, a bottom clamp, and a pair of side clamps, said side clamps being adapted when in use to be situated on substantially diametrically opposite sides of the pipe section with which they are cooperable, each clamp embodying an elongated substantially rectangular plate having a flat inward surface which is provided with a pair of fixed elongated spaced parallel rods located in a common plane and adapted to rest directly on a coacting convex surface of said one pipe section, each plate having a reduced end portion constituting a jaw-like extension and said extension being provided with a screw threaded hole, a setscrew having a shank threaded through said hole in such a manner that one end of the setscrew is adapted to clampingly engage the surface of a pipe section which is adapted to be lined up with said first named section, a first relatively short chain having ends connected with adjacent clamps, a second chain longer than said first chain and having one end connectable with said bottom clamp and links thereof connectable with one of the side clamps, and a complemental third chain of a length similar to the second chain and having one end connectable to a coacting side clamp and the other end free, and slack take-up means embodying two adjustably connected snap fasteners, one of said snap fasteners being operatively connected to the free end of said third chain, and the other snap fastener being operatively connected to a coacting end portion of the second chain.

Claim 9

A device for lining up and temporarily maintaining oriented ends of two pipe sections in alignment preparatory to welding and permanently joining said sections comprising several individual clamps, namely, a bottom clamp, and a pair of side clamps, said side clamps being adapted when in use to be situated on substantially diametrically opposite sides of the pipe section with which they are cooperable, each clamp embodying an elongated substantially rectangular plate having a flat inward surface which is provided with a pair of fixed elongated spaced parallel rods located in a common plane and adapted to rest directly on a coacting convex surface of said one pipe section, each plate having a reduced end portion constituting a jaw-like extension and said extension being provided with a screw threaded hole, a setscrew having a shank threaded through said hole in such a manner that one end of the setscrew is adapted to clampingly engage the surface of a pipe section which is adapted to be lined up with said first named section, a first relatively short chain having ends connected with adjacent clamps, a second chain longer than said first chain and having one end connectable with said bottom clamp and links thereof connectable with one of the side clamps, and a complemental third chain of a length similar to the second chain and having one end connectable to a coacting side clamp and the other end free, and slack take-up means embodying two adjustably connected snap fasteners, one of said snap fasteners being operatively connected to the free end of said third chain, and the other snap fastener being operatively connected to a coacting end portion of the second chain.