Abstract: Apparatus for supporting a carriage such as for an automatic welding machine for welding line pipe on a lay barge where the machine is successively lifted from and set upon the pipe. A power cylinder operates extendable legs in accordance with its full stroke and cables connected with an overhead support are also connected to the movable legs and trained over a sheave on the carriage to provide certain lost motion between the extended positions of the legs and their retracted positions so that all of the carriage weight is borne by the legs when extended and all of the weight is borne by the cables when the legs are retracted, thus insuring that the legs clear the pipe irrespective of variations in the distance between the pipe and the overhead support. The sheave is positioned on the carriage to effectively increase the distance by which the carriage is moved by the power cylinder throughout its stroke.

Abstract: A device for applying mastic material to the weld bead area of longitudinally welded pipe is the subject of this application. An extruder is mounted on a framework and receives mastic material in rope form from a bulk spool positioned above the extruder. The extruder incorporates heating elements to raise the temperature of the mastic. The extruder is provided with dual orifices for depositing a layer of the mastic material on either side of the weld bead of the pipe. A doctor blade is mounted to move along the pipe extending from the weld bead to a point on the pipe surface to smooth the mastic material which has been deposited. The doctor blade smooths the material evenly and causes it to form a bridge between the apex of the weld bead and a point on the pipe surface adjacent the base of the weld bead.

Abstract: A pipe coating composition is the subject of the present invention. A bituminous base coating comprising binder, aggregate and fiber utilizes cement stack dust as a filler in place of conventional lime dust or cement. The cement stack dust filler is utilized in quantities up to 25% less than the quantity of lime dust previously required for lime dust.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for centering two concentric cylinders having different diameters is the subject of the present invention. A linear reference line is projected from an illuminating source along the length of the inner cylinder. At the other end of the cylinder is a photo receiver operable to provide a displacement reading related to the amount of light striking the receiver. As the inner cylinder is rotated about its center point, the amount of light striking the photo receiver varies based on the amount of arcuate displacement present at each point of the cylinder. The photo receiver then converts the incoming light into a displacement reading related to the arcuate displacement of the inner cylinder. The readings thus obtained are correlated with the points on the inner cylinder where they occurred to indicate the point and amount of maximum arcuate displacement. Thereafter, the outer cylinder is arcuately displaced a corresponding amount so that it will conform to the inner cylinder exactly.

Abstract: A device for cutting a metal or plastic jacket which surrounds a layer of foam on an insulated pipe is the subject of the present invention. A circumferential track mounts on the jacket and a ring gear is movable in the track. The cutting means is mounted on the ring gear for movement therewith. The cutting means is pivotally mounted so that it may assume a first position out of cutting engagement. Even in its non-cutting position, however, the leading edge of the cutting means will contact the jacket and movement in a circumferential direction will cause the cutting edge to penetrate the jacket and urge it into its cutting position. A motor is provided to drive the ring gear and cutting means around the track.

Abstract: An improved containerized pipe coating including coating material and the container therefor is the subject of the present invention. An asphalt coating material comprising 10% to 25% by weight asphalt and 75% to 90% by weight sand-lime aggregate is used to coat the weld joints of pipe previously coated with similar material along its length for corrosion protection. The weld joint coating material is delivered to a coating station in easy to handle small size containers. The containers comprise no more than about 5% of the weight of the material contained thereby and are constructed primarily from a material containing at least one of the members of the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene-polypropylene copolymer. The containerized material is placed in a chopper where it is reduced in size. The chopped mixture of particles are then melted and stirred until a relatively even mixture of a flowable liquid is presented.

Abstract: Corrugated pipe is bent by pinching the spiral corrugations on one side of the pipe to decrease their pitch and increase their amplitude as compared to the undeformed corrugations on the opposite side of the pipe, thereby shortening the pipe on one side. A machine for effecting deformation of the corrugations includes inner and outer clamp mechanisms which provide an inner spiral rib extending partially around the inside of the pipe and a pair of outer spiral ribs extending partially around the outside of the pipe. The clamps include hinged together clamp sections which are pivoted by hydraulic cylinders between a pipe engaging position for bending the pipe and a release position permitting advancement of the pipe. The cylinders drive the outer ribs toward one another as well as inwardly into grooves of the corrugations where their force is opposed by the inner rib which acts against the inside pipe surface at a ridge of the corrugation.

Abstract: A device for automatically welding a tube onto a pipe of larger diameter is the subject of the present invention. Tack welding is achieved by two welding torches located on opposite sides of the tube and spaced apart longitudinally a distance equal to the distance desired between tack welds. The entire torch assembly is mounted on a movable carriage that is motor driven. A frictional spool wheel engages the tube to drive the carriage while also serving as a guide wheel. Two cam wheels are also driven by the same motor that drives the carriage. One cam wheel controls operation of the welding torches on an intermittent basis. The second cam wheel controls the drive motor so that the latter is operated at a first speed during welding and a faster speed when welding in interrupted. This allows the device to traverse a given distance in less than half the time that would be required if the slower welding speed were maintained throughout the entire length of the tube.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for centering two concentric cylinders having different diameters is the subject of the present invention. A linear reference line is projected from an illuminating source along the length of the inner cylinder. At the other end of the cylinder is a photo receiver operable to provide a displacement reading related to the amount of light striking the receiver. As the inner cylinder is rotated about its center point, the amount of light striking the photo receiver varies based on the amount of arcuate displacement present at each point of the cylinder. The photo receiver then converts the incoming light into a displacement reading related to the arcuate diplacement of the inner cylinder. The readings thus obtained are correlated with the points on the inner cylinder where they occurred to indicate the point and amount of maximum arcuate displacement. Thereafter, the outer cylinder is arcuately displaced a corresponding amount so that it will conform to the inner cylinder exactly.

Abstract: A device and method for applying mastic material to the weld bead area of longitudinally welded pipe is the subject of this application. An extruder is mounted on a framework and receives mastic material in rope form from a bulk spool positioned above the extruder. The extruder incorporates heating elements to raise the temperature of the mastic. The extruder is provided with dual orifices for depositing a layer of the mastic material on either side of the weld bead of the pipe. A doctor blade is mounted to move along the pipe extending from the weld bead to a point on the pipe surface to smooth the mastic material which has been deposited. The doctor blade smooths the material evenly and causes it to form a bridge between the apex of the weld bead and a point on the pipe surface adjacent the base of the weld bead.

Abstract: A method and article for covering and sealing the exposed weld joint area of a pipeline coated with thermoplastic corrosion protective coating is the subject of this application. The article comprises a layer of thermoplastic material that is compatible with the thermoplastic coating. A layer of mastic may also be formed on one side of the thermoplastic material. A resistance wire which is preferably a strip of wire mesh is tack welded or otherwise secured to the thermoplastic strip in two parallel stretches and a third stretch that is transverse to and in contact with the first two stretches. The article is wrapped around the coated pipe with the first two stretches of the resistance wire sandwiched between the pipe coating and the thermoplastic layer of the article and the third stretch of the resistance wire sandwiched between overlapping ends of the layer of thermoplastic material. The resistance wire is then energized to produce enough heat to fuse the two thermoplastic layers into an integral unit.

Abstract: A method of providing asphalt base coating material for pipe and a novel container for holding the coating material are the subject of the present application. An asphalt coating material comprising 10% to 25% by weight asphalt and 75% to 90% by weight sand-lime aggregate is used to coat the weld joints of pipe previously coated with similar material along its length for corrosion protection. The weld joint coating material is delivered to a coating station in easy to handle small size containers. The containers comprise no more than about 5% of the weight of the material contained thereby and are constructed primarily from a material containing at least one of the members of the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene-polypropylene copolymer. The containers are placed in a chopper where they are reduced in size along with the coating material. The chopped mixture of particles are then melted and stirred until a relatively even mixture of a flowable liquid is presented.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for packaging thermoplastic fluid material is the subject of the present invention. The thermoplastic material is mixed at an elevated temperature and emptied in predetermined batch quantities into a holding area. A gate in the bottom of the holding area is operable to empty the batch of material in a very short time span. A plurality of heating elements are disposed beneath the outlet of the holding means and are maintained at a temperature high enough to cause parting of the fluid material as it passes over the heating elements. Thus the batch of material from the holding area will be divided into a plurality of individual masses as the material passes over the heating elements. By utilizing a number of heating elements equal to one less than the number of containers to be filled, and by spacing the heating elements equi-distances apart, the individual masses of material will be equal in size and the number of individual masses will equal the number of containers.

Abstract: Apparatus for conveying elongated objects of small diameter. After an object is coated with a protective coating, a first conveyor flight having a generally V-shaped groove receives the leading end of the object. A second conveyor flight has a generally U-shaped groove to be positioned in alignment with the object for receiving it if additional support is necessary, although generally remaining out of contact with the object. Another one of the aforedescribed first conveyor flights follows each of the aforedescribed second conveyor flights so that both ends of the object are normally supported by one of the first conveyor flights. In the event either end of the object misses one of the moving first conveyor flights, an adjacent second conveyor flight will receive the object and support it for movement.

Abstract: An internal pipe clamp is provided by the present invention. The clamp is designed to clamp two joints of pipe into position for a circumferential weld. The clamp includes mechanism for spacing the two joints apart a very short distance to facilitate welding. A backup member is provided which is movable from a retracted position. The backup member comprises two backup portions each of which comprises two pivotally coupled backup segments. Each segment extends through an arc of approximately 90.degree. and terminates in a wedge shaped end that is complemental to the wedge shaped end of an adjacent segment. Power cylinders move each segment from a retracted to an extended position. Power cylinders are also coupled in opposed relationship with each adjacent pair of wedge shaped ends to force same into tight contiguous relationship when the segments are extended.