The present invention relates to an apparatus or tool for seating and tightening clamps around joints between tubular sections, for example between adjacent missile sections, on pumps, motors, or on pipeline sections.
Clamps for joining two adjacent tubular sections are generally known as V-clamps and generally consist of a V-section ring or sleeve which extends over the joint and has a tightening bolt for tightening the clamp over the joint. Presently, such clamps are tightened by tapping the ring with a mallet and then tightening the clamp bolt, repeating the procedure until the clamp bolt shows no sign of movement. This tapping induces shock and vibration into the item being joined and also reduces the life of the clamp ring. This method also does not achieve an evenly distributed load around the V-clamp as it is tightened, so that the clamp may not be seated uniformly.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds