Swivel joint with uniform ball bearing requirements

• US 9,964,245 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPM Oil & Gas Incorporated (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SPM Flow Control Inc. (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Witkowski, Brian, Matzner, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bochna, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): LINFORD, JAMES ALBERT
• Application Number:
  US14/524,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/08 with two or more rows of balls
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2240/84 with full complement of balls or rollers, i.e. sum of clearances less than diameter of one rolling element
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2361/00 Apparatus or articles in engineering in general F15 - F17
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 43/06 Placing rolling bodies in cages or bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 27/0828 having radial bearings connections of quick-acting couplings maintained by balls or rollers under radial pressure F16L37/22
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 27/0845 forming an angle of 90 degrees

Abstract

A swivel joint has uniform ball bearing requirements for all bearing races. The swivel joint has a male connector and a female connector that coaxially interconnects and swivel relative to each other while still maintaining a high pressure seal. Each connector has three bearing races to form three sets of bearing races, each of which supports the same number of ball bearings. The circumference of the main set of races are enlarged by less than the diameter of one ball, so it is impossible to add another ball to the coupled male and female connectors of the swivel joint.

Claims

1. A swivel joint, comprising:

a male connector having a central axis, a terminal end, a male main bearing race, a male center bearing race on a side of the male main bearing race opposite from the terminal end, and a male support bearing race on a side of the male center bearing race opposite the male main bearing race, the male support bearing race having a diameter greater than diameters of the male main bearing race and male center bearing race;

a female connector coaxially interconnected with the male connector along the central axis, a distal end of the male connector being inserted into the female connector, the female connector having female main, female center, and female support bearing races that respectively form cavities with the male main, male center, and male support bearing races, such as to define main, center, and support bearing cavities, the female support bearing race being closer to a rim of the female connector than the female main bearing race;

a step circumscribing the male connector between the support and center bearing races that defines a radial change of the male connector;

a same number of balls in each of the main, center, and support bearing cavities, the same number of balls having a same diameter, wherein each of the main, center, and support bearing cavities is filled with the same number of balls to a capacity such that no additional ball of the same diameter can be added to each of the main, center, and support bearing cavities in addition to the same number of balls.

2. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein the balls of each of the bearing cavities contains a total of 35 balls.

3. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein the outer diameter of the male connector adjacent the male main bearing race is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the male connector adjacent the male center bearing race.

4. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein each bearing cavity contains a total of 35 balls, with each ball having a diameter of ⅜

inch.

5. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein each bearing cavity contains a total of 32 balls, with each ball having a diameter of ½

inch.

6. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein:

a circumference of the male connector adjacent the male support bearing race is greater than a circumference of the male connector adjacent the male center bearing race; and

a difference between the circumference of the male connector adjacent the male support bearing race and a circumference of the male connector adjacent the male center bearing race is less than a diameter of any of the balls.

7. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein a circumference of the male connector adjacent the male main bearing race is substantially the same as a circumference of the male connector adjacent the male center bearing race, a circumference of the male connector adjacent the male support bearing race is greater than the circumference of the male connector adjacent the male main bearing race and the circumference of the male connector adjacent the male center bearing race, and a difference between the circumference of the male connector adjacent the male support bearing race and the circumference of the male connector adjacent the male main and male center bearing races is less than a diameter of any of the balls.

8. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein the male connector has a radial wall thickness adjacent the male main bearing race that is less than a radial wall thickness adjacent the male support bearing race.

9. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the male center and the male support bearing races is an arcuate recess; and

the male connector has a cylindrical annular band between the male center and male support bearing races, the annular band having a step formed on an outer surface thereof, defining for the annular band a larger outer diameter portion and a smaller outer diameter portion, the larger outer diameter portion joining the male support bearing race.

10. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein:

the female center and female support bearing races are arcuate recesses; and

the female connector has a cylindrical annular band between the female center and female support bearing races, the annular band having a step formed on an inner surface thereof, defining for the annular band of the female connector a larger inner diameter portion and a smaller inner diameter portion, the larger inner diameter portion joining the female support bearing race.

11. The swivel joint according to claim 10, wherein the female connector has an outer surface with a larger outer diameter portion radially outward from the female main bearing races and a smaller outer diameter portion radially outward from the female support bearing race.

12. The swivel joint according to claim 1, wherein the swivel joint further comprises additional connectors opposite the male and female connectors for connecting the swivel joint to other well service components.

13. The swivel joint according to claim 12, wherein said other well service components comprise 3-inch diameter components rated at a working pressure of 15,000 psi.

14. The swivel joint according to claim 12, wherein said other well service components comprise 4-inch diameter components rated at a working pressure of 10,000 psi.

15. The swivel joint according to claim 1, further comprising a main seal ring located between the distal end of the male connector, and a proximal end of the female connector, and a seal between the male and female connectors.

16. A swivel joint, comprising:

a male connector having a central axis and three bearing races including a male main bearing race, a male support bearing race having a diameter greater than a diameter of the male main bearing race, and a male center bearing race having a diameter less than a diameter of the male support bearing race and located between the male main and the male support being races, the male main bearing race being closer to a distal end of the male connector than the male support bearing race and the male center bearing race, and the male connector having a larger outer diameter adjacent the male support bearing race than adjacent the male main and center bearing races;

a female connector coaxially interconnected with the male connector along the central axis, and having female main, female center, and female support bearing races that respectively form cavities with the male main, male center, and male support bearing races, such as defining main, center, and support bearing cavities, the female support bearing race being closer to a rim of the female connector than the female main bearing race, the female connector having a same inner diameter adjacent the female main bearing race and the female center bearing race, and the female connector having a larger inner diameter adjacent the female support bearing race than adjacent the female main and center bearing races;

a same number of balls in each of the main, center, and support bearing cavities, the same number of balls having a same diameter, wherein each of the main, center, and support bearing cavities is filled with the same number of balls to a full capacity such that no additional ball of the substantially same diameter can be added to each of the main, center, and support bearing cavities in addition to the same number of balls; and

wherein a circumference of the male connector adjacent the male main bearing race is substantially the same as a circumference of the male connector adjacent the center bearing race, and a circumference adjacent the male support bearing race is greater than the circumference of the male connector adjacent the main and center bearing races by an amount less than a diameter of any of the balls.

17. The swivel joint according to claim 16, wherein the male connector has a cylindrical annular band between the male center and male support bearing races, each of the male center and male support bearing races being an arcuate recess, the annular band having a step formed on an outer surface thereof, defining for the annular band a larger outer diameter portion and a smaller outer diameter portion, the larger outer diameter portion joining the male support bearing race.

18. The swivel joint according to claim 16, wherein the female connector has a cylindrical annular band between the female center and female support bearing races, each of the female center and female support bearing races being an arcuate recess, the annular band having a step formed on an inner surface thereof, defining for the annular band of the female connector a larger inner diameter portion and a smaller inner diameter portion, the larger inner diameter portion joining the female support bearing race.

19. The swivel joint according to claim 16, wherein the female connector has an outer surface with a larger outer diameter portion radially outward from the female main and female center bearing races than a smaller outer diameter portion radially outward from the female support bearing race.

20. A swivel joint, comprising:

a male connector having a central axis, a male main bearing race, a male support bearing race having a diameter greater than a diameter of the male main bearing race, and a male center bearing race having a diameter the same as the diameter of the male main bearing race and located between the male main and the male support bearing races, the male main bearing race being closer to a distal end of the male connector than the male support bearing race;

a radial transition circumscribing the male connector so that the radius of the male connector adjacent the male support bearing race is greater than the radius of the male connector adjacent the male center bearing race;

a female connector coaxially interconnected with the male connector along the central axis, and having female main, female center, and female support bearing races that respectively form cavities with the male main, male center, and male support bearing races, such as defining main, center, and support bearing cavities, the female support bearing race being closer to a rim of the female connector than the female main bearing race;

a same number of balls in each of the main, center, and support bearing cavities, the same number of balls having a uniform diameter, wherein each of the main, center, and support bearing cavities is filled with the same number of balls to a full capacity that no additional ball of the same uniform diameter can be added to each of the main, center, and support bearing cavities in addition to the same number of balls; and

wherein the male connector adjacent the male support bearing race has a circumference that is greater than a circumference of the male connector adjacent the male center bearing race by an amount less than the ball diameter.