United States Patent [19]
`Morrow, Jr. (cid:9)
`
`[11) Patent Number: (cid:9)
`[45] Date of Patent: (cid:9)
`
`4,662,774
`May 5, 1987
`
`[54] PARABOLIC END FITTING
`
`[75] Inventor: Fred E. Morrow, Jr., Big Spring,
`Tex.
`[73] Assignee: Fiberflex Products, Ltd., Houston,
`Tex.
`
`[21] Appl. No.: 583,849
`Feb. 27, 1984
`
`[22] Filed: (cid:9)
`
`[63] (cid:9)
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 430,652, Oct. 12, 1982,
`abandoned.
`[51] Int. CI.
`[52] U.S. Cl. (cid:9)
`[58] Field of Search (cid:9)
`
` F16B 11/00
` 403/266; 403/265
` 403/265, 266, 267, 268
`
`4,360,288 11/1982 Rutledge, Jr. et al. (cid:9)
`4,401,396 8/1983 McKay (cid:9)
`
`
`
`
`403/275 X
`403/13
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`861347 12/1952 Fed. Rep. of Germany (cid:9)
` 403/268
`681550 10/1952 United Kingdom (cid:9)
` 403/267
`
`Primary Examiner—Andrew V. Kundrat
`
`[57] (cid:9)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`In the present invention a suitable end fitting is pro-
`vided for fiberglass or plastic rods wherein the interior
`of the end fitting is defined by a chamber having an
`opening in an end and a side wall defined by a plurality
`of parabolic curved compression grooves and alternate
`spaced neck members wherein the angle between each
`of such parabolic'curve compression grooves and the
`neck members increases in said chamber from the open-
`ing to the end of said chamber.
`
`[56] (cid:9)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`3,085,305 4/1963 Colombet et al. (cid:9)
`
` 403/275
`
`2 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure
`
`Petitioners' Exhibit 1005
`John Crane v. Finalrod
`IPR2016-01786
`
`Page 1 of 4
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`(cid:9)
`(cid:9)
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`U.S. Patent (cid:9)
`
`May 5, 1987 (cid:9)
`
`4,662,774
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`23
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`/5-
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`1
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`PARABOLIC END FITTING
`
`4,662,774
`
`This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applica-
`tion Ser. No. 430,652, filed on Oct. 12, 1982 now aban- 5
`doned.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention relates to a new and improved
`fiberglass rod end connection. (cid:9)
`
`10
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
`The prior art is, as far as applicant is presently aware,
`disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 76,373 filed
`Sept. 17, 1979; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,315,699 to Lusk; 15
`2,404,385 Fritts; 246,898Krotz; 2,475,741 to Goeller,
`3,363,731 to Gashe, et al; 3,499,129 to Hulteen, et al;
`3,551,959 to Mastalski; 4,051,929 to Parfitt; German Pat.
`No. 451,448 issued October, 1927; German Pat. No.
`704,800; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 956,740 filed 20
`Nov. 1, 1978; U.S. Pat. Nos. 315,699 to Lusk; Newling
`4,195,691; Knutz, et al 2,825,752; Forssell 1,689,281;
`Higgins 2,874,937; • Portz, et al 3,018,140; Smith
`2,652,231; Leslie 3,661,388; Higgins 2,874,938; French
`Pat. No. 1,210,779; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,198,538 Lusk; 25
`Parker 1,064,764; United Kingdom Pat. No. 681,550
`issued to Brown; Canadian Pat. No. 1,072,191 issued to
`Lusk; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,205,926 Carlson; Bauer, et al
`4,127,741; Napple 3,461,539; Cooke 2,266,357; Grable
`4,024,913; Yonkers 3,549,791; Cunningham 3,737,556; 30
`Yonkers 3,534,989; German application No. 2,511,809
`issued to Densch.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`The FIGURE is a cross-sectional area disclosing the 35
`concept of the end fitting of the present invention with
`one end of a suitable fiberglass rod.
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
`As set forth in the FIGURE a plastic or fiberglass 40
`sucker rod 11 of any suitable construction as known in
`the prior art is partially illustrated. It is to be understood
`that such rod 11 may form, along with another suitable
`end fitting mounted on the other end of such rod (not
`shown), a sucker rod and thereafter, such sucker rods 45
`may be connected in an end to end relationship to form
`a sucker rod string (not shown) for the production of
`hydrocarbons or the like.
`In addition, such rod 11 may be mounted with the
`end fitting as hereinafter described in any suitable man- 50
`ner wherein it is desired to mount a suitable end fitting
`with a suitable fiberglass or plastic rod 11 for any pur-
`pose.
`As further illustrated in the FIGURE, the end fitting
`is generally designated at 10 and includes end member 55
`15 which may be mounted by any suitable means to any
`other suitable end fitting to form an end-to-end relation-
`ship for such end fittings with rods in the manner so
`desired. The end fitting 10 also includes an exterior
`surface 12 and such end fitting 10 may be constructed of 60
`any suitable material such as steel or the like.
`As illustrated in the FIGURE, rod 11 is positioned in
`an interior chamber 20 formed in the end fitting 10 by
`positioning the rod 11 upwardly and into an opening 23.
`The interior 20 is normally filled with suitable epoxy 65
`resin 23 which, when cured, bonds to the rod 11 in a
`manner known in the art. The interior of the end fitting
`20 comprises a plurality of curved parabolic surfaces
`
`2
`illustrated at 30, 32 and 34 which curve outwardly from
`rib area 46 toward the rod 11 to form compression ribs
`and grooves. Thus, the parabolic width 40, 42 and 44 is
`illustrated as being wider than at the spaced rib areas 46.
`As further illustrated in the FIGURE angles beta and
`alpha a are disclosed with angle alpha a being larger
`than the angle beta /3 and angle beta /3 being larger than
`the angle delta A. In accordance with the present inven-
`tion, the larger the angle, the wider the area of the
`parabolic curve width area 40 is wider than are 42
`which in turn is wider than area 44.
`In the operation of the present invention, in order to
`assemble the rod with the end connection, the rod is
`filled with a suitable epoxy or the like 23 in the interior
`20 thereof. It is also known in the art the epoxy after
`curing will bond with the rod 11 and pull away from the
`interior formation of the end fitting member 10.
`It is required that a sucker rod have at least over
`21,000 pounds tensile strength as required by American
`Petroleum Institute Standards and sometimes many
`more thousand pounds and since normal sucker rods
`also have to withstand high compressive forces, the
`internal construction of the connection member 10 of
`the present invention is quite important since it is de-
`signed to enable the lowermost parabolic compression
`groove 40 to accept smaller compressive and tensile
`forces since the lowermost compression groove 40 has a
`smaller angle and is thus wider than the next adjacent
`connection groove 42 which means that the greater
`width of groove 40 enables a lesser compression and
`tensile load spread over the width of compression joint
`or groove 40. Similarly, the compression joint or
`groove 42, while having more compression than tensile
`compression joint 40, is capable of withstanding less
`tensile and compression load than the compression joint
`44, since the angle beta and its corresponding para-
`bolic curve 32, which define the rib of joint 42, are
`larger than the angle delta A and its corresponding
`parabolic curve edge 34. Thus, in the present invention,
`each of the ribs of compression joints 40, 42 and 44
`accept tensile and compression pressure loads caused by
`the tension and compressive stresses of the sucker rod
`strings but, because of the different parabolic end fitting
`angles, the compression and tension loads are all equal
`in the compression joints 40, 42 and 44.
`While the present invention has been described as
`relating to sucker rods it is to be understood that such
`end connection can relate to any end connection
`wherein it is desired to mount a suitable end fitting with
`a fiberglass rod connection through the use of compres-
`sion grooves or joints and the like.
`What is claimed is:
`1. An end fitting for mounting on the end of a solid
`fiberglass or plastic rod comprising:
`an interior hollow chamber for receiving the rod and
`suitable epoxy for enabling bonding to the rod,
`wherein (a) said interior chamber is defined by an
`opening and an end and wherein the side walls of
`such chamber are defined by a plurality of para-
`bolic curved compression joints spaced between a
`plurality of rib members and wherein the angle
`between the rib members and the parabolic curved
`joints increases with each of said plurality of para-
`bolic curved compression joints from the opening
`of said chamber to the end of said chamber, the
`smallest diameters of each compression joint de-
`creasing with each of said plurality of compression
`joints from the opening of said chamber to the end
`
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`Page 3 of 4
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`3
`thereof, to enable each of said parabolically curved
`compression joints and areas therewith to accept
`an equal tensile and compressive load from said
`opening to said end of said end fitting.
`2. A sucker rod end fitting for mounting on the end of
`a solid fiberglass or plastic rod wherein;
`(a) said rod end generally defines a hollow generally
`circular chamber for receiving said rod and a sutia-
`ble curable bonding material for bonding said rod
`end to said rod;
`(b) said interior chamber being deinfed by an opening
`extending to a bottom end;
`(c) the side walls of said chamber being defined by a
`plurality of rib members;
`
`4
`(d) each of said rib members defining a parabolically
`curved surface to form a compression joint;
`(e) the angle of each of said parabolically curved
`surfaces increasing for each successive said rib
`member spaced away from the opening of said
`chamber toward said bottom end of said chamber;
`(0 the smallest diameter of each compression joint
`decreasing for each successive compression joint
`spaced away from the opening of said chamber
`toward said bottom end thereof;
`(g) each said compression joint as comprised of said
`parabolically curved surfaces of said rib members
`being adapted to accept an equal tensile load as part
`of a total load applied in tension between said rod
`and said rod end.
`* * * * *
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`4,662,774
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