| 摘要 |
A ball and socket joint comprising a member having forward facing and rear facing spherical surface portions, a collar engaged about the member and having internal surface portions mating with the spherical surface portions of the member, a socket into which is received the previously formed assembly comprising the member with the collar engaged thereabout, and securing means for securing the assembly in the socket. The ball and socket joint being constructible as a pipe coupling, particularly a pipe coupling for use in difficult working environments such as a deep subsea location, the securing means can be constructed for remote operation and can be constructed for applying to the assembly a continuous pre-load force tending to push the assembly into the socket. A pipeline laying method suited to laying underwater pipelines of length up to about 12,000 feet for which conventional methods such as by the use of a lay barge may be uneconomic, or for laying pipelines under ice floes, comprises using a relatively small surface or submarine vessel to lay pipes up to about 500 feet in length with the components of ball and socket pipe couplings previously assembled to the ends of each pipe, and then joining the coupling component at one end of each pipe, after the pipe has been laid, to the mating component at the free end of the previously laid pipe.
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