Patent attributes
A thread protection member for protecting threads in a threaded joint includes a body formed of a material selected to reduce damage to the threads during a make-up of the threaded joint and a discontinuity reducing remaining clamping forces and thus allowing the body to deform in a predetermined manner when the body is removed from the threaded joint. In one arrangement, the discontinuity is a void at least partially penetrating the body. For example, the void can be a longitudinal slot that extends partially or fully through the body. In another embodiment, the discontinuity is a region in the body that has at least one material property different from a material property of an adjacent portion of the body. To remove the thread protection member from the joint, a suitable tool may be used to deform the body to extract the body from the joint.