U.S. patent number 3,817,564 [Application Number 05/300,152] was granted by the patent office on 1974-06-18 for clamp assembly for pressure vessel.
This patent grant is currently assigned to GAF Corporation. Invention is credited to Arnold Victor Baldwin, Walter Johnson, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,817,564 |
Baldwin , et al. |
June 18, 1974 |
CLAMP ASSEMBLY FOR PRESSURE VESSEL
Abstract
A clamp assembly is provided suitable for use with a two part
pressure vessel, employing an integral bracket affixed thereto. The
clamp is adapted to positively seat at the parting line between the
two parts of such vessel. The bracket structure includes two flat
members disposed on top of one another with the upper member
slidably connected to the lower member and the lower member affixed
to the clamp. The top bracket member is provided with a flange
which engages a band that is suitably fastened about the periphery
of the top portion of the pressure vessel. When it is desired to
separate both halves of the vessel, the clamp is released and is
urged to laterally move within a prescribed distance as governed by
a pair of slots in the top bracket member.
Inventors: |
Baldwin; Arnold Victor (Wilton,
CT), Johnson, Jr.; Walter (Port Chester, NY) |
Assignee: |
GAF Corporation (New York,
NY)
|
Family
ID: |
23157927 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/300,152 |
Filed: |
October 24, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
292/256.67 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16L
33/04 (20130101); B65D 45/32 (20130101); F16J
13/06 (20130101); Y10T 292/214 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
F16L
33/02 (20060101); F16L 33/04 (20060101); B65D
45/32 (20060101); B65D 45/00 (20060101); F16J
13/06 (20060101); F16J 13/00 (20060101); E05c
019/18 () |
Field of
Search: |
;24/279,286
;292/256.67,256.69 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moore; Richard E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kehm; Walter C. Leavitt; Samson
B.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A clamp assembly for securing the abutting ends of the upper and
lower portions of a pressure vessel comprising, in combination,
closure means having at least two curved sections pivotally
attached to each other to form a unitary structure having a pair of
mating open ends; fastening means attached to the open ends of said
closure means adapted to adjustably fasten said closure means about
the pressure vessel adjacent the abutting ends of the upper and
lower portions; a circular band concentrically disposed with
respect to said closure means and in cooperative relationship
therewith for attachment to the upper portion of said pressure
vessel; fastening means associated with said circular band adapted
to fixedly adjust said band on said upper portion of the pressure
vessel; and adjustable bracket means fixedly attached to said
closure means and to said circular band and adapted to permit the
lateral movement of said closure means with respect to said
band.
2. A clamp assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein said
bracket means includes a top member attached to said circular band
at point along the outer periphery of said band; a bottom member
affixed to said closure means and slidably attached to said top
member; and adjustable means connecting said top member and said
bottom member to control the extent of lateral movement of said
bracket members with respect to one another.
3. A clamp assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
circular band when attached to said upper portion of the pressure
vessel, together with the bracket means, retains the closure means
in place after the fastening means attached to said closure means
is released.
4. A clamp assembly in accordance with claim 2, in which the top
member of said bracket means includes an upstanding flange fixedly
attached to said circular band; the bottom member of said bracket
means includes a downwardly extending flange fixedly attached to
said closure means; said top member and said bottom member each
including at least one slot of predetermined length in at least
partial alignment with one another; and said top member and bottom
member are slidably secured by fastening means engaging said slots
and permitting lateral movement of one member with respect to the
other.
Description
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for use in
conjunction with a pressure vessel. More particularly, the present
apparatus is directed to a clamp arrangement capable of positively
sealing the upper and lower portions respectively of a pressure
vessel.
It is most desirable when using in-line pressure vessels to at
times separate the lower portion from the head, especially for
cleaning purposes. This situation arises when it is desired to
remove a spent filter bag from the interior of the vessel by
separating the two major parts. For safety and efficiency a
positive fit as between the upper and lower portions of the vessel
is necessary, especially when operating at pressures where there
may be some question as to the security of the upper and lower
regions of the vessel.
In order to cope with the conditions suggested above, a number of
different approaches have been employed in the utilization of
different types of devices for securing such vessel members. For
example, it has been suggested to employ a series of spring loaded
fastening clamps which are adapted to engage the lip or flange
portion of the cover of the vessel at a number of discrete points
about the periphery of such vessel. However, with this mode of
fastening, a number of problems arise, for example, in the event it
is desired to separate the lower portion of the vessel from a head
portion which is mounted in-line, one would go about releasing such
clamps, each individually. However, as the clamps are successively
released, an uneven and unduly high amount of pressure results on
the clamps that are still to be released. Furthermore, a severe
safety problem can arise in the event the operator neglects to
release the safety valve prior to unlatching the clamps and the
possibility of injury is great. Another problem arises insofar as
the ability of an operator to release such clamps while fixedly
holding the unsecured lower portion of the vessel. It becomes quite
apparent that a serious problem of manipulation arises with
possible injury to the operator being present.
When fabricating the vessel together with various clamps which are
positioned about the periphery of such vessel body, a loss of
concentricity can occur. As a result, there arises a serious
question as to the problem of positively sealing the upper and
lower portion respectively, of the vessel. In addition, should one
or more clamps fail during operation, the ability of the remaining
clamp or clamps to contain the vessel body in place with the top is
seriously questioned.
It follows that a secure and positive clamping arrangement and
positive positioning of the upper and lower portions of a pressure
vessel respectively in order to insure positive sealing is quite
essential.
A principal feature of the present invention contemplates a clamp
assembly for securing the upper and lower portions of a pressure
vessel including: a sectional closure means attached at several
points to form a unitary structure, fastening means disposed at the
open ends of said closure means adapted to adjustably fasten said
closure means, a circular band concentric with respect to said
closure means and in cooperative relationship therewith, fastening
means associated with said circular band adapted to fixedly adjust
said band with respect to said closure means, and bracket means
integral with said closure means being provided with slidable means
to enable said closure means a controlled amount of lateral
movement.
The bracket means is affixed to said closure means at a point about
the periphery thereof, said bracket means including a top member
and a bottom member, said bottom member being affixed to said
closure means and said top member being slidably attached thereto,
and additionally affixed to said circular band, and adjustable
means disposed within said bracket means to control the length of
travel of said top and bottom members with respect to one
another.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide a
clamping arrangement free from the defects of the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for a
clamping arrangement adaptable for use with a pressure vessel
having an upper and lower portion.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a
clamping arrangement adapted to be fixedly mounted on the periphery
of said vessel to enable positive closure as between the upper and
lower portions of such vessel.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a
clamping structure adapted to be positioned about the periphery of
the point of contact as between the upper and lower portions of a
pressure vessel, capable of being easily released to enable
separation of the upper and lower portions of said vessel.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a clamping
arrangement including an integral guide structure to enable the
clamp to freely disengage the peripheral surfaces of the vessel
while at the same time being retained in position on the head by a
suitable circumferential band.
Still another object is to permit the whole clamping arrangement to
be removed for cleaning or replacement if necessary at a minor
expense.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become
relatively apparent after studying the appended claims,
specification, and drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention affixed in
the closed position to the pressure vessel assembly.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the clamp shown in FIG. 1 in the
open position.
FIG. 3 is a partial section of a top view illustrating the bracket
attachment to the clamp.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of FIG. 3 showing the attachment of the
bracket to the clamp and its relationship to the vessel shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2.
According to FIG. 1 there is provided a clamp 1 which is adapted to
fit about the periphery of the vessel at the point of juncture
between the top portion 2 and the body portion of the vessel 3.
This clamp is a sectional clamp which is provided with a series of
inter-connecting sections for an example, three in number, A, B,
and C in this particular instance, which are held at respective
pivot points 4,5. The clamp adjustment with respect to the joint to
which it is applied can be made by properly positioning of the
entire clamp around the periphery of the vessel. The clamp is
secured (by means of band 13) at Y by a screw (bolt) or other
suitable means. To tighten the seal by means of the clamp 1, a
clamp retaining arrangement is employed which consists of a long
pin 6 having a T-shaped end 9 extending from a handle 7 and is
adapted to be inserted into and through a pair of guide members 8
which secured the T-shaped end 9.
The actual clamping of the top of the vessel 2 to the body 3 is
achieved by firstly positioning the clamp around the periphery and
then tightening the pin 6 through the turning of a handle 7 which
has a threaded portion adapted to take up on the pin, thereby
causing the member 8 to tend to come closer together as additional
torque is applied through handle 7. Ultimately, a sufficient amount
of torque is applied to the point where the clamp is positively
positioned on the vessel and has positively sealed the top 2 to the
bottom 3. For purposes of enabling the clamp when opened to remain
positioned on the body of the vessel freeing the operator to remove
the body 3 for cleaning purposes, there is provided a bracket 8. In
FIG. 2, the bracket 8 is shown fastened to the body of the clamp 1
through a suitable means such as (a second) bracket 9 welded to
clamp 1. Bracket 8 in turn consists of two basic parts: a flat
angular portion 9 which is attached to the clamp 1 as well as a
portion 10 which is disposed on top of portion 9 and slidably
connected thereto via slots 11.
The top portion 10, in turn, has an end upright member 12 and
extends such that it can be positively held in place on top of the
vessel 2 through a suitable means such as a circular band 13. The
band 13, in turn, is provided with a locking arrangement 14 such
that by ordinary fastening means, i.e., a nut and bolt arrangement,
the band 13 is positioned around the periphery of the top of the
vessel 2, and in turn positions the upper portion of the bracket 8
with respect to the clamp 1. Once the clamp 1 is in position, and
the bracket 8 is held in place, the vessel operates in its normal
mode.
The slots 11 in FIG. 3 indicate how a lateral movement of the
bracket 8 enables the clamp to dislodge itself from the periphery
of the vessel. This enables the body 3 shown in FIG. 2 to be
removed without spilling and facilitates removal of the spent bag.
By virtue of band 13 holding the member 12 of the bracket 10 in
place, the clamp does not fall to the ground once it is in the
opened position, in this connection reference is made to FIG. 2.
The amount of lateral movement of the clamp with respect to the
vessel when such clamp is in the open position can be best seen
from FIG. 3 where the slots are elongated in an amount equal to the
lateral movement of the clamp in the opened position. Furthermore,
it can be seen from FIG. 3 that the pivotal arrangement of the
clamp is intended to move about such pivot points as 5 and 4, in
this case pivot point 4.
FIG. 4 more clearly illustrates by means of a sectional view the
relationship of the bracket 8 as it is held in position with
respect to the top of the vessel and the body of the vessel. Once
the elongated pin 6 is released through proper easing of the
closing force through the turns on handle 7, it is then possible to
actually dislodge the top and bottom of the vessel without any fear
of the clamp falling away. As shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 8 is
provided with a slot 11 enabling it to laterally move the clamp 1
with respect to the top and yet permit the clamp to move freely
from the periphery of the vessel and to disengage same thereby
enabling the top and bottom of the vessel to be separated. When
used in-line, the vessel is held in place at the inlet and outlet
means (not shown) and it is quite obvious that the operator is free
to use both hands in separating the top and bottom of the vessel
while in no manner being concerned with the clamp falling apart and
subsequently falling to the ground.
It is furthermore quite obvious that the extent of lateral movement
of the clamp as determined by the slots 11 is variable and can be
altered in accordance with the surrounding piping and environmental
requirements which may vary from condition to condition. The clamp
can be suitably tightened without in any manner affecting the
ability of the bracket 8 to be laterally moved, since such movement
is determined by the amount of play available through slot 11.
Obviously, the actual attachment of the slidable bracket 8 to the
clamp is, by means of a band secured to the vessel, subject to
modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present invention. However, the aforementioned approach is thought
to be quite suitable in view of the fact that any actual fastening
to the body of the vessel and top respectively, for example, as by
welding, can in some measure introduce variables, i.e., distortion
of the true configuration, which can impede sealing of the top and
body portion of the vessel. Consequently, it is suggested that the
aforementioned use of a band 13 through an appropriate tightening
arrangement shown in FIG. 2 is an important feature of the
inventive design. In addition, it is quite apparent that the use of
a nut and bolt 15 the means for enabling the upper surface 10 to
slide on the bracket 8 can be suitably altered as well. In this
particular instance, the nut and bolt was deemed to be a simple
expedient.
The aforementioned structure has been found to be quite
advantageous for its intended application, particularly suitable in
terms of cost of manufacture, efficiency, as well as ease of
operation. In all cases, experimental testing has indicated the
aforementioned to provide positive closure while at the same time
enabling the operator to easily and readily remove the body of the
vessel from the top by simply releasing the clamp through a
suitable rotational force supplied through handle 7.
It will be understood that certain changes may be made in the
construction or arrangement of the method and apparatus which is
disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *