Mechanically expandable annular seal

Patent · Fri Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:864624

Gilmore, Richard F ^[1]

---

1. Kennewick, WA

A mechanically expandable annular reusable seal assembly to form an annular hermetic barrier between two stationary, parallel, and planar containment surfaces. A rotatable ring, attached to the first surface, has ring wedges resembling the saw-tooth array of a hole saw. Matching seal wedges are slidably attached to the ring wedges and have their motion restricted to be perpendicular to the second surface. Each seal wedge has a face parallel to the second surface. An annular elastomer seal has a central annular region attached to the seal wedges' parallel faces and has its inner and outer circumferences attached to the first surface. A rotation of the ring extends the elastomer seal's central region perpendicularly towards the second surface to create the fluidtight barrier. A counterrotation removes the barrier.

• Research Organization: Hanford Engineering Development Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC14-76FF02170
• Assignee: Gilmore, Richard F. (Kennewick, WA)
• Patent Number(s): 4,394,022
• Application Number: 06/306998
• OSTI ID: 864624
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/277/376/976/
annular
annular region
annular seal
array
assembly
attached
barrier
central
circumferences
containment
counterrotation
create
elastomer
expandable
expandable annular
extends
fluidtight
form
hermetic
inner
matching
mechanically
mechanically expandable
motion
outer
outer circumference
parallel
perpendicular
perpendicularly
planar
region
removes
resembling
restricted
reusable
rotatable
rotation
saw-tooth
seal
seal assembly
slidably
stationary
surface
surfaces
tight barrier
towards
wedge
wedges