Mechanically expandable annular seal

Patent · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:864624

Gilmore, Richard F ^[1]

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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

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