Patent EA-000982-B1 (EA)
Title: Assembly for supporting the floating roofs of tanks for storing liquids
Inventor: WITTER ALDYR
IPC: B65D88/34
Filed: 1998-02-17
Abstract: 1. An assembly for supporting the floating roof of a tank for storing liquids, characterized in that it comprises : a) a guide (7) which is substantially vertical and hollow in the longitudinal direction and is rigidly fastened to a floating roof which it is desired to support, wherein the lower end (16) of the guide (7) acts as a support for the floating roof when the roof reaches the lowest position; b) a support leg (5) which comprises a substantially vertical column (17) having in an upper part a stop (8) which acts as a travel limiter and prevents the support leg (5) from moving downwardly and falling inside the tank beyond a first position when said leg is installed inside the guide (7); c) a pair of mutually aligned orifices (13) in said guide (7) above the position of said support leg stop (8) when the support leg is in said first position; and d) a locking pin (11) able to be inserted through said aligned orifices (13) to prevent upward movement of said support leg (5) from said first position; wherein, when it is necessary to place the assembly in the maintenance mode, the shaft (19) of the locking pin (11) is passed through the orifices (13). 2. An assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that  (a) the locking pin (11) comprises:- a body (18) having a flange (20) at a first end, having means (15) at the upper end of the body (18) to enable the locking pin (11) to be handled firmly; having a shaft (19) with one of its ends rigidly fastened to said first end of the body (18) coaxial with the axis of symmetry of the body, and having at the other end of the shaft (19) e locking pin stop (14) which has means for fastening the locking pin (11) to the support leg (5); in that (b) when it is necessary to place the assembly in the operating mode, the locking pin (11) can be fastened to the support leg (5) by said fastening means; in that (c) the orifices (13) have dimensions which permit the passage of the locking pin stop (14) therethrough; in that (d) the length of the shaft (19) is such that the locking pin stop (14) passes through the entire gap between the orifices (13) and passes to the exterior with the shaft (19) still resting on the lower peripheries of the orifices (13); and in that (e) the flange (20) has dimensions which are greater than those of the orifices (13) and acts as a travel limiter for the locking pin (11) whereby the locking pin is prevented from moving longitudinally and becomes a stop for the support leg (5). 3. An assembly according to claim 1, characterized by two plates (12) in the form of cylindrical segments, rigidly fastened to the upper end of the guide (7) and having said mutually aligned orifices (13) therein. 4. An assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the support leg (5) can be dispensed with while the floating roof is in the operating mode; and in that, n this situation, the locking pin (11) is installed on the top of the guide (7) using the flange (20) of the locking pin (11) to close the end orifice of the guide (7) via which the support leg (5) would pass, so as to prevent undesired communication between the inside of the tank and the outside. 5. An assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that the bottom of the flange (20), which comes into contact with the top of the guide (7), is covered with a sealing material. 6. An assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the support leg stop (8) has means co-operating with the locking pin fastening means for fastening the locking pin (11) to the support leg (5). 7. An assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that the locking pin fastening means is a threaded pin (21) rigidly fastened to the locking pin stop (14), and in that the co-operating means in the support leg stop (8) is a threaded orifice (3) located in the support leg stop (8); whereby, when it is necessary to fasten the locking pin (11) to the leg (5), it will suffice to screw the threaded pin (21) into the threaded orifice (3). 8. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the position of the locking pin (11) gives a remote observer a visual indication of the operational status of the assembly for supporting the floating roofs of tanks for storing liquids. 9. An assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the locking pin is painted with a conspicuous paint to enable it to be seen from a distance.