Patent GB-1309792-A (GB)
Title: Assembly for coupling enclosures
IPC: F16J13/12
Filed: 1970-03-25
Abstract: 1309792 Releasable fastenings COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE 25 March 1970 [4 April 1969] 14597/70 Heading E2B An assembly for coupling together two enclosures and for opening and closing communication between the enclosures, comprises a first door 3, a flange 2 defining an opening for the first enclosure closable by the first door, a second door 18 for closing an opening in the second enclosure 17 to be coupled to the first enclosure and being adapted to engage in the opening by rotational movement thereof, the first and second doors being adapted to be coupled together by relative rotational movement thereof, a first coupling ring 6 rotatable to couple the second enclosure when closed by the second door to the flange with the first and second doors in position to be coupled together, a second coupling ring 4 operatively couplable with the first door and rotatable to couple the first door to the second door and, by continued rotation, to disengage the second door from the second enclosure, an extracting ring 5 rotatable to enable the coupling between the first door and the second coupling ring to be released to permit the first door to be removed therefrom, first means 12 for preventing inadvertent rotation of the first coupling ring when the second enclosure is not present, second means 32 for preventing inadvertant rotation of the second coupling ring when the first coupling ring is not in a position coupling the second enclosure to the flange, and third means 36 or 14 preventing inadvertant rotation of the extracting ring to enable release of the coupling between the first door and the second coupling ring when the second door is not disengaged from the second enclosure. In the construction shown the door 3 is coupled to the ring 4 by means of pins 28 which engage in axially directed grooves 29 in the ring 4; the same pins couple the door to the ring 5 by engaging in inclined open ended slots 5a in the ring 5. The means 12 is a spring biased catch which is engaged by the enclosure 17 when it is in position adjacent the first enclosure and so moved to a position in which the ring 6 can be rotated relative to the flange 2 to couple the enclosure 17 to the flange. The means 32 is a pin slidably carried by the flange 2 and alternately engageable with recesses in the rings 4 and 6 so that in addition to preventing movement of the ring 4 unless the ring 6 is in the coupling position it prevents movement of the ring 6 out of the coupling position when the ring 4 is being rotated. The means 36 is a spring loaded bolt operated by a lever 8 which also serves to rotate the ring 5. A similar bolt 9 operated by a lever 7 secures the ring 4 to the flange 2. In the construction shown plates 10 and 14 are so disposed that the levers 7 and 8 cannot be pivoted when the rings are not in the correct positions but in a modification the ring 4 instead of being moved by the lever 7 is moved by a pinion which engages a rack on the ring the pinion being rotatable by a detachable handle placing the handle on the shaft causes the lever to withdraw the bolt and the plate 10 carried by the ring 5 is positioned so that the handle can only be put on the shaft in the correct relative positions of the rings 4 and 5. Similarly the ring 5 is rotated by a pinion carried by the ring 4, the pinion being rotated by the same handle which rotates the other pinion. The plate 14 prevents the handle being engaged with the pinion shaft except in the correct relative positions of the two rings. In this construction the bolt 36 and the lever 8 are omitted. In both constructions the rotation of the ring 5 withdraws the coupled doors in an axial direction by the interaction of the pins 28 with the slots 5a, when the pins reach the ends of the slots 5a the doors can be swung to one side on hinge arms 22 connected to ring 4 and an end portion 37 of one arm 22 engages in a recess in a block attached to the flange 2 to prevent rotation of ring 4.