An Arrangement for Closing and Tightening the Covers of Containers which are Subject alternately to Internal and External Pressure.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 25th May, 1899-Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1899
An Arrangement for Closing and Tightening the Covers of Containers
which are Subject alternately to Internal and External Pressure.
I, JULIUS WENDELRO-MADSEN, of 6, Ny Strandvej, Hellerup, Denmark, Archi-
tect, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The present invention refers to an arrangement for closing and tightening
such containers, especially salt-curing containers, whose covers are alternately
exposed to an internal and external pressure.
The invention is shown on the accompanying drawing where
Figure is a section of a container supplied with the said arrangement, seen
in side-elevation and partly in section.
Figure 2 is another constructional form for the tightening arrangement; and
Figure 3 shows a detail.
a is the wall of the container which on the end on which the cover is to be
placed, is, surrounded by a ring b of steel or other suitable material.
b
On this ring is rivetted a suitable number of mountings c each having two
lugs d and e. The ring projects a little beyond the cylinder wall a, and the
mountings which are planely cut at the outer edge, are placed a little behind
the border on the ring b. Between the mountings and in height with their
outermost part are placed curved pieces f of the same thickness as the base
plates of the mountings and, lastly, around these and the curved pieces is placed
a ring g of steel or similar material, whose outer rim is almost in height with
the front of the ring b. In this way a ring shaped groove is formed at the front
of the cylinder and in which a ring of india-rubber or other similar elastic
material may be placed.
The cover is, in the constructional form shown in Figure 1, supplied with
a ring shaped groove of almost circular cross section, in which a hollow tube k
of india-rubber or similar material may be placed. The groove into
which the tube is placed, is arranged in such a manner that, when the cover is
on, it is exactly outside the somewhat projecting edge of the ring b. The tube
is at suitable intervals, for instance 75 m/m, supplied with holes 7, by means of
which the interior of the tube is in connection with the interior of the con-
tainer. The cover has, moreover, a projecting, ring shaped ridge m, which,
when the cover is in place, lies against the elastic ring h.
On the exterior side of the cover i brackets y are placed for each of the mount-
ings c, which brackets have bearings for a bolt a, on which a bow o (Figure 3)
s pivottally mounted and which, when the cover is in position, may be swung
n behind the lugs e on the mountings rivetted upon the cylinder. The bows
have screw-threaded bolts 1 with the nuts 7. When the bolts are swung towards
he cylinder, the bolts may pass into cuts in the lugs d, in which they are
astened by pins in the holes 7 on these lugs.

page_text: To the lugs e screw-bolts s are fastened on each of which is passed a wedge t
provided with an eye.
The back planes of the lugs e have a slight slope, and the top angle of the
wedge fits in such a way that its hindmost plane, against which the bow o may
be brought to bear, when the wedge, by means of a winged nut is pressed against
the cylinder, is at right angles with it.
The above described arrangement works in the following manner: -
When the cover i is to be fastened, it is placed in the right position before
the horizontally lying cylinder and is brought closely to its front edge where-
upon the bows o are swung around the lugs e, while the nuts g upon the bolts
are screwed home against the lugs d. The wedges t preferably made of bronze
or similar material, are now put in between the bows o and the lugs e and are
screwed fast by means of the winged nuts, whereupon the nuts of the bolts p
are loosened.
When the cover i is to be removed, the wedges t are first withdrawn by means
of the nuts fastened upon them inside the eyes. If the wedges are too tight,
the nuts of the bolts are tightened a little whereupon the wedges may easily
be removed.
Whenever the cylinder is exposed to an exterior pressure, for instance by a
vacuum being produced inside of it, the ring shaped ridge m is forced against
the elastic ring and makes it fill out completely the groove into which it is
placed, so that a thorough tightening is effected.
If, on the other hand, an interior pressure be produced, for instance, by a
salt-curing process, which is generally performed under great pressure, the
tightening is brought about by the tube k. The high pressure inside the
cylinder will be transmitted through the holes l to the cavity of
the tube and force the sides of the tube against the walls of the
groove in the cover and the front of the ring b, and inasmuch
as the surface of the cavity of the tube is considerably greater than that part
of the outer surface of the tube, that is directly acted upon by the pressure in
the cylinder the tube will effect a complete tightening between the cylinder and
the cover.
There is therefore no need of pressing the latter against the cylinder
by mechanical means that may produce a heavier pressure than that present
in the cylinder. The tightening will be effected, if only the closing mechanisms
are able to react against the interior pressure and the means for tightening
need not, therefore, to be subject to any initial pressure.
The other constructional form for the tightening arrangement, shown in
Figure 2, only differs from the above described thereby, that the groove in
which is placed the elastic packing used whenever there is high pressure in the
cylinder, has a rectangular section and is filled with an elastic ring of a corre-
sponding section. Above the groove in the cover, in which the packing ring u
is placed, a narrower ring shaped groove e is arranged, which by means of a
suitable number of channels r, leading through the cover, is in connection with
the interior of the cylinder, when the cover is in position.
This arrangement works in a similar manner as the first described one, inas-
much as there is in the groove which through the channels is in connection
with the interior of the cylinder, the same pressure as in the latter, wherefore
the packing ring u, acted upon by the pressure, will be forced against the front
of the ring 6 and against the side of the groove. The plane upon which the
pressure for tightening is effected, is, as will be seen, considerably larger, than
the plane upon which the pressure for opening the packing ring is effected (the
part of the lower surface of the packing ring u inside the ring 6) and the tighten-
ing will also in this case be effected, when the pressure in the cylinder is raised
without need of any initial pressure.
It is evident, that the packing rings k and u may also be arranged in grooves
in the cylinder, but the cover is, in that case, supplied with a projecting circular
ridge, that lies against the packing ring, when the cover is in position.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. Arrangement for tightening containers exposed to an interior pressure,
characterised by an elastic packing ring so placed between the container and
its cover that the pressure of the fluid in the container, when the latter is closed,
may freely act upon part of the surface of the ring, whereby the said ring, exclu-
sively by means of the pressure inside the container, is forced as well against
the cover as against the container for the purpose of obtaining tightening with-
out any initial pressure upon the packing ring.
2. In combination with the tightening device specified in Claim 1 the arrange-
ment of an elastic packing ring placed outside the former device in a circular
groove in the front edge of the cylinder, or alternatively in the cover, against
which a ridge or rail upon the cover, or alternatively the front edges of the
container may bear, all for the purpose of obtaining tightening as well when
the container is exposed to an exterior as to an interior pressure.
3. In combination with the tightening device specified in Claim 1 the arrange-
ment of bows pivottally fixed upon the cover or alternatively on the cylinder,
and which may be swung into the cylinder, or alternatively into the cover, in
combination with lugs, having oblique back planes, upon the cylinder, or alter-
natively on the cover, between which lugs and the said bows wedges may be
inserted in order to establish connection between the cover and the cylinder.
4. A constructional form for the tightening device specified in Claim 1 charac-
terised by a circular groove of almost circular section worked in the under side
of the cover, in which groove is placed an elastic hollow tube the said tube
having holes by means of which the interior of the cylinder is brought in con-
nection with the interior of the tube, when the cover is on, in combination with
a projecting circular ridge upon the front edge of the cylinder, upon which the
tube may rest, when the cover is in position.
5. A constructional form for the tightening device specified in Claim 1,
characterised by a circular groove of rectangular or other suitable cross section
worked into the under side of the cover, in which groove an elastic ring of a
corresponding cross section is placed, and further, that another somewhat
narrower circular groove is placed above the first mentioned groove while the
latter by means of a suitable number of channels, passing through the cover,
is in connection with the interior of the cylinder.
6. In the constructional forms specified in Claims 2 and 3 an alternative
arrangement in which the elastic rings are placed in the cylinder, while the
cover has a projecting ridge.
pay for.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.('.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and 25, Cross Street, Manchester,
Agents.