Patent ID: 8794637

Claim:
A flange ring seal assembly, comprising: an annular sealing element providing a seal between a first mating plate of a first flange and a second mating plate of a second flange, comprising an inner sleeve providing an inner deformable surface and arranged concentric with an outer sleeve providing an outer deformable surface, each of the inner and outer sleeves being formed of a material liable to plastic deformation, the inner and outer sleeves being joined at respective junctions of opposed first ends and second ends providing a body defining an interior volume entirely bounded by said inner and outer deformable surfaces and said first and second ends, and a deformable filler material within said interior volume; wherein the filler material is a plastic; wherein the inner and outer sleeves each comprise a plurality of fold lines; wherein the element deforms in a predetermined manner when said first ends are brought toward said second ends by deformation of the inner and outer sleeves about their respective fold lines, to thereby seal between the first mating plate and the second mating plate; wherein the inner and outer sleeves define a first shape containing said interior volume, and following deformation the inner and outer sleeves define a second shape, which is a cantilever structure arranged longitudinally between the ends; wherein the first and second shape are annular and are polygonal in longitudinal cross-section; and wherein the first end is arranged to locate in a groove of the first mating plate of the first flange.