Plastic tank having a welded frusto-conical flange joint
AssigneeInfiltrator Water Technologies, LLC
InventorsPaul R Holbrook, Roy E Moore, Jr., Bryan A Coppes, Gregory Trude
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plastic tank is comprised of two parts, a base and a top, that are permanently joined to each other by welding at a circumferential joint formed by two mating flanges of the parts. The faying surfaces of the flanges of the top and base have portions in the shape of a hollow truncated cone. Fusion weld elements are captured on the faying surfaces of the flanges of the assembled parts, and the elements melted by internal heating of metal portions of the elements.
Claims14
A method of forming a plastic tank having a weld joint between a substantially annular flange of a tank base and a mating annular flange of a tank top, each flange having a faying surface, wherein said base and top are configured to mate at said flanges with each other along a lengthwise axis, for forming a weld joint therebetween which comprises:
- (a) providing said tank base and said tank top, wherein the faying surfaces of the flanges have mating frusto-conical shapes;
- (b) positioning at least one weld element on at least one said flange faying surface, and mating the flanges of the base and the top with each other to form mated flanges and to capture the at least one weld element between the faying surfaces of the mated flanges, so that said at least one weld element may be heated, melted, and fused to said mated flanges, thereby to form a weld joint between the flanges;
- and,
- (c) heating the at least one weld element to fuse said at least one weld element to said mated flange faying surfaces.
An assembly for forming a plastic tank having a weld joint which is made by means of melting one or more fusion weld elements, the assembly comprising:
- a tank base having a flange with a frusto-conical faying surface;
- a tank top having a flange with a frusto-conical faying surface;
- a fusion weld element having terminal ends;
- wherein said tank base and said tank top are mated with each other so that the flange faying surfaces are mated with each other and so the fusion weld element is captured between said mated faying surfaces with said terminal ends extending outwardly from said mated faying surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.