Non-fragmenting pressure relief apparatus

Non-fragmenting forward-acting explosion relief apparatus comprising:

• a rupture disc having a central section provided with an overpressure receiving face and a peripheral flange section;
• said central section of the disc having a line of weakness extending around a part of the central section, said line of weakness having opposed end regions in spaced relationship to cooperatively define a unitary first hinge portion therebetween, each of said end regions having an outermost end,
• said line of weakness defining a part of the central section of the disc that ruptures and opens upon application of a forward-acting force of at least predetermined magnitude to said overpressure receiving face of the central section;
• and
• a hold-down member mounted on and engaging the peripheral flange section of the rupture disc on the side thereof opposite the overpressure receiving face of the central section of the disc and having an inner opening in generally circumscribing relationship to the central section of the disc,
• said hold-down member being provided with a unitary generally planar segment that extends into said inner opening of the hold-down member,
• said segment of the hold-down member engaging the hinge portion of the disc in disposition overlying said end regions of the line of weakness,
• said segment having an innermost, substantially linear margin extending between opposed end regions of the line of weakness in inwardly spaced relationship from respective outermost ends of the line of weakness, there being a second hinge portion outboard of said segment inner margin,
• substantially the entire area of the hold-down member segment facing the central section of the disc being in full contacting engagement with the central section of the disc inboard of said line of weakness,
• said segment of the hold-down member being progressively bendable from a first position to a second position thereof about said second hinge portion of the segment as the central section of the disc pivots about said first hinge portion during rupture of the central section upon application of a forward-acting force of at least said predetermined magnitude to the central section of the disc,
• said segment being operable to absorb a part of the rupture force applied to the central section of the disc and to divert a part of that rupture force away from the hinge portion of the disc to assist in prevention of separation of the central section from the flange section of the disc at its hinge portion.