US 4,139,005 AGranted

Safety release pipe cap

OwnerGilbert C. Dickeyinventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A safety release pipe cap for emergency venting of fluids under excessive temperatures by melting out a replaceable portion. In one embodiment the replaceable portion is arranged to yield under excessive pressure differentials on its opposed faces. The cap is employed on tanks. A threaded ferrule is provided with a flange overlying the end of a pipe with which it is threadingly engaged to clamp the periphery of a separable disk of thermally fusible material against the pipe end. When the disk is of a yieldable plastic it functions as a seal gasket on the pipe end and will yield under pressure differentials to provide a visual indication of such differentials by material and wall thickness characteristics as well as the geometry of the disk. Temperature fusing can be controlled by these characteristics and particularly the melting temperature of the plastic.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A thermal safety release pipe cap assembly which opens at a predetermined temperature comprising a ferrule of relatively low thermal conductivity material having a melting temperature above said predetermined temperature adapted to be fitted over the end of a pipe of relatively high thermal conductivity, said ferrule having an open portion coincident with the interior of the pipe and an interior wall embracing the pipe end;

a closure element for said open portion of said ferrule frictionally maintained within said ferrule, said element being of a material which melts at said predetermined temperature to expose the open portion of said ferrule to the pipe interior;
and means for sealing securing said assembly to the pipe comprising an inwardly extending flange on said ferrule which overlays the end of the pipe and a peripheral wall of uniform thickness on said closure element having outer perimeter elements frictionally engaging the interior wall of said ferrule, said ferrule, when securred to the pipe, pressing said flange upon said peripheral wall to clamp said peripheral wall in intimate heat transfer relationship to the pipe between said flange and the end of the pipe.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.