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US 4,790,472 AGranted
Methods for manufacturing a toroidal pressure vessel
AssigneeAllied-Signal Inc.
InventorBela Bunkoczy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toroidal pressure vessel comprises two annular, complementarily formed axial sections which are intersecured along a duality of annular joint lines that circumscribe and are mutually offset along the axis of the toroid. The axial sections are formed by machining a pair of end portions removed from a length of thick-walled metal tubing.
Claims14
A method of manufacturing a toroidal pressure vessel comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a first annular member configured to define a semi-torodial portion of a hollow toroidal body and having axially offset radially inner and outer annular edge portions and a radially inner wall thickness greater than its radially outer wall thickness;
- (b) providing a second annular member configured to define the balance of said toroidal body and having axially offset radially inner and outer annular edge portions and a radially inner wall thickness greater than its radially outer wall thickness;
- (c) providing complementary axially and radiallay extending engagement surfaces on at least one of the radially inner and radially outer annular edge portions of said first annular member and on at least the corresponding one of the radially inner and radially outer annular edge portions of said second annular member;
- (d) engaging said complementary engagement surfaces with one another to dispose said first annular member and said second annular member in a singular selected relative axial and radial position;
- and
- (e) forming said toroidal body by respectively sealingly intersecuring said inner edge portions and said outer edge portions of said first and second annular members.
3 more elements
A method of manufacturing a toroidal pressure vessel for storing high pressure gas used to power a pneumatic control system or the like, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a length of thick-walled metal tubing;
- (b) removing a first axial portion of said tubing;
- (c) removing a second axial portion of said tubing;
- (d) configuring the removed first and second axial portions of said tubing to define complementary semi-torodial sections of a hollow toroidal body having axially offset radially inner and outer annular joint lines and a radially inner wall thickness greater than its radially outer wall thickness;
- (e) providing complementary axially and radially extending engagement surfaces on said sections at respective ones of said radially inner and radially outer annular joint lines;
- (f) engaging said engagement surfaces to position said sections in a singular axial and radial position relative one another;
- and
- (g) sealingly intersecuring said complementary sections to form said toroidal pressure vessel.
5 more elements
The method of manufacturing a toroidal pressure vessel comprising the steps of:
- providing a first annular member configured to define an axial extending and radially inner portion of a hollow toroidal body and having in transverse section generally a C-shape to define a pair of annular edge portions which are offset relative one another both axially and radially;
- providing a second annular member configured to define an axially extending and radially outer portion of a hollow toroidal body and having in transverse section generally a C-shape to define a respective pair of annular edge portions which are offset relative one another both axially and radially in cooperable relation with said pair of edge portions of said first annular member,
- providing complementary axially and radially extending engagement surfaces on each of said annular edge portions to define one-half of a bell-and-spigot joint for both the radially inner ones of said annular edge portions and for the radially outer ones of said annular edge portions,
- interengaging said complementary engagement surfaces of said radially inner ones of said annular edge portions and of said radially outer ones of said annular edge portions to complete said bell-and-spigot joints holding said first and said second members in a singular axial and radial relative position, and
- sealingly securing said interengaged radially inner and radially outer annular edge portions.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.