Protective sleeve for intake rack bars
AssigneeHydro Component Systems, LLC
InventorThomas J. Reiss, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A protective sleeve for use with metal intake racks used for screening debris from water intakes and other similar structures. The proactive sleeve may be made from a plastic material, such as HDPE, using an extrusion process. The sleeve is designed to snap into place over the metal blades of a bar rack, and to provide a positive and secure fit when in place. The protective sleeve thus provides the benefits of non-metallic intake racks to existing and future metal rack systems, without requiring replacement of existing metal racks.
Claims10
A protective sleeve configured and dimensioned to protect an intake rack bar configured to allow fluid flow therepast, the protective sleeve comprising:
- a leading side coupled to a first side wall and a second side wall;
- and
- a trailing side coupled to one of the first and second side walls;
- the leading side, trailing side, and first and second side walls defining an interior space configured to receive an intake rack bar;
- the protective sleeve being configured such that when it is in an installed configuration, the interior space extends in a first direction perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow and in a second direction parallel to the direction of fluid flow, with the interior space extending farther in the first direction than in the second direction;
- said trailing side being selectively displaceable between a first configuration, in which the sleeve is configured to receive the intake rack bar and a second configuration, in which the sleeve is configured to substantially surround a portion of the intake rack bar and allow fluid flow.
A method of protecting an intake rack bar having a plurality of metal blades, without replacing the metal blades or intake rack bar, from at least one of ice build up, corrosion, and fouling by marine life, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a non-metal protective sleeve configured to surround and protect at least one of the metal blades of the intake rack bar;
- and
- mounting said non-metal protective sleeve on at least one of the metal blades.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.