DE69314828T2 - Tank adapted to a compressor for gaseous substances - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a tank (2) pairable with a compressor (1) of aeriform substances, which tank (2) is composed of two reciprocally connected shells (5, 6) with the interpositioning of a gasket (7) by means of screws (24) to determine the reciprocal connection of respective determined portions of the said shells (5, 6); at least one shell (6) is equipped with a plurality of threaded holes (12, 26, 29) for connecting the compressor (1) to the tank (2) and for connecting the tank (2) to a utiliser unit (4'). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a tank adaptable to a compressor for gaseous substances.

In particular, the invention relates to a tank which can be connected to the outlet of an air compressor and to a consumer device which can be activated by the compressor itself for the purpose of regulating the pressure at which the air reaches the consumer device.

The current state of the art includes tanks for the above-mentioned purposes, which are normally made of a cylindrical shell made of sheet metal, to the ends of which respective caps or bottom elements are connected. The cylindrical shell is usually made of a sheet of rolled or stamped metal, some areas of which are connected to each other by welding. The bottom elements are also normally welded to the said shell, and in certain areas of the shell there are sleeves, which sleeves are intended to carry control instruments as well as connection nozzles between the compressor and the consumer device for the compressed air. Also often, by welding, holding elements for Wheels are attached to the lower part of the tank, while supports for the compressor are connected to the upper part.

The presence of the abovementioned welds in the abovementioned state-of-the-art tanks may give rise to problems of hermetic sealing of the welds themselves, since they can be covered with a surface treatment to prevent corrosion problems caused by the passage of time and favoured by the stress states present in the metal near the weld areas, but they cannot be inspected or treated internally unless special openings are made in the tank itself, inside the tanks in question.

Since each tank model can normally be associated with more than one compressor model for reasons of standardisation, the corresponding support elements for the wheels and the support elements for the compressor, as well as the various sleeves and discharge openings, must be connected by means of welds to the tank itself in different positions, depending on the compressor to be used, and the corresponding openings in the cylindrical shell and the base elements must be made each time, in accordance with the type of compressor to be connected to the tank, in different positions, which leads to considerable complications in the manufacturing process.

It is also necessary to observe the accident prevention regulations, which prohibit the transport of the compressor together with its tank fully filled with compressed air, since a simple impact of one of the aforementioned sleeves against an object could cause the weld to break, leading to a very dangerous detachment of the sleeve from the tank.

The purpose of the present invention is therefore to avoid the above-mentioned drawbacks by providing a tank which can be connected to a compressor and which is completely free of welds, and which is therefore extremely reliable and safe, and which can easily be designed in such a way as to be adaptable to several types of compressor without any need for any modifications.

A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a tank of the above-mentioned type which is easily inspectable internally and which can also easily be subjected internally to a protective treatment, i.e. by anodizing.

The invention, as characterized in the claims, solves the problem by providing a tank for gaseous substances, characterized in that it contains at least two shells which can be connected by interposing sealing means are mutually interconnected, screwing means also being provided for mutually interconnecting the respective predetermined portions of said shells, at least one of said shells being provided with a number of threaded holes for connecting said compressor to said tank and also for connecting said tank itself to the consumer unit.

Preferably, said tank comprises two facing shells, said shells having a number of recesses for receiving the respective end portions of said screwing means.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the said tank contains a check valve which is arranged inside the tank and connects the interior of the tank itself with the outlet section of the said compressor. The characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, which is shown here purely by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, of which

Fig. 1 shows a schematic front view of an air compressor to which a tank manufactured according to the present invention is connected;

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the inside of a Section of the tank from Figure 1,

Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the outside of a further section of the tank according to the invention;

Figure 4 shows a side view of the section of the tank shown in Figure 3, partly in section along the line IV-IV in Figure 3;

Fig. 5 shows a side view in section along the line V-V of Figure 3 of the section of the tank shown in Figure 3; and

Figure 6 shows another side view in section along the line VI-VI of Figure 3 of the section of the tank shown in Figure 3.

With reference to the figures, and in particular to Figure 1, 1 designates as a whole an air compressor supported at the top of a tank 2 and having an outlet opening (not shown here) connected (not shown) to an inlet opening (described below) of the tank 2. In a first embodiment, a vertical collar 3, connected to an upper surface of the tank 2 and communicating with its interior through a bore (described below), leads to a measuring instrument, consisting for example of a pressure gauge, which is connected by means of a pipe 4 to the compressed air consumer unit 4'.

The tank 2 is essentially formed of a box structure, which basically has the shape of an internally hollow parallelepiped, and which is divided by a horizontal plane into two halves 5 and 6, respectively a lower and an upper half, more or less equal to each other. The said two halves 5 and 6 differ only in the presence and/or position of a number of holes which, as will be better explained below, pass through the said halves 5 and 6 in different positions. When the tank 2 is assembled, the two halves 5 and 6, hereinafter referred to as "shells", are connected to each other in a manner better described below, by the interposition of a gasket 7 (only partially shown in Figure 2) which ensures hermetic sealing.

As can be seen in particular in Figure 3, in which the lower shell 5 is shown from below and from outside the tank 2, said lower shell 5 is made by high pressure injection molding and is described at the top by a horizontal and substantially rectangular wall 8. Close to the end and middle areas of the longer sides of the horizontal wall 8, as well as to the two internal sections of the horizontal wall 8 itself, which are connected by an axis 9 which is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the tank 2, the horizontal wall 8 extends into the interior of the tank 2 in cup-shaped recesses 10 with a vertical axis, which are also present in the corresponding portions of the upper shell 6 shown in Figure 2. The recesses 10 have respective substantially cylindrical lateral surfaces (see also Figure 6) and are each delimited at their axial ends inside the tank 2 by circular bottoms 11 traversed by corresponding vertical bores 12 (see Figures 5 and 6), the function of which will be explained in more detail below.

The edges of the horizontal wall 8 are rounded and both shells 5 and 6 are ribbed by a number of projecting reinforcing ribs 13 which are arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to the edge in each shell and which concern the horizontal wall 8 as well as the adjacent side walls 14 and 15 of the shells 5 and 6 (14 indicates the longer side wall).

In accordance with Figures 2 and 4, the inner surface of the upper shell 6 (and, although not shown, also the inner surface of the lower shell 5) is ribbed by a number of projecting ribs 16 which interconnect the recesses 10 and, by intersecting other ribs 17 running parallel to the horizontal direction of the shorter walls and still other ribs 18 running parallel to the horizontal direction of the longer walls 14, reinforce a plurality of mutually ribbed regions of the walls 8, 14 and 15.

According to what is shown, and in particular in Figure 3, a depression 10, located close to the upper right edge of the shells 5 and 6, as better shown in Figure 5, is laterally connected to a recess 19 of the horizontal wall 8 which extends towards the interior of the tank 2. The depression 19 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed in plan and is delineated at its bottom extending into the interior of the tank 2 by an inclined and substantially rectangular wall 20 which gradually decreases in cross-section as it extends into the interior of the tank 2. The depth of the depression 19, measured in a direction normal to the horizontal wall 8, decreases progressively starting from the portion of the depression 19 itself which communicates with the depression 10 and at which it begins.

At a section adjacent to a wall 15 of shorter length, the horizontal walls 8 of both shells 5 and 6 are provided with a recess 21 (see Figures 2 and 3) which extends vertically into the interior of the tank 2. The recess 21 also relates to the wall 15 to which it adjoins and has a bottom 22 which runs parallel to the bottoms 11 of the recesses 10, and in a central part of this bottom 22 a threaded hole 23 with a vertical axis is machined.

The method of using tank 2 is now described.

The tank 2, after the aforementioned seals 7 have been inserted, is assembled essentially between the vertical walls 14 and 15 by connecting the two shells 5 and 6 to one another by means of a number of screws 24 (Figures 2 and 3), the shafts of which pass through respective pairs of holes 12, preferably at least partially threaded, which are vertically aligned and drilled into the bottoms 11 of the recesses 10.

It is obvious that after positioning the shell 6 on the shell 5, the recesses 10 of the two shells 5 and 6 appear to be vertically aligned in pairs. A sealing substance can be applied between the said holes 12 and the shafts of the screws 24 before assembly.

As a result of what has been described here above, apart from the holes 12 in the shells 5 and 6 (which are kept sealed by their respective screws 24) and a number of holes whose function and position will be described in more detail below, the tank 2 is completely hermetically sealed and is far safer than the tanks 2 of the known prior art when filled, since in the event of overpressure the seals 7 break before the tank 2 itself can explode. Furthermore, the presence of the ribs 16, 17 and 18 ensures, even when the tank 2 is filled with compressed air, a perfect maintenance of the shape of the Tanks 2, since they considerably increase the mechanical resistance of the tank 2 and enable it to withstand considerable internal overpressures without causing any disadvantages.

As can be seen in Figure 2, in an intermediate area of the horizontal wall 8 a number of threaded holes 26 are machined in special thickened sections 27 of the horizontal wall 8, which holes 26 are arranged in specially selected areas with the purpose of enabling a connection to be made by means of screws (not shown here) with the wall 8 of other compressor models. Of course, the holes 26 not used for connecting a compressor 1 to the shell 6 can be closed by means of the simple insertion of screws (not shown here) which are possibly surface-treated with a sealing substance. Alternatively, the shell 6 can be provided with only the necessary holes 26 immediately before its connection to the shell 5, which are machined only in a part of the thickened sections 27.

It should be noted that at least part of the holes 12 and 26 of the lower shell 5 can be used for fastening to the lower shell 5 elements for holding the tank 2, which consist for example of wheels (not shown here). If desired, the said screws 24, which pass through the holes 12 and 26 in the bottoms 11 of the recesses 10, can be holes 12 can be used to obtain the above mentioned result.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, in a section adjacent to a wall 14, the wall 8 of each shell 5 and 6 is provided with two side-by-side thicker sections 28, in each of which a corresponding threaded hole 29 can be machined, for the purpose of connecting the interior of the tank 2 with the said outlet opening of the compressor 1 and the said consumer unit 4', respectively.

In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, said recess 21 is intended for the purpose of arranging therein a pressure manometer 21' or another necessary measuring instrument, so that the measuring instrument in question, which is connected to the interior of the tank 2 through the hole 23, does not protrude from the overall shape of the tank 2 and is thus considerably protected from impacts. In a similar way, the recess 19 allows the protected arrangement of a line 19' which connects a section of the compressor 1 or the said consumer unit 4' to the interior of the tank 2, namely through the hole 12 machined in the bottom of the recess 10 adjacent to the recess 19 itself.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the outlet section (not shown here) of the compressor 1 communicates with the interior of the tank 2, for example through one of the holes 29, by means of a non-return valve 30 of known type located in the tank 2 itself, which valve allows the entry of compressed air into the tank 2 and prevents any return flow of the same towards the compressor 1. This arrangement of the valve 30 inside the tank 2 ensures absolute protection of the valve 30 itself against impacts.

From the above description it is clear how the tank 2 fully achieves the desired purposes, since it is completely without welds and is therefore extremely reliable and safe, as well as being easily designed so that it can be adapted to the various types of compressors without the need for modifications.

Furthermore, the tank 2 can be easily inspected internally and its surface can be internally treated with protective substances.

Claims (9)

1. Tank adapted to a compressor for gaseous substances, characterized in that it comprises at least two shells (5, 6) mutually connected by interposing sealing means (7), screwing means (24) also being provided for mutually connecting the respective specific portions of said shells (5, 6), and at least one of said shells (6) being provided with a number of threaded holes (12, 26, 29) for connecting said compressor (1) to said tank (2) and said tank (2) to a user unit (4'). 2. Tank according to claim 1, characterized in that at least some of the threaded holes (26) can be used separately for connecting a compressor (1) to the tank (2). 3. Tank according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises two shells (5, 6) whose concavities face each other, said shells (5, 6) having a number of recesses (10) to receive the respective portions of the ends of said screwing means (24). 4. Tank according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one of said shells (5, 6) has at least one further recess (21) to accommodate a measuring instrument (21'), which is connected to the interior of said tank (2). 5. Tank according to any one of the preceding claims from 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one of said shells (5, 6) has at least one recess (19) for receiving a pipe (19') connecting the interior of the tank (2) to a portion of said compressor (1). 6. Tank according to any one of the preceding claims from 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one of said shells (5, 6) has at least one recess (19) to accommodate a pipe (19') connecting the interior of the tank (2) to a portion of said consumer unit (4'). 7. Tank according to any one of the preceding claims from 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises a check valve (30) arranged inside said tank (2) and connecting the internal cavity of the tank (2) to a conveying section of said compressor (1). 8. Tank according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surfaces of said shells (5, 6) inside said tank (2) are provided with a number of reinforcing protruding ribs (16-18). 9. Tank according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that certain portions of the surfaces of said shells (5, 6) are outside said Tanks (2) are provided with a number of reinforcing protruding ribs (13).