GB1592135A

GB1592135A - Method of introducing gas into a container

Info

Publication number: GB1592135A
Application number: GB1058578A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Tokico Ltd
Current assignee: Tokico Ltd
Priority date: 1977-03-19
Filing date: 1978-03-17
Publication date: 1981-07-01
Also published as: JPS60584B2; DE2811786B2; DE2811786A1; DE2811786C3; JPS53115926A; FR2384199A1; BR7801655A; FR2384199B1

Description

(54) METHOD OF INTRODUCING GAS INTO A CONTAINER (71) We, TOKICO LTD., a Japanese body corporate of d3, Fujimi 1-Chome, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a method for introducing gas into a container such as an oleo-pneumatic shock absorber, a gas spring or the like containing high pressure gas therein.

One of the prior art methods for introducing high pressure gas into a container comprises forming a small hole in one of the end walls of the container, introducing gas into the container through the opening, and thereafter closing the opening by inserting a plug or the like therein and welding the plug to the container.

In such case, difficulties are--encountered in that it is necessary to remove burrs or the like from the inner edge. of the opening thereby decreasing the working efficiency, that it is necessary to fabricate the plug separately from the container thereby increasing the cost of machining operations, and that it is necessary t6 control - the material of the plug carefully since . the plug is formed separately from the cont.aingr.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method for introducing gas into a container comprising forming cuts in the wall of the container to define a wall portion which is partially severed relative to the remainder of the wall, deforming outwardly the partially severed wall portion to project beyond the adjacent wall portions and establish a gas introducing passage complementary to said partially severed portion, supplying pressurized gas into the container through the gas introducing passage, and deforming the projecting partially severed portion inwardly to close the gas introducing passage.

The invention is described further hereinafter, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a gas filling method according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a partial side view showing a portion of the container of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partial side view illustrating another embodiment of the present inven tion; and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, two parallel cut lines 2a and 2b extending in the direc tion perpendicular to the paper of Fig. 1 are formed in a cap member 2 which closes one end of a container 1. A wall portion defined between the cut lines 2a and 2b is deformed outwardly of the container 1 so as to form an arcuate projecting portion 2c, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby a passage 3 is formed through the cap 2. The passage 3 acts as a gas introducing passage through which pressurized gas can be supplied to the container 1..

The container 1 having the passage 3 formed therein is positioned at least partly in a a.closed chamber 4 with the passage 3 exposed within the chamber A and -the -outer periphey of the chamber 4 sealed from the outside by a seal member 5. Pressurized gas is introduced into the chamber 4 from a source 7 of pressurized gas by opening a valve 6, the pressurized gas introduced into the ehamber 4 passing into the container 1 through the passage 3. After supplying a predetermined amount of pressurized gas into the container 1, an electrode 8 of a welding device (not shown) or a plunger is moved downward in Fig. 1 to deform the projecting portion so that the inner surface 2c1 of the projecting portion 2c engages with the outer surface 21 of the cap member 2 to close the passage 3. Thereafter, the engag ing parts of the projecting portion 2c and the surface portion 21 are welded together.

Another embodiment of the present inven tion is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. In the first embodiment, the gas introducing pas sage 3 is formed by cutting a portion of the cap member 2 along two parallel lines 2a and 2b and deforming outwardly a wall portion defined between the two lines in forming the gas introducing passage 3, while, in the second embodiment, a generally rectangular projecting portion 2c is formed by cutting the cap 2 along three sides of a rectangle and bending the rectangle outwardly about the remaining one side of the rectangle to form a gas introducing passage 3. The outwardly bent rectangle or projecting portion 2c can subsequently act to close the passage 3.

In the illustrated embodiments, the projecting portions 2c may be formed by press work in manufacturing the cap 2, so that an additional process is not required.

As described heretofore, both embodiments described above employ the steps of forming a partially severed portion in a wall of a container, forming a gas introducing passage by deforming outwardly the partially severed wall portion, supplying pressurized gas into the container through the gas introducing passage, and deforming inwardly the wall portion which has been deformed outwardly in the preceding step, thereby closing the gas introducing passage.

Thus, the necessity for the separate plug used for closing a gas introducing passage in the prior art methods is obviated and complicated and expensive machining operation which have been required hitherto can be avoided.

Claims

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. A method for introducing gas into a container comprising forming cuts in the wall of the container to define a wall portion which is partially severed relative to the remainder of the wall, deforming outwardly the partially several wall portion to project beyond the adjacent wall portions and establish a gas introducing passage complementary to said partially severed portion, supplying pressurized gas into the container through the gas introducing passage, and deforming the projecting partially severed portion inwardly to close the gas introducing passage.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said inwardly deformed partially portion is secured permanently to the container by welding to thereby close the gas introducing passage.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said inwardly deforming step is effected by utilizing an electrode of a welding device.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of forming the partially severed portion is effected by forming two parallel straight cuts in an end wall of the container, and the outwardly deforming step is effected by deforming outwardly the wall portion defined between said two cuts.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of forming the partially said severed portion is effected by forming a cut along three sides of a rectangle in an end wall of the container and said outwardly deforming step is effected by bending outwardly the rectangular portion so formed about the fourth side of the rectangle.

6. A container having pressurized gas enclosed therein and formed according to the method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5.

7. A method for introducing gas into a container, substantially as hereinbefore particularly described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A method for introducing gas into a container, substantially as hereinbefore particularly described with reference to Figs.

3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.