GB2033351A

GB2033351A - Valved closures

Info

Publication number: GB2033351A
Application number: GB7935826A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
Current assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
Priority date: 1978-10-20
Filing date: 1979-10-16
Publication date: 1980-05-21
Also published as: IT1123808B; FR2439144A1; IT7926413A0; DE2845644A1

Abstract

Closure means for the filling aperture of a container, especially for use on the radiator of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, comprises a filling socket (1) and a cap (3) secured to the socket by means of a screw-thread (1'', 3'') and which, when screwed down, presses a sealing ring (12) against the rim of a collar (18), a space (19) within the cap communicating with the interior of the container by way of an excess- pressure valve (9) and a vacuum valve (10) and with a collecting chamber (4) provided between the sealing ring (12) and screw-thread (1''), which chamber is connected to a drainage pipe (17). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Closure means for the filling aperture of a container This invention relates to a closure means for the filling aperture of a container, and is especially concerned with a closure meons for use on the radiator of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle. More specifically, the invention relates to a closure means comprising a filling socket and a cap which can be secured to the socket by means of a screw thread and which, when screwed down, presses a sealing ring against the rim of the opening of the container, a space within the cap, which communicates with the interior of the container by way of excess-pressure and vacuum valves, being connected to a drainage pipe leading to the atmosphere.

A radiator closure means having a filling socket and cap constructed in the above-mentioned manner is disclosed in East German Patent No.

1 7,494. It has, however, several disadvantages.

Thus, if the cap is unscrewed with a view to it being removed from the filling socket of the radiator, the boiling medium under pressure in the radiator is able to escape over the upper rim of the filling socket and may scald the hand of the user.

Futhermore, the surface coating of the radiator is stained in an unsightly manner. In addition, other equipment such as light units located near the radiator can be adversely affected, while the brake-discs of the vehicle may become wet so that uneven braking results. Although the closure means disclosed in the said East German Patent No. 17,494 comprises an outer annular chamber which is provided with a drainage pipe and communicates with the cavity within the cap by way of openings in the filling socket and by way of ducts, the openings in the filling socket are nevertheless located in the zone of the outermost portion of the screw-thread so that, upon removal of the cap, the excess pressure cannot be reduced sufficiently quickly to avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages, such as the risk of scalding.

It is therefore the aim of the present invention to so design a closure means that, when the cap is unscrewed from the filling socket, uncontrolled escape of liquid or steam past the cap is prevented.

According to the invention, this aim is achieved in a closure means of the construction set forth in the opening paragraph of the Specification by the provision of a collecting chamber between the sealing ring and the screw-thread, which collecting chamber communicates with the cavity within the cap and is also connected to the drainage pipe.

The screw-threads provided on the filling socket and the cap are such that, for the purpose of completely removing the cap from the filling socket, grip normally has to be applied to the cap several times, for example five times. The time necessary for this is sufficient to enabie the pressure in the radiator of a passenger vehicle to diminish to such an extent that, thereafter, no medium can escape below the lower rim of the cap. The medium will have previously lost pressure by way of the collecting chamber and the drainage pipe. As is usual in vehicles, the drainage pipe extends in such a direction that no equipment (and particularly the piping of the brake system) is adversely affected.

An example of a closure means in accordance with the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a vertical section through the closure means; and Figure 2 shows part of the cap as seen in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 1.

The filling socket 1 shown in Figure 1 of a synthetic plastics radiator 2 of a passenger motor vehicle is of cup-like shape and, at its bottom, has a filling aperture 1' which is disposed concentrically with its annular wali. The filling socket 1 is provided with a synthetic plastics cap 3 having an internal screw-thread 3" which can be engaged with the external screw-thread 1" on the filling socket 1. Extending downwardly from the top 3' of the cap is a cylindrical projection 5 which is coaxial with the annular wall of the cap and is provided in its lower end portion with four circumferentially-spaced openings 6 (see Figure 2). A collecting chamber 4 is formed between the projection 5 and the filling socket 1.

Arranged at the lower end face of the projection 5 is a carrier 7 which is also made of synthetic plastics material and has a hat-shaped crosssection. An excess-pressure valve 9 and a vacuum valve 10 are located in the top part 8 of the carrier 7. Formed in the rim 11 of the carrier 7 is a downwardly-open annular recess 11' in which is inserted an elastic or otherwise-yielding sealing ring 12. Five barbed portions 1 3 project upwardly from the outer periphery of the upper part of the rim 11, which barbed portions are evenly spaced along that periphery.The tip or barb of each barbed portion 13 latches in a peripheral groove 14 which is formed in the external surface of the lower end portion of the projection 5 and has a cross-section complementary to that of the barbed portions so that the carrier 7 remains undetachably connected to the cap 3.

At its base the filling socket 1 has an opening 1 5 through its wall. Around this opening is formed a radially-projecting hose-connection part 16, on which is fitted, in a fluid-tight manner, a drainage hose 1 5 communicating with the atmosphere. The filling aperture 1' of the radiator 2 is surrounded by a collar 18 which is in the form of a valve seat and projects from the radiator jacket. The collar 18 is coaxial with the filling socket 1, and its diameter and wall-thickness correspond approximately to the diameter and wall-thickness of the projection 5.

Accordingly, when excess pressure occurs in the radiator 2 so as to cause the excess-pressure valve 9 to open, the medium which flows into the cavity 19 within the cap 3 and passes therefrom through the openings 6 and into the collecting chamber 4 is finally guided into the atmosphere by way of the drainage hose 17. This same drainage hose 1 7 is also used if a boiling and pressurized medium is present in the radiator 2 and the cap 3 is screwed off the filling socket 1, for in this case the medium passes through the continuouslyincreasing annular gap between the end-face of the collar 18 and the bearing face 12' of the sealing ring 12 and finds its way into the collecting chamber 4 from which it can immediately escape by way of the said drainage hose.The length and pitch of the screw-threads 1" and 3" are matched in such a way that, to enable the cap 3 to be completely removed from the filling socket 1, several, i.e. approximately six, half-turns are necessary, and for this purpose the cap must be gripped several times (for example approximately five times). During this time, the pressure in the radiator 2 is completely reduced so that medium can no longer escape over the lower rim of the cap 3. The external screw-thread 1" and the internal screw-thread 3" act as a labyrinth seai right to their ends. Furthermore, the hatshaped carrier 7 ensures that the valves 8 and 9 fitted therein are not continuously in contact with the medium to any great extent.

It is of course possible within the framework of the invention for the internal screw-thread of the cap to be replaced by an externally screwthreaded socket which extends downwardly from the top of the cap and is adapted to be engaged in a complementary internal screw-thread on the filling socket.

Claims

1. A closure means for the filling aperture of a container, especially for use on the radiator of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, comprising a filling socket and a cap which can be secured to the socket by means of a screw thread and which, when screwed down, presses a sealing ring against the rim of the opening of the container, there being a space within the cap which communicates with the interior of the container by way of excess-pressure and vacuum valves and which is connected to a drainage pipe leading to atmosphere, in which a collecting chamber is provided between the sealing ring and the screwthread, the chamber being in communication with the space within the cap and also being connected to the drainage pipe.

2. A closure means according to claim 1, in which the screw-threads provided on the filling socket and the cap are such that, to remove the cap completely from the socket, the cap has to be gripped more than once and turned through a plurality of half-turns.

3. A closure means according to claim 2, in which, to remove the cap completely from the socket, the cap has to be gripped several times and turned through substantially six half-turns.

4. A closure means according to any preceding claim, in which the sealing ring is fitted on a carrier which is undetachably connected to the cap and supports the excess-pressure and vacuum valves.

5. A closure means according to claim 4, in which a substantially cylindrical projection disposed substantially coaxially with an annular wall of the cap and having a plurality of openings extends downwardly from the top of the cap, and in which the carrier is of hat-shaped cross-section and has a plurality of barbed portions projecting from the outer periphery of the rim of the carrier substantially at right angles to the plane of the rim, which barbed portions latch into a peripheral groove formed in the said projection and having a cross-section complementary to that of the barbed portions.

6. A closure means according to any preceding claim, in which the collecting chamber is located substantially between the projection and an inner wall of the filling socket.

7. A closure means according to claim 5, in which the filling aperture of the radiator is surrounded by a collar which is in the form of a valve seat and projects in coaxial relationship from the radiator jacket, and against the end-face of which the sealing ring is pressed by screwing the cap on to the filling socket, the diameter of the collar corresponding approximately to the diameter of the projection in the cap.

8. A closure means for the filling aperture of a container substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.