US3678624A - Door with double-inflatable seal and pressure chamber - Google Patents

Door with double-inflatable seal and pressure chamber Download PDF

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Publication number
US3678624A
US3678624A US79745A US3678624DA US3678624A US 3678624 A US3678624 A US 3678624A US 79745 A US79745 A US 79745A US 3678624D A US3678624D A US 3678624DA US 3678624 A US3678624 A US 3678624A
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United States
Prior art keywords
door
seal
pair
spaced
floor
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Expired - Lifetime
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US79745A
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English (en)
Inventor
Vincent A Bicicchi
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W J WOOLLEY CO
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W J WOOLLEY CO
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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E06—DOORS, WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, OR ROLLER BLINDS IN GENERAL; LADDERS
    • E06B—FIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES, FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS, BLINDS, GATES
    • E06B7/00—Special arrangements or measures in connection with doors or windows
    • E06B7/16—Sealing arrangements on wings or parts co-operating with the wings
    • E06B7/22—Sealing arrangements on wings or parts co-operating with the wings by means of elastic edgings, e.g. elastic rubber tubes; by means of resilient edgings, e.g. felt or plush strips, resilient metal strips
    • E06B7/23—Plastic, sponge rubber, or like strips or tubes
    • E06B7/2318—Plastic, sponge rubber, or like strips or tubes by applying over- or under-pressure, e.g. inflatable

Definitions

  • a door seal structure for use with a door frame having a door movablyattached thereto.
  • the seal structure includes a pair of U.S. "49/68, spaced inflatable eals mounted on the periphery of the door [511 Cl “E06b 7/00 and positioned for sealing contact with the door frame when [58] held of Search expanded under the influence of a suitable pressure fluid.
  • the present invention relates to a door seal and particularly to an inflatable seal structure including a pressure chamber between inflatable seals.
  • Another purpose is an air lock including a pair of doors, each of which includes a seal structure made up of a pair of spaced inflatable seals positioned about the periphery of the door.
  • each inflatable seal has a separate air supply and in which there is a pressure chamber between the seals having its own air supply to effectively provide a plurality of separate sealing areas between the door and the door frame.
  • Another purpose is an air lock structure of the type described in which the seal elements are arranged to inflate against the floor to provide sealing contact.
  • FIG. 1 is an axial section through an air lock of the type described, 7
  • FIG. 2 is an end view from the left side of FIG. 1,
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial section illustrating the inflatable seal structure
  • FIG. 4 is a partial section illustrating the relationship between the door and the floor within the air lock.
  • the air lock shown herein may have a variety of applications, however, the structure has found practical use in an air lock to control access to a nuclear reactor.
  • the invention obviously should not be limited to this particular application, nor should the invention be limited to an air lock.
  • the particular inflatable seal structure shown has application in a variety of constructions in which it is desirable to seal a movable door to a door frame.
  • a housing defines a chamber 12 which provides a pass-through area for the air lock.
  • a floor 14 in the air lock so that workmen may pass through to the nuclear reactor, if that is the application.
  • an air and hydraulic control box 16 and an air reservoir 18 for use in inflating the seal structures described hereinafter.
  • the door structures include a door frame 22, which has a peripherally extending frame element 24.
  • the frame element 24 is welded or otherwise suitably attached to a wall member 26.
  • Each of the arms 30 are attached to a door 34.
  • the doors 34 consist essentially of a peripherally extending rim 36, illustrated in detail in FIG. 2 and generally rectangular in shape with rounded comers, and a central plate 38 which covers the space inside the peripherally extending rim 36.
  • the entire periphery of the door is defined by the rim 36 and there are a pair of peripherally extending inflatable seals 40 and 42 attached to the rim 36.
  • the inflatable seals may be of various types and the seal structure shown in my US. Pat. No. 2,932,862 has been found to be satisfactory. Screws or the like 44 may attach the seal 42 to the rim 36 and screws or the like 46, which pass through a plate 48, may be used to attach the seal 40 to the rim 36. Plate 48 extends about the door along the sides and top, but not across the bottom.
  • seal 40 is concentric with and spaced outwardly from seal 42 along the sides and top, but is parallel to seal 42 along the bottom of the door. Note FIG. 4.
  • seal elements 40 and 42 each have an inner space 50 and 52 which, as described in my earlier patent, will receive air under pressure to inflate the seal so as to urge it against oppositely positioned and aligned seating surfaces.
  • Door frame 24 may have a seating surface 54, which is preferably stainless steel, and which extends peripherally about the door frame except for the floor area.
  • Seal 40 when inflated, will move to the dotted line position shown, to provide a firm seal between the door and the door frame at this point.
  • seating surface 56 will provide a seating area for seal 42 when it is expanded.
  • peripheral plate 58 there is a peripheral plate 58 generally the same thickness as plate 48 which mounts the seating surface 56.
  • the seals may be identical, as may be the seating surfaces, and the plates 48 and 58 merely provide a stepped construction for the door seal.
  • seals 40 and 42 define a pressure chamber 60.
  • a conduit 62 provides access to the chamber 60 and a means for pressurizing it.
  • a control station is indicated at 64 and will provide the control buttons for operating the door to permit access to the airlock.
  • latch structures 66 and 68 which are used to latch the doors in position when they are closed. The door frame will completely hold the door against any pressure blow-out from within, however, because there is a slight opening force component created by the differential pressure areas within chamber 60, it has been found to be desirable to include the latch structures indicated at 66 and 68 to prevent any creeping of the door.
  • the inflatable seals In operation, and assuming again use in a nuclear reactor, if the air lock is designed to prevent pressure as high as 70 psi within the reactor from escaping and carrying radioactive contamination to the outside, the inflatable seals would be pressurized to about psi or approximately 25 psi above the possible pressure within the reactor.
  • the chamber 60 would alsobe pressurized to 70 psi, or the pressure which could be created within the reactor. Thus, there would be no pressure differential across the seal and therefore no leakage across the seal.
  • the seals themselves, each having separate and independent air supplies provide a firm seal at the door, but by creating a pressure chamber within or between the door seals and by having this pressure chamber pressurized to approximately the pressure to be protected against, there is no possibility of leakage.
  • each seal on each door has its own separate air supply, so that failure of any one seal does not affect any of the other three seals of the four making up the air lock.
  • the invention should not be limited to any particular size of air lock, nor to an air lock per se.
  • the inflatable seal structure made up of a pair of spaced inflatable seals and including a pressure barrier between them, has wide application in a door seal structure.
  • the pressure chamber 60 is continuously pressurized during operation. It is not solely for the purpose of testing or determining if there is leakage across the inflatable seals. W
  • An air lock having a housing defining a chamber, a floor in said chamber, a pair of door frames in said housing, a door pivotally mounted in each frame, a pair of spaced seating surfaces on each door frame, said seating surfaces being spaced ing pressure chamber, and means for pressurizing each of said chambers,
  • each door adjacent the floor, said seal elements lie in a horizontal plane parallel to the floor, the seal elements over the remaining periphery of the door being arranged with one seal element positioned concentrically with and outside of the other.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Specific Sealing Or Ventilating Devices For Doors And Windows (AREA)
US79745A 1970-10-12 1970-10-12 Door with double-inflatable seal and pressure chamber Expired - Lifetime US3678624A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US7974570A 1970-10-12 1970-10-12

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US3678624A true US3678624A (en) 1972-07-25

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US79745A Expired - Lifetime US3678624A (en) 1970-10-12 1970-10-12 Door with double-inflatable seal and pressure chamber

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US (1) US3678624A (de)
DE (1) DE2150334A1 (de)

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3938343A (en) * 1973-11-13 1976-02-17 C. G. Doris Platform structure for maritime installation
US4291500A (en) * 1979-08-30 1981-09-29 Lakeside Bridge & Steel Co. Apparatus for opening and closing air lock doors
US6349947B1 (en) 1999-06-23 2002-02-26 Mve, Inc. High pressure chamber door seal with leak detection system
US6698439B2 (en) * 2000-07-03 2004-03-02 Tokyo Electron Limited Processing apparatus with sealing mechanism
US6705242B2 (en) * 2002-01-08 2004-03-16 Ch2M Hill Constructors, Inc. Method and apparatus for hermetically sealing openings of an explosion containment chamber
US20050022656A1 (en) * 2002-01-08 2005-02-03 Donovan John L. Purging an airlock of an explosion containment chamber
US20050192472A1 (en) * 2003-05-06 2005-09-01 Ch2M Hill, Inc. System and method for treatment of hazardous materials, e.g., unexploded chemical warfare ordinance
US20180371829A1 (en) * 2017-06-22 2018-12-27 Sejong Pharmatech Co., Ltd. Sealing door and method of forming channel
CN111119693A (zh) * 2019-12-31 2020-05-08 江苏朗和空气技术有限公司 一种高隔离区气闸间充气式互锁门装置与方法

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2757225A (en) * 1952-12-24 1956-07-31 Ace Engineering & Machine Co I Doors for radio shielded enclosures
US2760791A (en) * 1950-11-30 1956-08-28 Blaw Knox Co Pressure seal construction for rotating members
US3032835A (en) * 1956-10-19 1962-05-08 Pratt Co Henry Door structure for personnel and material locks

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2760791A (en) * 1950-11-30 1956-08-28 Blaw Knox Co Pressure seal construction for rotating members
US2757225A (en) * 1952-12-24 1956-07-31 Ace Engineering & Machine Co I Doors for radio shielded enclosures
US3032835A (en) * 1956-10-19 1962-05-08 Pratt Co Henry Door structure for personnel and material locks

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3938343A (en) * 1973-11-13 1976-02-17 C. G. Doris Platform structure for maritime installation
US4291500A (en) * 1979-08-30 1981-09-29 Lakeside Bridge & Steel Co. Apparatus for opening and closing air lock doors
US6349947B1 (en) 1999-06-23 2002-02-26 Mve, Inc. High pressure chamber door seal with leak detection system
US6698439B2 (en) * 2000-07-03 2004-03-02 Tokyo Electron Limited Processing apparatus with sealing mechanism
US7418895B2 (en) 2002-01-08 2008-09-02 Demil International, Inc. Purging an airlock of an explosion containment chamber
US6705242B2 (en) * 2002-01-08 2004-03-16 Ch2M Hill Constructors, Inc. Method and apparatus for hermetically sealing openings of an explosion containment chamber
US20050022656A1 (en) * 2002-01-08 2005-02-03 Donovan John L. Purging an airlock of an explosion containment chamber
US20050192472A1 (en) * 2003-05-06 2005-09-01 Ch2M Hill, Inc. System and method for treatment of hazardous materials, e.g., unexploded chemical warfare ordinance
US20080089813A1 (en) * 2003-05-06 2008-04-17 Quimby Jay M System and method for treatment of hazardous materials, e.g., unexploded chemical warfare ordinance
US7700047B2 (en) 2003-05-06 2010-04-20 Ch2M Hill Constructors, Inc. System and method for treatment of hazardous materials, e.g., unexploded chemical warfare ordinance
US20180371829A1 (en) * 2017-06-22 2018-12-27 Sejong Pharmatech Co., Ltd. Sealing door and method of forming channel
US10604995B2 (en) * 2017-06-22 2020-03-31 Sejong Pharmatech Co., Ltd. Sealing door and method of forming channel
CN111119693A (zh) * 2019-12-31 2020-05-08 江苏朗和空气技术有限公司 一种高隔离区气闸间充气式互锁门装置与方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE2150334A1 (de) 1972-04-13

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