Claims
- 1. A method of manufacturing a toroidal pressure vessel comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a first annular member configured to define a semi-torodial portion of a hollow toroidal body and having axially offset radially inner and outer annular edge portions and a radially inner wall thickness greater than its radially outer wall thickness;
- (b) providing a second annular member configured to define the balance of said toroidal body and having axially offset radially inner and outer annular edge portions and a radially inner wall thickness greater than its radially outer wall thickness;
- (c) providing complementary axially and radiallay extending engagement surfaces on at least one of the radially inner and radially outer annular edge portions of said first annular member and on at least the corresponding one of the radially inner and radially outer annular edge portions of said second annular member;
- (d) engaging said complementary engagement surfaces with one another to dispose said first annular member and said second annular member in a singular selected relative axial and radial position; and
- (e) forming said toroidal body by respectively sealingly intersecuring said inner edge portions and said outer edge portions of said first and second annular members.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing steps (a) and (b) are performed by providing a duality of annular blanks having oversized cross-sectional areas, and then machining said blanks to form said first and second annular members.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of providing a duality of annular blanks is performed by removing a duality of axial portions from a length of thick-walled tubing.
- 4. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of providing a duality of annular blanks is performed by using a metal casting process.
- 5. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of providing a duality of annular blanks is performed by using a metal vacuum forging process.
- 6. The method of claim 2 wherein said machining step is performed by using a numerically controlled lathe.
- 7. A method of manufacturing a toroidal pressure vessel for storing high pressure gas used to power a pneumatic control system or the like, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a length of thick-walled metal tubing;
- (b) removing a first axial portion of said tubing;
- (c) removing a second axial portion of said tubing;
- (d) configuring the removed first and second axial portions of said tubing to define complementary semi-torodial sections of a hollow toroidal body having axially offset radially inner and outer annular joint lines and a radially inner wall thickness greater than its radially outer wall thickness;
- (e) providing complementary axially and radially extending engagement surfaces on said sections at respective ones of said radially inner and radially outer annular joint lines;
- (f) engaging said engagement surfaces to position said sections in a singular axial and radial position relative one another; and
- (g) sealingly intersecuring said complementary sections to form said toroidal pressure vessel.
- 8. The method of claim 7 wherein said configuring step (d) is performed by machining said first and second axial portions of said tubing with a numerically controlled lathe.
- 9. The method of claim 7 wherein said configuring step (d) includes configuring said complementary sections in a manner such that each has axially offset radially inner and outer annular edge portions, and wherein said intersecuring step (e) is performed by welding the inner edge portion of one of said complementary sections to the inner edge portion of the other of said complementary sections, and welding the outer edge portion of one of said complementary sections to the outer edge portion of the other of said complementary sections.
- 10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps, performed prior to said intersecuring step (e), of forming an opening through one of said complementary sections, providing an outlet fitting, inserting said outlet fitting through said opening, and internally welding said outlet fitting to said one of said complementary sections.
- 11. The method of claim 7 wherein one of said complementary sections has an interior surface, and wherein said method further comprises the step of providing said pressure vessel with a predetermined, precisely positioned burst location by forming a depression in said interior surface.
- 12. The method of manufacturing a toroidal pressure vessel comprising the steps of:
- providing a first annular member configured to define an axial extending and radially inner portion of a hollow toroidal body and having in transverse section generally a C-shape to define a pair of annular edge portions which are offset relative one another both axially and radially;
- providing a second annular member configured to define an axially extending and radially outer portion of a hollow toroidal body and having in transverse section generally a C-shape to define a respective pair of annular edge portions which are offset relative one another both axially and radially in cooperable relation with said pair of edge portions of said first annular member,
- providing complementary axially and radially extending engagement surfaces on each of said annular edge portions to define one-half of a bell-and-spigot joint for both the radially inner ones of said annular edge portions and for the radially outer ones of said annular edge portions,
- interengaging said complementary engagement surfaces of said radially inner ones of said annular edge portions and of said radially outer ones of said annular edge portions to complete said bell-and-spigot joints holding said first and said second members in a singular axial and radial relative position, and
- sealingly securing said interengaged radially inner and radially outer annular edge portions.
- 13. The method of claim 12 further including the step of providing relatively angled annular external surfaces on each of said first and said second annular member adjacent said engagement surfaces, and employing said relatively angled annular surfaces to cooperatively define a respective annular weld channel outwardly of said bell-and-spigot joints.
- 14. The method of claim 13 further including welding said interengaged annular members at said bell-and-spigot joints therebetween to both fill said annular weld channels and to fusingly through-melt and thereby further unite said first and second annular member and to obliterate said bell-and-spigot joints thereof.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part, of application Ser. No. 767,228, filed Aug. 16, 1985.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
659606 |
Oct 1984 |
|
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
767228 |
Aug 1985 |
|