Corrosion detector

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR INSTALLATION ON, AND FOR DETECTING AND INDICATING THE EXTENT OF PROBABLE CORROSION OF INACCESSIBLE INNER WALL SURFACES OF, A CLOSED HOLLOW BODY CONTAINING FLUID CORROSIVE TO SUCH SURFACES, COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED TUBULAR ELEMENT HAVING A CLOSED END AND AN OPEN END AND BEING OF A SIZE TO BE INSERTABLE CLOSED END FOREMOST THROUGH AN OPENING IN A WALL OF THE BODY, SAID ELEMENT HAVING BETWEEN SAID ENDS A CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL PORTION CORRODIBLE IN THE FLUID AND OF REDUCED PREDETERMINED CONSTANT THICKNESS FOR EXPOSURE OF ITS EXTERIOR SURFACE TO THE CORROSIVE FLUID CONTAINED WITHIN THE BODY, THE THICKNESS OF SAID WALL PORTION BEING LESS THAN THAT OF THE BODY WALLS; MEANS ON SAID ELEMENT FOR DETACHABLY SECURING THE LATTER TO THE BODY AND FOR PROVIDING A SEAL BETWEEN SAID ELEMENT AND THE EDGES OF THE BODY OPENING; VALVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ELEMENT OPEN END FOR DISPOSITION EXTERIORLY OF THE BODY, WHEREBY THE OPENING OF SAID VALVE MEANS WILL INDICATE, BY PASSAGE OR NON-PASSAGE OF FLUID THEREFROM, WHETHER SAID WALL PORTION HAS BECOME CORRODED AWAY SUFFICIENTLY TO PASS FLUID THERETHROUGH INTO THE INTERIOR OF SAID ELEMENT AND OUT THROUGH SAID VALVE MEANS; AND SUPPORT MEANS WITHIN SAID ELEMENT, LONGITUDINALLY BRIDGING SAID CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL PORTION OUT OF CONTACT THEREWITH, AND SECURED TO SAID ELEMENT ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID WALL PORTION WHILE PERMITTING ANY FLUID PASSED THROUGH SAID WALL PORTION TO FLOW TO SAID OPEN END FOR COMMUNICATION WITH SAID VALVE MEANS, WHEREBY IN THE EVENT THAT SAID WALL PORTION CORRODES SUFFICIENTLY TO CAUSE COMPLETE SEPARATION OF THE ELEMENT PORTIONS ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, SAID SUPPORT MEANS WILL PREVENT LOSS INTO THE BODY OF THE ELEMENT PORTION ADJACENT SAID CLOSED END.