Resilient sector plate for rotary regenerative heat exchanger

Claim 1

ROTARY REGENERATIVE HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL ROTOR HAVING SECTORIAL COMPARTMENTS THAT CARRY A MASS OF HEAT ABSORBENT MATERIAL ALTERNATELY BETWEEN A HEATING FLUID AND A FLUID TO BE HEATED; A CYLINDRICAL HOUSING SURROUNDING THE ROTOR INCLUDING END PLATES AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF HAVING APERTURES BETWEEN IMPERFORATE SECTOR-SHAPED PORTIONS THAT ALTERNATELY DIRECT THE HEATING FLUID AND THE FLUID TO BE HEATED THROUGH SPACED COMPARTMENTS OF THE ROTOR; AND A RESILIENT SEALING SURFACE SUSPENDED FROM THE IMPERFORATE PORTION OF EACH END PLATE INTO SEALING RELATION WITH THE ADJACENT END OF THE ROTOR, SAID RESILIENT SURFACE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A SERIES OF MUTUALLY OVERLAPPING RADIAL FLANGES THAT EXTEND BETWEEN INNER AND OUTER EDGES OF THE ROTOR COMPARTMENTS; A RESILIENT WEB FIXED TO A RADIAL EDGE OF EACH FLANGE AND EXTENDING TOWARD SAID END PLATE; A SECOND FLANGE FIXED TO A SPACED RADIAL EDGE OF EACH RESILIENT WEB AND EXTENDING THEREFROM IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE OVERLAPPING RADIAL FLANGES; AND MEANS SECURING EACH OF SAID SECOND FLANGES TO THE END PLATE TO MAINTAIN THE RESILIENT OVERLAPPING FLANGES IN POSITION AS A COMPOSITE SEALING PLATE CONFRONTING THE ADJACENT END OF THE ROTOR.