Hydraulic tensile tester for ring structures

Claim 1

A UNITARY HYDRAULIC DEVICE FOR ACCURATELY TESTING THE TENSILE PROPERTIES OF A CIRCULAR RING MEMBER COMPRISING A BASE MEANS HAVING A FIRST CIRCULAR TROUGH THEREIN FOR HOLDING THE RING MEMBER TO BE TESTED, LID MEANS REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO SAID BASE MEANS FOR PROVIDING A CIRCULAR CHAMBER OF SLIGHTLY LARGER WIDTH THAN THE RING MEMBER LOCATED THEREIN, CIRCULAR SEALING MEANS LOCATED AROUND THE INSIDE PERIPHERY OF THE RING MEMBER FOR PROVIDING A FLUID TIGHT CHAMBER, A PLURALITY OF ARCUATE BEARING MEMBERS LOCATED IN END-TO-END RELATION BETWEEN SAID SEALING MEANS AND THE RING MEMBER AND EACH HAVING A RADIUS EQUAL TO THE OUTSIDE RADIUS OF SAID SEALING MEANS, PISTON MEANS INCLUDING A VENTING ORIFICE FROM SAID PISTON MEANS TO SAID FLUID TIGHT CHAMBER FOR PROVIDING A HYDRAULIC PRESSURE IN SAID TROUGH PRESSING UNIFORMLY AGAINST THE SAID SEALING MEANS AND BEARING MEMBERS TO EXPAND THE RING MEMBER WHEREBY THE RING MEMBER MAY BE TESTED BY INCREASING THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE UNTIL THE RING MEMBER IS RUPTURED, MEANS FOR MEASURING THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE JUST PRIOR TO THE RUPTURE OF THE RING MEMBER, AND MEANS FOR MEASURING THE RADIAL EXPANSION OF THE RING MEMBER JUST PRIOR TO RUPTURE.