Support structures

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING A FLANGED PRESSURE OF SIMILAR CONTAINMENT VESSEL WITHIN A MAIN SUPPORTING HOUSING SO THAT RADIAL AND BI-DIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE VESSEL IS PERMITTED TO RELIEVE FORCES IMPARTED THEREBY TO FIXED COMPONENTS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AS A RESULT OF THERMAL EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF THE VESSEL, WHICH APPARATUS COMPRISES AN ANNULAR SUPPORT RING SECURED IN FIXED RELATION TO THE FLANGE OF THE VESSEL, SAID ANNULAR SUPPORT RING INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF ARCUATE SHAPED MEMBERS THAT ARE SECURED TO THE FLANGE IN MATING RELATION WITH EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID MEMBERS BEING PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE PROJECTING MATING KEY EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, A SECONDARY SUPPORT MEANS SECURED BELOW AND IN MATING CONTACT WITH SAID ANNULAR SUPPORT RING AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF UNIFORMLY SPACED SLOTS PROVIDED THEREIN THAT ARE PROPORTIONED TO ACCOMMODATE THE MATING KEYS OF EACH OF THE SUPPORT MEMBERS THAT FORM SAID ANNULAR SUPPORT RING, SAID SECONDARY SUPPORT MEANS HAVING A PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED MATING KEYS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM AND LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED PARALLEL TO SAID BIDIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT OF SAID VESSEL, AND AN ANNULAR SUPPORT MEMBER MOUNTED IN FIXED RELATION WITHIN THE MAIN SUPPORTING HOUSING, SAID ANNULAR SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING TWO DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED SLOTS PROVIDED THEREIN TO RECEIVE THE MATING KEYS OF SAID SECONDARY SUPPORT MEANS WHICH IS MOUNTED THEREON SO THAT UPON EXPANSION OR CONTRACTION OF SAID PRESSURE VESSEL MOVEMENT OF SAID ANNULAR SUPPORT RING WILL BE IMPARTED TO SAID SECONDARY SUPPORT MEANS TO EFFECT MOVEMENT OF THE VESSEL RELATIVE TO SAID MAIN SUPPORTING HOUSING.