Irradiation vault

Claim 1

AN IRRADIATION VAULT FOR STORING A RADIOACTIVE SOURCE AND FOR IRRADIATING MATERIAL THEREIN COMPRISING A SHIELDED VAULT HAVING A CENTRAL VERTICAL RECESS EXTENDING PARTLY THERETHROUGH, A TUBE-LIKE SHIELDING STRUCTURE MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT WITHIN SAID RECESS, RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL PERIPHERALLY POSITIONED WITHIN THE LOWER HALF OF SAID SHIELDING STRUCTURE, A CYLINDRICAL MEMBER SEPARATELY MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT WITHIN SAID SHIELDING STRUCTURE, SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER FORMING AT ITS CENTRAL PORTION AN EXPOSURE CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING MATERIAL TO BE IRRADIATED AND INCLUDING PLUGS OF SHIELDING MATERIAL CLOSING THE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF SAID CHAMBER, THE TUBE-LIKE SHIELDING STRUCTURE AND SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER BEING ARRANGED SO THAT THE EXPOSURE CHAMBER AND PERIPHERALLY DISPOSED RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL ARE IN HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT IN THE IRRADIATING POSITION, THE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER IN SAID POSITION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SEATED AT THE CLOSED END OF SAID RECESS, AND THE SURROUNDING SHIELDING STRUCTURE BEING ELEVATED FROM SAID CLOSED END SO THAT THE UPPER PLUG OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER TOGETHER WITH THE UPPER SURROUNDING PART OF SAID TUBE-LIKE STRUCTURE FORM A SHIELD AT THE RECESS OPENING, AND OPERATING MEANS FOR LOWERING THE SHIELDING STRUCTURE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE VAULT RECESS AND FOR RAISING THE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER SO THAT THE EXPOSURE CHAMBER IS ISOLATED FROM SAID RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL AND IS ABOVE SAID RECESS, SUCH THAT THE LOWER PLUG OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER FORMS, TOGETHER WITH THE UPPER PART OF SAID TUBE-LIKE STRUCTURE A SHIELD AT THE RECESS OPENING TO PERMIT RECHARGING OF THE EXPOSURE CHAMBER FOR SUBSEQUENT OPERATION OF THE VAULT.