Flanged pipe joint having one flange deflectable

Claim 1

A PIPE JOINT IN A PIPING SYSTEM COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF TWO METAL FLANGE MEMBERS EACH HAVING A FLANGE-PORTION AND A HUB-PORTION RIGIDLY SECURED TO A COMPONENT OF THE PIPING SYSTEM, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS BEING MADE OF A BRITTLE METAL OF LOW TENSILE STRENGTH AND THE OTHER BEING MADE OF A METAL HAVING RELATIVE TO THE MATERIAL OF SAID ONE MEMBER A HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH AND CAPABLE OF SUBSTANTIAL FLEXURE, SAID FLANGE-PORTION OF SAID MEMBER OF HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH BEING OF LESSER THICKNESS THAN SAID FLANGE-PORTION OF SAID MEMBER OF LOW TENSILE STRENGTH TO ASSURE FLEXURE OF SAID FLANGE-PORTION OF SAID FLANGE MEMBER OF HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH BY JOINTTIGHTENING FORCES BELOW THOSE WHICH WILL CAUSE FAILURE OF SAID FLANGE-PORTION OF SAID FLANGE MEMBER OF LOW TENSILE STRENGTH, SAID MEMBERS EACH HAVING A CENTRAL BORE THERETHROUGH, A GASKET OF UNIFORM THICKNESS BETWEEN OPPOSED MATING SURFACES OF SAID FLANGE-PORTION OF SAID MEMBERS, SAID FLANGE-PORTIONS OF SAID MEMBERS EXTENDING GENERALLY NORMALLY TO THE AXIS OF THE BORE THERETHROUGH, AT LEAST ONE OF THE MATING SURFACES OF SAID FLANGE MEMBERS BEING NORMALLY FRUSTO-CONICAL AND INCLINED AWAY FROM THE MATING SURFACE OF THE OTHER OF SAID FLANGE MEMBERS THROUGH AN ANGLE OF AT LEAST ONE-HALF DEGREE AND NOT EXCEEDING ABOUT FOUR DEGREES, FASTENING MEMBERS ENGAGING SAID FLANGES AT LOCATIONS SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM SAID BORE AND INWARDLY OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID SURFACES AND DISPOSED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF SAID FLANGE-PORTIONS FOR SECURING THE FLANGE MEMBERS TOGETHER AND FOR DEVELOPING SAID JOINT-TIGHTENING FORCES UPON SAID FLANGE-PORTIONS, THE SEAL PRODUCED BETWEEN SAID MATING SURFACES AND SAID GASKET BEING CHARACTERIZED BY THE DEVELOPMENT FROM SAID JOINT-TIGHTENING FORCES OF COMPRESSIVE FORCES UPON SAID GASKET WHICH IN THE REGION ADJACENT SAID BORE ARE OF MATERIALLY GREATER MAGNITUDE PER UNIT AREA THEREOF THAN IN THE REGION ADJACENT SAID FASTENING MEMBERS, SAID GASKET IN SAID REGION ADJACENT SAID BORE BEING DEFORMED TO A LESSER THICKNESS THAN IN THE REGION ADJACENT SAID FASTENING MEMBERS, SAID FLANGE-PORTION OF SAID MEMBER OF HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH UPON APPLICATION OF SAID JOINT-TIGHTENING FORCES FLEXING TO DECREASE SAID ANGLE AND TO DECREASE THE MOMENT ARM ON SAID METAL FLANGE-PORTION OF SAID MEMBER OF LOW TENSILE STRENGTH, SAID JOINT-TIGHTENING FORCES DURING SAID FLEXURE OF SAID FLANGE-PORTION OF HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH TO ITS FINAL POSITION HAVING A MAGNITUDE MATERIALLY BELOW THAT WHICH WILL DEVELOP BENDING MOMENTS OF AN ORDER LIKELY TO PRODUCE SAID FAILURE OF SAID FLANGEPORTION OF SAID METAL MEMBER OF LOW TENSILE STRENGTH.