Swivel pipe joint

Claim 1

A SWIVEL JOINT FOR HANDLING LIQUIDS HAVING SOLIDS ENTRAINED THEREIN, SUCH AS PAPER STOCK, SAID JOINT ADAPTED TO BE BOLTED TO THE OPPOSED STANDARD BOLTING FLANGES OF A PAIR OF RELATIVELY ROTATABLE PIPES WHICH CARRY SUCH LIQUID, SUCH JOINT COMPRISING, A FIRST MEMBER IN THE FORM OF AN INTEGRAL ONE-PIECE SPOOL HAVING A RADIAL FLANGE AT EACH END, WHEREIN ONE FLANGE IS OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE OTHER, A SECOND MEMBER IN THE FORM OF A COVER RING FORMED WITH A COUNTERBORE OF A DIAMETER SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THAT OF SAID SMALLER SPOOL FLANGE AND OF A DEPTH GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID SMALLER FLANGE, SAID COVER RING FITTING OVER AND ENCLOSING SAID SMALLER SPOOL FLANGE, SAID SMALLER SPOOL FLANGE HAVING A GROOVE FORMED ABOUT ITS PERIPHERY INTERMEDIATE THE END FACES OF SAID SMALLER FLANGE, AN ELASTOMER O-RING SEAL DISPOSED IN SAID GROOVE AND BEING OF A SIZE SUCH THAT IT IS COMPRESSED BETWEEN THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID GROOVE AND THE WALL OF SAID COUNTERBORE, A PLASTIC THRUST WASHER ON EACH SIDE OF SAID SMALLER FLANGE AND ENGAGING THE ADJACENT END FACE OF SAID SMALLER FLANGE, ONE PLASTIC THRUST WASHER ALSO ENGAGING THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID COUNTERBORE, SPLIT RING MEANS ENGAGING THE OTHER PLASTIC THRUST WASHER AND BEING SECURED TO SAID COVER RING, THE COMBINED THICKNESS OF SAID THRUST WASHERS AND SAID SMALLER FLANGE BEING EQUAL TO THE DEPTH OF SAID COUNTERBORE SO THAT THEY WILL FILL SUCH COUNTERBORE AND PREVENT SOLIDS IN THE FLOWING LIQUID FROM GAINING ACCESS TO SAID ELASTOMER O-RING SEAL, SAID COVER RING HAVING A RADIAL FLANGE PORTION PROJECTING OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID COUNTERBORE AND BEING FORMED WITH A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY EXTNDING BOLT HOLES DISTRIBUTED ALONG A PREDETERMINED CONCENTRIC CIRCLE, SAID RADIAL FLANGE PORTION HAVING A THICKNESS LESS THAN THE DEPTH OF THE COUNTERBORE AND BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT THE FACE OF SAID COVER RING WHICH IS REMOTE FROM SAID SPLIT RING MEANS TO PROVIDE SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE NUTS FOR THE BOLTS RECEIVABLE BY SAID BOLT HOLES AND TO ACCOMMODATE THE END PORTIONS OF SUCH BOLTS, THE LARGER SPOOL FLANGE FORMED WITH A PLURALITY OF BOLT HOLES DISTRIBUTED ALONG A CONCENTRIC CIRCLE OF A DIAMETER THE SAME AS THE FIRST MENTIONED BOLT HOLES, SAID LARGER SPOOL FLANGE BEING OF A THICKNESS APPROXIMATING THAT OF SAID RADIAL FLANGE PORTION AND BEING DISPOSED AT THE END OF SAID SPOOL WHICH IS REMOTE FROM SAID COVERED RING TO PROVIDE SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE NUTS FOR BOLTS RECEIVABLE THROUGH THE BOLT HOLES OF SAID LARGER SPOOL FLANGE AND TO ACCOMODATE THE END PORTIONS OF SUCH BOLTS, WHEREBY AN AXIALLY COMPACT SWIVEL JOINT IS PROVIDED DESPITE THE NECESSITY OF PRO VIDING SPACE TO ACCOMODATE TWO SETS OF BOLT END PORTIONS AND TWO SETS OF NUTS.