Pressure vessel seal

Claim 1

HIGH PRESSURE SEALING APPARATUS FOR SEALINGLY INTERCONNECTING DETACHABLE FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, FIRST AND SECOND MEMBES HAVING COAXIAL AXES, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID MEMBERS BEING HOLLOW AND ADAPTED TO BE INTERNALLY SUBJECTED TO HIGH PRESSURES, INTERLOCKING MEANS DETACHABLY INTERLOCKING SAID MEMBERS TOGETHER SELECTIVELY PREVENTING RELATIVE AXIAL DISPLACEMENT, AN ANNULAR, AXIALLY EXTENDING JOINT DEFINED BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS HAVING AN OPEN END, A FIRST RADIAL SEALING SURFACE DEFINED ON SAID FIRST MEMBER ADJACENT SAID OPEN END OF SAID JOINT, A SECOND RADIAL SEALING SURFACE DEFINED ON SAID SECOND MEMBER ADJACENT SAID JOINT OPEN END AND IN SUBSTANTIAL AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FIRST SEALING SURFACE AND RADIALLY SPACED THEREFROM, AN ANNULAR RADIAL BACKING SURFACE DEFINED ON ONE OF SAID MEMBERS IN RADIALLY OPPOSED RELATION TO SAID JOINT OPEN END AND AXIALLY SPAED THEREFROM, AN ANNULAR SEALING RING OF HIGH STRENGTH, HIGH TEMPERATURE RESISTANT MATERIAL RADIALLY SPANNING SAID JOINT OPEN END AND ENGAGING SAID FIRST AND SECOND SEALING SURFACES, AN ANNULAR, DEFORMABLE, METALLIC TUBE HAVING A FLATTENED CROSS-SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID BACKING SURFACE AND SAID SEALING RING, SAID TUBE CROSS SECTION HAVING ITS MAJOR DIMENSION IN THE RADIAL DIRECTION, WHEREBY THE INTRODUCTION OF A PRESSURIZED MEDIUM INTO SAID TUBE CAUSES SAID TUBE TO EXPAND IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION AND FORCES SAID SEALING RING INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SEALING SURFACES, AND MEANS FOR PRESSURIZING SAID TUBE.