Ultra-high vacuum coupling and gasket subassembly therefor

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION: A PAIR OF SPACED FLANGE MEMBERS WITH A BORE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH ADAPTED FOR MOVEMENT ALONG A LONGITUDINAL AXIS TOWARD EACH OTHER; SAID FLANGE MEMBERS HAVING SEALING SURFACES CONSISTING OF PLANAR SURFACES ARRANGED IN SPACED FACE TO FACE RELATIONSHIP AND CYLINDRICAL SURFACES HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIAMETERS POSITIONED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE WALL DEFINING SAID BORE AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS, SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACES INTERSECTING SAID PLANAR SURFACES TO FORM SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLE CORNERS THEREWITH; STOP MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID FLANGE MEMBERS TO LIMIT THE MOVEMENT OF SAID PLANAR SURFACES THEREOF TOWARD EACH OTHER TO PROVIDE A PREDETERMINED SPACING THEREBETWEEN NOT TO EXCEED ABOUT 0.010 INCH; CARRIER RING MEANS MADE OF RELATIVELY NON-DEFORMABLE METAL, SAID RING MEANS HAVING A LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN SAID PREDETERMINED SPACING BETWEEN SAID PLANAR SURFACES AND POSITIONED SUCH AS TO OVERLIE SAID SPACE THEREBETWEEN; A CONTINUOUS ANNULAR DEFORMABLE METAL GASKET MEANS CARRIED ON THE INNER DIAMETER OF THE CARRIER RING MEANS AND POSITIONED FOR EXTRUSION WITHIN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID PLANAR SURFACES; SAID GASKET MEANS BEING DEFORMED WHEN SAID PREDETERMINED SPACING IS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN SAID PLANAR SURFACES AND SAID GASKET MEANS, BEFORE DEFORMATION, HAVING A THICKNESS MEASURED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN SAID PREDETERMINED SPACING BETWEEN SAID PLANAR SURFACES, AND HAVING A RADIAL WIDTH APPROXIMATELY AS GREAT AS ITS AXIAL THICKNESS; SAID RING MEANS HAVING AN INNER DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACES OF SAID FLANGE MEMBERS BY AN AMOUNT WHICH IS A SMALL FRACTION OF SAID PREDETERMINED SPACING BETWEEN SAID PLANAR SURFACES SUCH THAT UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID FLANGE MEMBERS TOWARD EACH OTHER ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS COMPRESSING SAID GASKET MEANS BETWEEN SAID PLANAR SURFACES, SAID GASKET MEANS IS EXTRUDED RADIALLY BETWEEN SAME AND LONGITUDINALLY BETWEEN THE INNER DIAMETER SURFACE OF THE CARRIER RING AND SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACES; AND SAID GASKET MEANS, AFTER DEFORMATION, HAVING A WIDTH MEASURED RADIALLY WHICH IS AT LEAST TWO TIMES SAID PREDETERMINED SPACING BETWEEN SAID PLANAR SURFACES; AND IN WHICH THE COMPRESSIVE STRESS WITHIN THE GASKET MEANS GENERATED AT SAID RIGHT ANGLE CORNERS EXCEEDS THE NORMAL YIELD STRESS OF THE GASKET MATERIAL BY MANY TIMES.