Flange joint

Claim 1

A pipe joint which provides a leakproof passageway at the joint between adjoining pipes for conveying fluids under pressure, comprising in combination a pipe section, a second member and a resilient annular gasket, said pipe section having an end portion of generally cylindrical outer circumference and including an end face at the axially outermost limit of said end portion and a generally circumferential flange fixed thereto and extending radially outward therefrom, said flange having an inner circumferential wall defining an opening substantially equal in size to the outer wall of said end portion, said flange further including a flat sealing face portion, coacting pipe threads formed on said end portion and on said inner wall of said flange for securing said flange to said end portion of said pipe section, said end face of said pipe section and said sealing face of said flange being in Substantial alignment in a plane substantially normal to the axis of said pipe section, said second member having a flanged end in substantial axial alignment with said pipe section for conveying fluids therefrom, said flanged end being adjacent to and substantially parallel with the sealing face of said flange, said resilient annular gasket having only one opening and being disposed between said flange of said pipe section and said flanged end of said second member, said gasket having a solid flat body portion comprising a circumferentially continuous disc forming an annular ring with central opening, said body portion having two faces, each said face having three annular alined ribs of semicircular cross section depending outwardly from said faces a distance at least equal to half the thickness of said body portion, said ribs forming concentric circles about said central opening, the middle said rib and outermost said rib being of such a diameter that said middle rib is spaced a distance radially outward from the innermost rib substantially equal to the distance from said middle rib to said outermost rib, and the outside diameter of said gasket being greater than the diameter of said outermost rib said innermost rib being at least substantially the same diameter as said end face, and means for securing said flange and said flange end to one another and compressing said annular gasket whereby a seal is formed radially between the radially opposed faces of the pipe section flange and the flanged end of the second member as well as an axial seal being effected by said radially innermost rib of said gasket to prevent leaking axially through the said means for connecting said flange to the pipe section.