Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Pull-Up Bolt Assembly
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates generally to expansion bolts.
Particularly,
the present invention relates to expansion bolts used with "manway" covers for
access to enclosed spaces such as tanks, conduits, storage areas, heat
exchanger tubes. More particularly, the present invention relates to expansion
bolts used with mechanisms to assist in the removal of "manway" covers. Even
more particularly, the present invention relates to expansion bolts used with
mechanisms for handling the removal and installation of "manway" covers that
are
either too hazardous, or too heavy, or too cumbersome to be handled by an
unaided individual.
2. Description of the Prior Art
[0002] Manway covers are typically large, heavy, metal plates that are
bolted
to an opening. For purposes of the present invention, the definition of
"manway
covers" expressly means any heavy covers or closures used on pressure vessels,
vacuum vessels, atmospheric vessels, heat exchangers, heat exchanger channel
covers, heat exchanger channels, heat exchanger bonnets, or any type of
blanking plate and is not construed to be limited to only covers used on
openings
that are dimensionally-sized to allow passage of a human. The most common are
circularly-shaped and mate to a flange by way of a plurality of bolts evenly
spaced
around the periphery of the opening. However, it should be understood that the
heavy covers may be any shape. The defined manway covers typically provide
access to enclosed spaces such as tanks, conduits, storage areas, transfer
tubes,
pressure vessels, vacuum vessels, atmospheric vessels, heat exchangers, heat
exchanger channel covers, heat exchanger channels, heat exchanger bonnets,
and the like.
[0003] Routine servicing and inspection requirements as well as other
operating conditions necessitate periodic removal of these manway covers. In
view of the typical location and weight of the manway covers, it is not a
simple
task to remove the cover or to re-install the same. Removal is currently
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
accomplished with the use of hand operated davit swing arms, chain falls,
ratchet
hoists, hinge devices, and brute force. Except for davit swing arms and hinge
devices, it is necessary during the removal process to lower the covers a
distance
to a level surface.
[0004] Various devices have been devised to facilitate manway cover removal
and re-installation. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0256753 (2008,
DePietro et al.) discloses a portable manway cover hinge device. The hinge
device has a pair of hinge plates where each hinge plate has a support member
with a hinge aperture positioned for alignment with a bolt opening of a manway
cover and a manway flange, a linkage member adjacent a first end of each hinge
plate and extending out of the plane of the hinge plate, and a pivotal
connection
coupling overlapping pairs of the linkage member of the pair of hinge plates.
[0005] U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0256866 (2008, DePietro
et
al.) discloses a portable manway cover hinge device. The hinge device has a
pair
of elongated hinge members where each hinge member has a pair of
longitudinally-aligned, elongated apertures, a support member slidably
connected
to each of the elongated apertures where the support member has a pin
receiving
end, and a linkage member pivotally connected to each of the pair of elongated
hinge members.
[0006] U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0242051 (2005, Porebski
et
al.) discloses a removable cover support system having a base member and a
securing mechanism slidably insertable through at least one of a cover flange
hole
of a cover assembly, a retaining sleeve connected to the securing base
assembly,
a swingarm assembly rotatably supported by the retaining sleeve, and a lifting
mechanism connected to the swingarm assembly.
[0007] U.S. Patent No. 4,519,519 (1985, Meuschke et al.) discloses a
davit
assembly that is connected with a transfer tube and a hatch cover to move the
cover away. The davit assembly, which is a swingarm, is permanently attached
to
the outside of the transfer tube.
[0008] U.S. Patent No. 4,297,072 (1981, Shah et al.) discloses a manway
handling apparatus having a support arm pivotally mountable on equipment
having elliptical manway access openings. The support arm when mounted is
swingable toward and away from an access opening and carries a bearing block
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
supporting bracket which is longitudinally adjustably positionable on the arm.
The
bearing block is vertically adjustably positionable in the bracket and
slidably
supports a shaft which is attachable to an elliptical cover. The shaft carries
structure means which when actuated by turning of a crank handle is effective
for
tilting the cover and to facilitate its installation and removal.
[0009] U.S. Patent No. 4,865,513 (1989, Norris) discloses a portable
manway
cover handling apparatus. A boom is mounted within a sleeve for longitudinal
translation and the sleeve is hinged to a base plate that is securable by a C-
clamp
to a superstructure beam in front of a manway cover. A hydraulic actuator
bears
against the sleeve to adjust its elevation. A powered cable winch is joined to
one
end of the boom and its cable passes through the boom, which is hollow to the
opposite end, and about a pulley to a fastener for attachment to an eye
secured in
the upper edge of the manway cover. A presser foot is hydraulically actuated
to
bear against the manway cover with the cable attached to the cover so that the
bolts holding the cover in place can be removed. Guide pins are provided for
installation in the mounting flange to pilot the cover into registration with
the bolt
holes when the cover is to be mounted rather than demounted.
[0010] Some of the prior art devices discuss the use of tapered pins,
pins or
expansion plugs, however, they suffer from serious disadvantages. These
include
the fact that the manway covers are extremely heavy and tapered pins, straight
pins or expansion plugs would not safely support the weight of the cover or
securely hold a cover to the various manway cover swingarm devices or hinge
devices causing a serious hazard to a user.
[0011] The mechanical attachment of two components with one component
having a blind hole and the other component having a through hole has not been
feasible without additional machining. The standard practice is to tap the
blind
hole with threads. A bolt is installed into the tapped hole, which creates a
pull-up
force to secure the two components with both friction and tensile forces.
[0012] Design clearances between bolt diameters and bolt holes allow for
lateral movement within the design clearances. Lateral movement between the
two components can occur if the interface friction is less than the lateral
force
between the two components. Locating pins may be installed to precisely locate
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the two components, but require accurate machining and dowel pins to eliminate
lateral movement.
[0013] In another application, the two components to be attached both
having
through holes. It is often desirable to attach these types of components such
that
the attaching device does not extend beyond or outside one of the through
holes.
It is also possible to tap one or both of the through holes for receiving a
bolt.
[0014] However, rules regarding the machining of hardware after
certification
of certain types of equipment may prevent machining of components without
recertification. Recertification of installed equipment operating in the field
can be
expensive, time consuming, and in many cases impossible.
[0015] Therefore, what is needed is a removable expansion device that can
safely support the weight of a manway cover as well as hold a manway cover to
a
manway swingarm device or a manway hinge device without the need to alter the
structural integrity of the manway cover or a mating flange.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] It is an object of the present invention to provide a removable,
re-usable
expansion fastening device that safely supports the weight of manway covers.
It
is another object of the present invention to provide a removable, re-usable
expansion fastening device that holds a manway cover to a manway swingarm
device or a manway hinge device without altering the structural integrity of
the
manway cover or its mating flange.
[0017] The present invention achieves these and other objectives by
providing
a pull-up bolt assembly for frictionally supporting a high-weight structure to
a hinge
component using an opening or recess in the high-weight structure as well as
resisting the pull out forces imposed by the manway cover. The pull-up bolt
assembly includes a pull-up bolt member with a threaded shaft and an abutting
member end, a nut component threadably attached to a nut-receiving end of the
pull-up bolt member, a tapered member disposed around the threaded shaft
between the nut component and the abutting member end, and a radially
expandable friction member disposed around the threaded shaft between the
tapered member and the abutting member end.
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[0018] In one embodiment of the pull-up bolt assembly of the present
invention, the pull-up bolt member has the threaded shaft with a first shaft
end and
a second shaft end, and the abutting member with a tapered surface formed at
the
first shaft end. The abutting member is wider than and tapers toward the
threaded
shaft. The nut component has an external torque-applying surface. The tapered
member has a tapered end portion and an optional flange formed between the
external torque-applying surface of the nut component and the tapered end
portion where the tapered end portion faces toward the tapered surface of the
abutting member. The radially expandable friction member is disposed around
the threaded shaft between the abutting member and the tapered member. At
least a portion of the expandable friction member expands outwardly in a
radial
direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the threaded shaft when the nut
component is threadably moved (i.e. tightened) toward the abutting member of
the
pull-up bolt member.
[0019] In another embodiment of the present invention, the second shaft
end of
the pull-up bolt member has an end face with a slot. The slot is configured to
receive the straight blade of a straight screwdriver.
[0020] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the nut
component
and the tapered member with the flange are integrally formed.
[0021] In another embodiment of the present invention, the tapered
member
includes a cylindrically-shaped portion between the tapered end portion and
the
flange. The cylindrically-shaped portion is an alignment surface with a
diameter in
close tolerance with a pin receiving opening in a manway hinge device.
[0022] In still another embodiment of the present invention, the tapered
member includes a cylindrical central portion having a stop end with a
peripheral
surface that extends laterally from the cylindrical central portion, a tapered
end
opposite the stop end, and a bore through the tapered member that is larger
than
the threaded shaft of the pull-up bolt member.
[0023] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the
expandable
friction member has a plurality of slots extending from each friction member
end to
a central continuous portion. In another embodiment of the expandable friction
member, the plurality of slots extend from each friction member end a
predefined
distance along the longitudinal length of the friction member and ending
adjacent
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
the opposite friction member end sufficient to maintain a continuous, single,
unitary friction member.
[0024] In another embodiment of the present invention, the expandable
friction
member has an inclined inner wall portion with a diameter gradually decreasing
between a friction member end to an inner portion.
[0025] In another embodiment of the present invention, there is
optionally
included an anti-rotation member configured to prevent the expandable friction
member from rotating around the pull-up bolt member. In one embodiment, the
anti-rotation member may be a pin or shoulder that laterally extends from the
pull-
up bolt member and mates with an end notch formed into the friction member end
of the expandable friction member.
[0026] In another embodiment of the present invention, the expandable
friction
member has a Rockwell hardness that is equal to or greater than the Rockwell
hardness of the structural component such as a manway cover in which it is to
be
used. Because of the shear and pull-out forces associated with the weight of
manway covers and the safety issues that arise when such covers are removed,
the Rockwell hardness ratio of the friction member and the structural
component
is an important factor when safety is the primary concern. A ratio of less
that 1 to
1 of the friction member to the structural component (One example of such a
ratio
is 0.8 to 1) means that the friction member is "softer" than the structural
component and will "deform" under expansion pressure (pressure caused by the
expansion of the expandable friction member within the bolt opening of the
manway cover/flange) before the structure component surface deforms. In the
configuration where the Rockwell hardness ration is greater than 1 to 1 of the
expandable friction member to the bolt opening in the cover/flange, the
expandable friction member is said to "bite" into the wall surface of the bolt
opening placing the expandable friction member in shear with the bolt opening.
In
the latter configuration where the Rockwell hardness of the expandable
friction
member is less than that of the bolt opening, the concept is somewhat
reversed.
Except in situations where cover and flange bolt opening surfaces are
polished,
the bolt opening surface is irregular. Typically, scoring marks and scratches
exist
in the surface. By using an expandable friction member 40 that has a Rockwell
hardness less than the material use for the cover or flange, the softer
friction
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member 40 will deform under expansion pressure causing the friction member 40
to "flow" into some of the recesses of the scoring marks and scratches, which
deformation will also resist pull-out forces imposed by the manway cover.
[0027] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the expandable
friction
member has an outer surface with one or more surface characteristics selected
from a surface that is roughened, knurled, grooved, ridged, threaded, and the
like.
In embodiments wherein the expandable friction member has an outer surface
with a threaded characteristic, the threaded characteristic may be one or more
threads helically disposed about the expandable friction member. In these
embodiments, the one or more threads may each have a thread height, a thread
width, and a thread pitch. The width of the one or more threads and the height
of
the one or more threads forms a ratio.
[0028] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the
expandable
friction member has a lateral flange that may be used with manway covers
incorporating a gasket. The gap between the cover and the flange caused by the
gasket provides a configuration where the friction member flange can be
expanded into the gap further preventing any pull-out of the pull-up bolt
assembly.
[0029] In another embodiment of the present invention, there is a
combination
hinge device and a plurality of pull-up bolt assemblies for manway covers.
[0030] In another embodiment of the present invention, there is a method
of
using one embodiment of a pull-up bolt assembly for connecting a manway cover
hinge device to a manway cover. The method includes removing a securing bolt
from a manway cover and exposing a bolt opening in the manway cover, aligning
an opening in a hinge plate of a manway hinge device with the bolt opening in
the
manway cover, inserting a pull-up bolt assembly having a pull-up bolt with a
threaded rod and a tapered surface on a first end, a radially expandable
friction
member disposed over the threaded rod and a nut member threadably connected
to the threaded rod adjacent a second end of the pull-up bolt into the opening
in
the hinge plate and the bolt opening in the manway cover whereby the
expandable friction member is positioned within the bolt opening in the manway
cover, and tightening the nut member toward the tapered surface on the first
end
of the pull-up bolt causing the expandable friction member to expand radially
and
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
securely fix the pull-up bolt within the bolt opening of the manway cover and
the
hinge plate to the manway cover.
[0031] In another embodiment, there is provided in combination, a manway
cover and a manway flange wherein each of the manway cover and the manway
flange has one or more bolt openings and a pull-up bolt assembly to be used
for
supporting a hinge component to the manway cover, the manway hinge, or both,
wherein the bolt assembly has a pull-up bolt member, a nut component, a
tapered
member, and an expandable friction member, the combination comprising: one or
more threads helically disposed on an outside surface of the expandable
friction
member, the one or more threads each having a predefined height, a predefined
width, and a predefined pitch; and one or more of the bolt opening has an
inside
surface having internal threads for mating with a corresponding one or more
threads of the expandable friction member whereby, when the pull-up bolt
assembly is engaged within the one or more bolt opening, the one or more
threads of the expandable friction member mates with the one or more internal
threads of the inside surface of the one or more bolt opening and securely
fixes
the one or more threads of the friction member with the mating internal
threads of
the inside surface of the bolt opening.
[0032] In another embodiment, there is provided a method of using an
improved pull-up bolt assembly for connecting a hinge device to a manway
cover,
a manway flange, or both which includes removing a securing bolt from a manway
cover and exposing a bolt opening in the manway cover and the manway flange
wherein the bolt opening in the manway cover, the bolt opening in the manway
flange, or both have internal threads, aligning an opening in a hinge plate of
a
hinge device with the bolt opening in the manway cover or a bolt opening in
the
manway flange, the bolt assembly having a pull-up bolt member, a nut
component, a tapered member, and an expandable friction member, the method
comprising: inserting a pull-up bolt assembly having one or more threads
helically
disposed on an outside surface of the expandable friction member where the one
or more threads has a predefined height, a predefined width, and a predefined
pitch whereby the expansion friction member is positioned within the bolt
opening
in the manway cover or the manway flange and the one or more threads of the
expandable friction member aligns with internal threads of the bolt opening;
and
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engaging the pull-up bolt causing the expansion friction member with the one
or
more threads to expand and securely fix the one or more threads of the pull-up
bolt within the internal threads of the bolt opening of the manway cover or
the
manway flange to thereby secure the hinge plate to the manway cover or the
manway flange.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present
invention showing the pull-up bolt assembly.
[0034] FIGURE 2 is a side plan view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1.
[0035] FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a pull-up
bolt
member used in the pull-up bolt assembly shown in Fig. 1.
[0036] FIGURE 4 is a side plan view of the pull-up bolt member shown in
Fig.
3.
[0037] FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of the pull-up bolt member shown
in
Fig. 3.
[0038] FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a radially
expandable friction member shown in Fig. 1.
[0039] FIGURE 7 is a side plan view of the expandable friction member
shown
in Fig. 6.
[0040] FIGURE 8 is a first end view of the expandable friction member
shown
in Fig. 6.
[0041] FIGURE 9 is a second end view of the expandable friction member
shown in Fig. 6.
[0042] FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a tapered
member used in the pull-up bolt assembly shown in Fig.1.
[0043] FIGURE 11 is an end view of the embodiment of the tapered member
shown in Fig. 9.
[0044] FIGURE 12 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a friction
member retainer ring, a washer and a pull-up bolt nut component of the
embodiment shown in Fig. 1.
[0045] FIGURE 13 is a side plan view of another embodiment of the
present
invention showing an integral tapered member and pull-up bolt nut component.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
[0046] FIGURE 14 is an end view of integral tapered member and nut
component shown in Fig. 13.
[0047] FIGURE 15 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the
expandable friction member of the present invention.
[0048] FIGURE 16 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the
expandable friction member of the present invention.
[0049] FIGURE 17 is a side plan view of another embodiment of the
present
invention showing an expandable friction member with a flange.
[0050] FIGURE 18 is an enlarged side plan view of the expandable
friction
member shown in Fig. 17.
[0051] FIGURE 19 is an enlarged perspective view of the expandable
friction
member shown in Fig. 17.
[0052] FIGURE 20 is a partial, cross-sectional view of the expandable
friction
member showing insertion into a bolt hole before expansion and after
expansion.
[0053] FIGURE 21 is a side, partial cross-sectional view of a pull-up
bolt
assembly using the embodiment of the integral tapered member and pull-up bolt
nut shown in Fig. 12.
[0054] FIGURE 22 is a perspective view of the present invention in use
securing a hinge device to a manway cover.
[0055] FIGURE 23 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the
present
invention showing the pull-up bolt assembly with an expandable friction member
having threads thereon.
[0056] FIGURE 24 is a side plan view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 23.
[0057] FIGURE 25 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a radially
expandable friction member shown in Fig. 23.
[0058] FIGURE 26 is a side plan view of the expandable friction member
shown in Fig. 25.
[0059] FIGURE 27 is a side plan view of an embodiment of the expandable
friction member having a helically disposed thread with small thread pitch.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0060] The preferred embodiment(s) of the present invention is
illustrated in
Figs. 1-27. Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention
showing
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
a pull-up bolt assembly 10. Pull-up bolt assembly 10 includes a pull-up bolt
member 20, a radially expandable friction member 40, a tapered member 60, and
a nut component 80. In this embodiment, a retaining ring 100 is disposed
around
the friction member 40 and an optional anti-rotation member 110 laterally
extends
from pull-up bolt member 20 and cooperates with expandable friction member 40.
Pull-up bolt assembly 10 has a blind end 12 and a torque-applying end 14.
[0061] Turning to Figure 2, there is shown a side view of pull-up bolt
assembly
illustrated in Fig. 1. Optional anti-rotation member 110 is configured to
prevent
the expandable friction member 40 from rotating around pull-up bolt member 20.
An optional washer 82 may also be positioned between nut component 80 and
tapered member 60. Because blind end 12 of pull-up bolt assembly 10 is
typically
unaccessible during use for removing manway covers, pull-up bolt assembly 10
optionally includes an anti-rotation structure 30 (not shown) formed in or at
torque-
applying end 14 to prevent the pull-up bolt member from rotating when a torque
is
applied to nut component 80 during installation of the pull-up bolt assembly
10 into
a manway cover.
[0062] Figures 3 to 5 illustrate one embodiment of pull-up bolt member
20.
Pull-up bolt member 20 includes a threaded shaft 22 with a first shaft end 24
and
a second shaft end 28. First shaft end 24 includes an abutting member 25 with
a
tapered surface 26. Abutting member 25 is wider than threaded shaft 22 and
tapered surface 26 tapers toward threaded shaft 22. Tapered surface 26
presents
an inclined surface for receiving an end of expandable friction member 40. In
this
embodiment, anti-rotation structure 30 at second shaft end 28 includes a shaft
end face 29 and a slot 31 within shaft end face 29 for receiving a straight
end
screwdriver. Also in this illustrated embodiment, anti-rotation member 110 is
a pin
that extends laterally from pull-up bolt member 20 to engage expandable
friction
member 40. Anti-rotation member 110 eliminates relative motion between
friction
member 40 and tapered member 60, reducing friction during the tightening
process and prevents galling and wear of the components. If abutting member 25
and threaded shaft 22 are manufactured as two components, anti-rotation
member 110 can be used as the pin joining the two components. Abutting
member 25, tapered surface 26 and threaded shaft 22 may be manufactured as a
single component or may be made as two components. When manufactured as
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
two components, a threaded bore is formed in abutting member 25 and tapered
surface 26. In this case, threaded shaft 22 is treated with an anti-loosening
agent
such as lock-tite, screwed into abutting member 25, and pinned where the pin
is
anti-rotation member 110. Anti-rotation member 110 may be coupled to abutting
member 25 or it may be integrally formed with abutting member 25. It should be
understood that anti-rotation member 110 may also be coupled to threaded shaft
22 with expandable friction member 40 being modified to engage with anti-
rotation
member 110.
[0063] Turning now to Figures 6 to 9, there is illustrated one
embodiment of
expandable friction member 40. Expandable friction member 40 is cylindrically-
shaped and has a first and second friction member ends 46, 47. Optionally one
or
both friction member ends 46, 47 may have an inclined inner wall portion 42,
42',
respectively, having a diameter that gradually decreases between each of the
friction member ends 46, 47 to an inner portion 43. In this embodiment,
expandable friction member 40 is made up of a plurality of longitudinal member
body segments. The plurality of member body segments includes four friction
member side portions 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d. Each side portion forms one-
quarter of the cylinder wall of radially expandable friction member 40. The
plurality of segments of friction member 40 are kept together with retaining
ring
100, which surrounds substantially all of friction member 40 and is disposed
in a
friction member groove 48 in an outer surface 45 of friction member 40. It
should
be understood that the plurality of segments may be 2, 3, 4, or more and that
the
four segmented friction member 40 is not limiting. It is also noted that the
spacing
between each friction member side portion is for clarity purposes only since
retaining ring 100 would hold friction side portions 40a-d together yet allow
friction
member 40 to radially expand during use without excessive resistive forces.
The
retaining ring 100 is made for either spring steel or oil resistant 0-ring
material.
Optionally, adjacent corners of friction member side portions 40a and 40b may
be
removed forming an angled surface 50, which, when friction member 40 is
assembled, forms an anti-rotation member receiving notch 51. Outer surface 45
of friction member 40 may optionally have a non-smooth finish such as a
surface
that is roughened, knurled, grooved, ridged, threaded, and the like, to
provide
better frictional properties when installed in a manway cover bolt opening.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
[0064] Turning now to Figures 10 and 11, there is illustrated one
embodiment
of a tapered member 60. Tapered member 60 has a tapered end portion 62 and a
flange 66 that functions as an end stop that contacts a manway hinge device
when pull-up bolt assembly 10 is inserted into the aligned openings of a
manway
cover bolt opening and a manway hinge device opening. In this embodiment,
tapered member 60 has an alignment surface 64 adjacent flange 66 sized for a
close-tolerance fit to the opening in the manway hinge device and a structure
support surface 70 between alignment surface 64 and tapered end portion 62.
Tapered end portion 62 engages friction member end 47 of friction member 40.
Structure support surface 70 is sized for a close-tolerance fit with the
manway
cover bolt opening to provide a shear surface upon which the edge of the bolt
opening is in contact. Structure support surface 70 may be cylindrical or have
a
taper. For the cylindrically-shaped embodiment, structure support surface 70
has
a diameter smaller than the diameter of alignment surface 64 but within very
close
tolerance to the bolt opening. The close tolerance typically does not differ
more
than about minus twenty-thousandths of an inch (-0.020") (-0.5 mm) from the
diameter of the bolt opening. For the tapered embodiment, surface 70 is a
tapered surface which begins at alignment surface 64 and reduces in diameter
as
it approaches tapered end portion 62. The angle of the taper is smaller than
angle
of the taper on tapered end portion 62. The taper angle of structure support
surface 70 is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 100. The preferred
taper
angle is about 1 . In both structure support surface embodiments, structure
support surface 70 begins within the hinge device 1 and extends into the cover
2
or flange 3 to provide a shear surface limiting any sliding between the cover
2 and
the hinge device 1. For example, when tapered member 60 is configured like the
embodiment shown in Fig. 10, structure support surface 70 would have
approximately 0.015" radial clearance between surface 70 and the inside
diameter
of the bolt opening in the cover/flange). Specifically for safety reasons, the
close-
tolerance fit is important for providing the necessary reliability required
for holding
and supporting the manway cover with the pull-up bolt assembly 10. Tapered
member 60 also includes a bore 68 through its entire length that is sized to
allow
passage of threaded shaft 22 therethrough. The diameter of structure support
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
surface 70 is the same or less than the diameter of expandable friction member
40.
[0065] Figure 12 illustrates one embodiment of retaining ring 100,
washer 82
and nut component 80. The shapes of these components are merely illustrative
and can be modified so long as their functional characteristics are not
compromised. Particularly, retaining ring 100 is a split ring and may have a
cross-
sectional shape that is circular (as shown), oval, rectangular, square,
hexagonal,
and the like.
[0066] Turning now to Figures 13 and 14, there is illustrated another
embodiment of the tapered member and nut component. In this embodiment, a
tapered member 160 is integrally formed with a nut component 180 creating a
bushing nut component 190. Tapered member 160 has a tapered end portion 162
and a flange 166 that functions as an end stop which contacts a manway hinge
device when pull-up bolt assembly 10 is inserted into the aligned openings of
a
manway cover bolt opening and a manway hinge device opening. It is also
contemplated that flange 166 may be a separate washer. In this embodiment,
tapered member 160 has an alignment surface 164 adjacent flange 166 sized for
a close-tolerance fit to the opening in the manway hinge device and a
structure
support surface 170 between alignment surface 164 and tapered end portion 162.
Tapered end portion 162 engages friction member end 47 of friction member 40.
Structure support surface 170 in this embodiment is an inclined surface that
has
less of an incline angle than tapered end 162. Structure support surface 170
is
sized for a close-tolerance fit with the manway cover bolt opening so that
support
surface 170 engages the manway cover bolt opening when all of the cover bolts
are removed, which causes the cover to "sag" onto support surface 170 if and
when the cover slips. Tapered member 160 also includes a bore 168 through its
entire length that is sized to allow passage of threaded shaft 22
therethrough.
Bore 168, however, may be completely threaded or may be a shaft through
tapered member 160 with a diameter that is larger than the outer thread
diameter
of threaded shaft 22. In the latter case, it is contemplated that nut
component 180
has internal threads for threadably attaching bushing nut component 190. The
largest diameter of structure support surface 170 is the same or less than the
diameter of expandable friction member 40. The bushing nut component 190 has
14
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
a hex internal recess or external shape or other structure such as slots or
flats on
one end for wrenching.
[0067] Figure 15 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a
radially
expandable friction member 40'. Expandable friction member 40' includes a
plurality of slots 53 that are formed into a cylindrical wall 52 of friction
member 40'.
Slots 53 extend longitudinally from each friction member end 46, 47 toward a
central friction member portion 54. Slots 53 that extend from opposite ends
46, 47
of friction member 40' may be aligned or offset. Central friction member
portion
54 maintains expandable friction member 40' as a unitary component that allows
end portions 56, 57 to expand radially. Although not shown, friction member
ends
46, 47 may optionally (but preferably) include inclined inner surfaces similar
to the
inclined inner surfaces 42 shown if Fig. 6.
[0068] Figure 16 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a
radially
expandable friction member 40". Expandable friction member 40" includes a
plurality of slots 53 that are formed into a cylindrical wall 52 of friction
member 40".
Slots 53 extend longitudinally from each friction member end 46, 47 a
predefined
distance along the longitudinal length of friction member 40" and ending
adjacent
the opposite friction member end leaving a friction member connective portion
58
sufficient to maintain a expandable friction member 40" as a unitary
component.
As seen from Fig. 15, adjacent slots 53 are and must necessarily be offset
from
each other. This configuration allows the end portions 56, 57 to expand
radially
outward. All embodiments of the radially expandable friction member are made
of
a material that is ductile and has a Rockwell B hardness scale value of 300 or
more. The currently preferred material is metallic.
[0069] Turning now to Figures 17 to 20, there is illustrated pull-up
bolt
assembly 10 showing another embodiment of expandable friction member 40. In
this embodiment, expandable friction member 40 includes a friction member
flange 49 that extends laterally from outside surface 45 at friction member
end 46.
This embodiment may be used with manway covers that incorporate a gasket
between the cover and the mating flange. The gasket is not always a full-faced
gasket covering the entire opposing surfaces of the cover 2 and mating flange
3.
There is typically a gap between the mating flange 3 and the cover 2 where the
gasket is located. This is more clearly shown in Fig. 20. Fig. 20 is a partial
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
illustration of the flange 49 and pull-up bolt member 20. The spacing between
cover 2 and flange 3 is exaggerated in order to more clearly show the position
of
the gasket. At a top bolt opening 5, pull-up bolt assembly 10 is shown within
bolt
opening 5 in a non-expanded condition. In this configuration, friction member
flange 49 can slide through bolt opening 5. At a bottom bolt opening 5, pull-
up
bolt assembly 10 is shown within bolt opening 5 in an expanded condition. As
can
be seen, friction member flange 49 is positioned beyond the inside edge of
bolt
opening 5 and forced into the gap causing friction member flange 49 to expand
to
a diameter larger than bolt opening 5. Friction member flange 49 further
prevents
pull-up bolt assembly 10 from being pulled out of bolt opening 5, providing
greater
resistance to the pull-out forces imposed by cover 2.
[0070] Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view of a pull-bolt assembly 10'
of the
present invention. In this embodiment, the bushing nut component 190 is
threadably connected to threaded shaft 22 of pull-up bolt member 20.
[0071] The assembled expandable pull-up bolt assembly 10 is designed to
create a friction fit between the expandable friction member 40 and the inside
diameter of the bolt openings in the cover or flange of a manway opening. In
the
preferred embodiment, the inboard faces of abutting member 25 (i.e. tapered
surface 26) and of tapered member 60 (i.e. tapered portion 62) are tapered or
inclined, as are the outboard faces of friction member ends 46, 47 (i.e. inner
surfaces 42). Acceptable tapers may be between zero (0) degrees and ninety
(90) degrees with the optimal taper being thirty degrees.
[0072] In use, as the nut component 80 is tightened onto threaded shaft
22, the
tapered member 60 moves toward the abutting member 25. The radially
expandable friction member 40 rides up on the tapered faces of tapered surface
26 and tapered portion 62 forcing the expandable friction member 40 radially
outward. The assembled expandable pull-up bolt assembly 10 is designed to
create a friction fit between the expandable friction member 40 and the inside
diameter of the bolt openings in the cover and/or flange.
[0073] The pull-up bolt assembly 10 is designed to resist shear and
pullout
forces when the cover of a manway opening is in the closed, open, and
partially
open positions. When the cover is closed, the plurality of fasteners (i.e.
pull-up
bolt assembly 10) on both the cover and flange sides are largely in shear. In
this
16
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
case, the applied load is equal to the weight of the cover acting through a
moment
arm approximately equal to half of the cover diameter. If the cover is domed,
then
there is small pullout force caused by the weight of the projection acting
through a
moment arm equal to the center of gravity of the projection. When the cover is
open, the forces on the cover-side fasteners remain largely unchanged from the
closed position. On the flange side, the forces are largely in line with the
fasteners imposing a pullout force on the lower fastener equal to the weight
of the
cover acting through a moment arm approximately equal to half of the cover
diameter. In partially open positions, the forces vary between the full open
and full
closed positions. Figure 22 illustrates use of one embodiment of the pull-up
bolt
assembly 10 of the present invention connecting a manway hinge device 1 to a
manway cover 2 and showing both the closed and open positions of the manway
cover 2.
[0074] Turning now to Figure 23, there is illustrated another embodiment
of the
present invention showing pull-up bolt assembly 10. Pull-up bolt assembly 10
includes a pull-up bolt member 20, a radially expandable friction member 40, a
tapered member 60, and a nut component 80. Expandable friction member 40
may have one or more threads 150 about its outer circumference. Like the
embodiment shown in Fig. 1, in this embodiment, a retaining ring 100 is
disposed
around the friction member 40 and an optional anti-rotation member 110
laterally
extends from pull-up bolt member 20 and cooperates with expandable friction
member 40. Pull-up bolt assembly 10 has a blind end 12 and a torque-applying
end 14. Threads 150 serve to provide to expandable friction member 40
additional gripping functionality when in the structure to which it is
installed. It is
contemplated that threads 150 are structured to match and mate with threads
disposed in the manway cover bolt openings or the manway flange bolt openings
or a threaded opening added to either or both of the manway cover and manway
flange for securing the hinge device 1. Threads 150 may be flat, or have sharp
or
rounded edges. The profile of the threads may resemble a sawtooth wave,
slanting away from angled surface 50. Other thread arrangements are also
contemplated.
[0075] Threads 150 may have a helical angle 152. Helical angle 152 is
the
angle 8 between a tangent line to the thread and a line perpendicular to the
helical
17
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
axis. Helical angle 152 can range between 00 and 90 . Preferably, helical
angle
152 matches known and commonly used threads for the size and weight of
manway covers. If helical angle 152 is large (i.e. the thread pitch is
relatively
larger than standard threads for bolts of similar size, there may be a reduced
number of thread revolutions. Too little thread revolutions may cause the one
or
more threads to have a reduced gripping effect. A very small helical angle or
pitch
may result in thread revolutions being too tightly spaced together. Too many
tightly spaced threads may cause undue deformation or erosion of the structure
to
which the pull-up bolt is applied or to the pull-up bolt, also resulting in a
reduced
gripping effect.
[0076] In other embodiments, helical angle 152 may vary over the length
of
expandable friction member 40. Utilizing a helical thread or series of helical
threads with a helical angle that varies over the length of expandable
friction
member 40 may prevent rotation.
[0077] Each thread 150 may have a thread pitch 154. As is known in the
art,
thread pitch 154 is the distance over which a portion of the thread covers the
expandable friction member. As seen in Figure 27 compared to Figure 24, thread
150 may have relatively small thread pitch. Thread width can have any length
no
more than substantially the length expandable friction member 40. If thread
pitch
154 is too large, there may result in a reduced number of thread revolutions.
[0078] Threads 150 may also have a non-standard thread height. Thread
height or depth is the distance the thread extends away from the expandable
friction member. Thread height or depth may have any practical length.
[0079] In embodiments with more than one consecutive thread helically
disposed about expandable friction member 40, each thread 150 may have a
different height and width. Of course, it is understood that in such an
embodiment
the threaded receiving opening would either need to match the predefined
thread
height and width or it would need to be a multiple of an existing thread so
that the
threads on the friction member would align with the threads in the threaded
receiving opening of the manway cover and/or manway flange.
[0080] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been
described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further
modification
of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the
respective arts
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention
as
defined by the appended claims.
19
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-04-09
