Honeywell G.m.b.h.

John A Kelley

William J Eppley

Curtis A Michener

A heat activated vent for releasing an excess internal pressure in a container which pressure is accompanied by an abnormal rise in an internal temperature of the container uses a spring to store sufficient energy to propel a barb or spike to pierce a thin diaphragm. The spring is retained within a hollow vent housing between an end wall of the housing and a movable plate located within the housing and carrying a diaphragm piercing upright barb. A pierceable thin diaphragm is positioned adjacent to the sharp end of the barb and is arranged to provide a leak proof seal across an open end of the housing. The barb carrying plate is normally retained in a position wherein the barb is spaced from the diaphragm by a rigid pin extending between the plate and the housing and having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the housing. In one embodiment of the invention, one end of the pin projects through a hole in the plate and has a radially expanded head which engages the barb carrying plate. The other end of the pin is retained in a hole in the vent housing as a result of a shrink fit in the hole in the housing. The expanded head of the pin may be located on the outside surface of the vent housing while the body of the pin passes through a hole into the vent housing and is retained by a shrink fit in a hole in the plate.

Heat activated vent

The heat activated vent for releasing an excess internal pressure in a container which pressure accompanied by an abnormal rise in an internal temperature of the container uses a spring to store sufficient energy to propel a barb or spike to pierce a thin diaphragm. A pierceable thin diaphragm is positioned adjacent to the sharp end of the barb and is arranged to provide a fluid tight seal across an open end of a hollow vent housing. The spring is in the form of a leaf spring having a diaphragm piercing upright barb at one end thereof while the other end of the leaf spring is supported in a fixed position within the housing. The end of the spring carrying the barb is normally retained in a position wherein the barb is spaced from the diaphragm by a preshaped end of a cantilevered beam of a material having a memory capability. A temperature rise of the container is communicated to the vent housing which, in turn, is effective to produce a temperature rise of the memory material to allow the memory material to return to its original shape. The original shape of the memory material is effective to release the barb carrying end of the leaf spring to allow the spring to propel the diaphragm piercing barb into the diaphragm to produce a hole in the diaphragm for releasing the internal pressure in the container into a fluid escape channel from the vent housing.

Growing community of inventors

Willingboro, NJ, United States of America

John A Kelley