Salvage container and salvaging method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9327809-B2
Application number	US-201214005248-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2012
Priority date	Mar 15, 2011
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

Provided are a salvage container and a salvaging method capable of salvaging ammunition dumped into the sea using a simple configuration while more reliably suppressing the leakage of a chemical agent from the ammunition. A salvage container includes: a container body ( 30 ); a lid ( 40 ) that blocks an opening portion of the container body ( 30 ); a gasket ( 70 ) that is formed of a compressively deformable member and that blocks a gap between an inner side surface ( 33 ) of the container body ( 30 ) and the lid ( 40 ) from the outer side in a specific direction; and a gasket presser ( 50 ) that clamps the gasket ( 70 ) between the gasket presser ( 50 ) and the lid ( 40 ). The container body ( 30 ) includes: a lid holder ( 33 b ) that holds the lid ( 40 ) so that the lid ( 40 ) is displaced toward the outer side in the specific direction in relation to the container body ( 30 ); and a gasket presser holder ( 34 b ) that holds the gasket presser ( 50 ) so that the lid ( 40 ) is displaced toward the outer side in the specific direction in relation to the gasket presser ( 50 ) according to a decrease in the hydraulic pressure. The gasket ( 70 ) is compressively deformed by the relative displacement of the lid ( 40 ) so that the gap between the inner side surface ( 33 ) of the container body ( 30 ) and the lid ( 40 ) is hermetically sealed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A salvage container for salvaging ammunition, which has been dumped into water, comprising:
a container body that has a cylindrical shape that is open in an axial direction so that the ammunition is inserted therein and that has an inner side surface surrounding the ammunition inserted therein;
a lid that is disposed in a region surrounded by the inner side surface of the container body so as to block an opening portion of the container body;
a gasket that is disposed in the region surrounded by the inner side surface of the container body so as to block a gap between the inner side surface of the container body and the lid from an outer side of the lid in the axial direction; and
a gasket presser that is disposed at the outer side of the lid in the axial direction so as to clamp the gasket between the lid and the gasket presser, wherein:
the container body includes a lid holder that holds the lid and a gasket presser holder that holds the gasket presser,
the lid holder holds the lid so that the lid is not displaced toward a closed end of the container body in the axial direction in relation to the container body and is displaced toward an open end of the container body in the axial direction,
the gasket presser holder holds the gasket presser so that, when the lid is displaced toward the open end of the container body in the axial direction in relation to the container body according to a decrease in hydraulic pressure, the amount of relative displacement at the open end of the container body in the axial direction in relation to the container body is smaller than the amount of relative displacement at the open end of the container body in the axial direction in relation to the container body whereby the lid is displaced toward the open end of the container body in the axial direction in relation to the gasket presser, and
the gasket is configured to be compressively deformed between the lid and the gasket presser when the lid is displaced toward the open end of the container body in the axial direction in relation to the gasket presser, and hermetically seals the gap between the inner side surface of the container body and the lid by making close contact with the inner side surface of the container body and the lid according to the compressive deformation.

2. The salvage container according to claim 1 , wherein
the lid has a bottom portion and a top portion formed at the open end of the container body in the axial direction,
the bottom portion has an outer side surface that extends in the axial direction so as to face the inner side surface of the container body over an entire circumference of the inner side surface and an inclined surface that extends inwardly from the outer side surface of the bottom portion,
the top portion has an outer side surface that extends from the inclined surface of the bottom portion to the open end of the container body in the axial direction so as to face the inner side surface of the container body over an entire circumference of the inner side surface at a position shifted from the inner side surface of the container body to an inside of the container body more than the outer side surface of the bottom portion,
the gasket has such a shape that the gasket is inserted between the inner side surface of the container body and the outer side surface of the top portion over the entire circumference of the inner side surface and the outer side surface,
the gasket presser has a pressing portion that extends in the axial direction, at least an end portion at the closed end of the container body in the axial direction being inserted between the inner side surface of the container body and the outer side surface of the top portion over the entire circumference of the inner side surface from the open end of the container body in the axial direction, and
the pressing portion is configured to compressively deform the gasket between the inclined surface of the bottom portion and the pressing portion so that the gasket makes close contact with the outer side surface of the top portion and the inner side surface of the container body.

3. The salvage container according to claim 2 , wherein
the container body has an outer side surface on which the gasket presser holder is formed,
the gasket presser includes a plurality of locked portions that are connected to the pressing portion and extend approximately in parallel to the pressing portion,
each of the locked portions includes a locked projection that protrudes toward the outer side surface of the container body,
the gasket presser holder protrudes from the outer side surface of the container body and the gasket presser holder makes contact with the locked projections, and
the locked portions are configured to rotate between a contacting position where the gasket presser holder makes contact with the locked projections and a non-contacting position where the gasket presser holder does not make contact with the locked projections.

4. The salvage container according to claim 3 , wherein
the gasket presser includes a plurality of connecting portions that extend in a radial direction of the container body and are connected to the pressing portion so as to be rotatable in the axial direction,
the locked portions are connected to end portions of the connecting portions,
the salvage container further includes a pressing member that makes contact with the end portions of the connecting portions at the inside of the container body from the open end of the container body in the axial direction so as to restrict the end portions of the connecting portions at the inside of the container body from being displaced toward the open end of the container body in the axial direction in relation to the lid and press the end portions of the connecting portions at the inside of the container body toward the closed end of the container body in the axial direction, and
the pressing member presses the end portions of the connecting portions at the inside of the container body in a state where the locked projections are at positions shifted from the gasket presser holder toward the closed end of the container body in the axial direction to thereby rotate the connecting portions about a connection portion between each connecting portion and the pressing portion up to a position where the locked projections make contact with the gasket presser holder from the closed end of the container body in the axial direction, and the pressing member further presses the end portions of the connecting portions at the inside of the container body toward the closed end of the container body in the axial direction in a state where the locked projections are in contact with the gasket presser holder to thereby rotate the connecting portions about a connection portion between each connecting portion and each locked portion up to a position where the pressing portion compressively deforms the gasket between the inclined surface of the bottom portion of the lid and the pressing portion.

5. The salvage container according to claim 4 , wherein
the lid includes a fixing member in which a screw portion protruding toward the open end of the container body in the axial direction from approximately the center of the top portion so as to extend in the axial direction is formed in at least a portion thereof, and
the pressing member includes a screwing portion that screws with the screw portion of the fixing member and advances in an axial direction of the screw portion.

6. The salvage container according to claim 5 , wherein
the pressing member includes a grasping portion that has an outer shape larger than the screwing portion and that an operator grasps in order to rotate the screwing portion.

7. The salvage conta

Assignees

• Shinkai Atsushi
• Asahina Kiyoshi
• Tamai Kenji
• Kobe Steel Ltd

Inventors

• Shinkai Atsushi
• Asahina Kiyoshi
• Tamai Kenji

Classifications

• B63B27/36

  Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment} for floating cargo {(deployment or recovery of underwater vehicles using lifts of hoists B63B27/16) · CPC title

• B63C7/00

  Salvaging of disabled, stranded, or sunken vessels; Salvaging of vessel parts or furnishings, e.g. of safes; Salvaging of other underwater objects (means for searching for underwater objects B63C11/48) · CPC title

• F16J13/04

  attached with a bridge member · CPC title

• B63C11/52 Primary

  Tools specially adapted for working underwater, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• F16J13/10

  attached by means of a divided ring · CPC title