Peter A Schneider

US Patent:

48724718, Oct 10, 1989

Filed:

Sep 21, 1988

Appl. No.:

7/247205

Inventors:

Peter J. Schneider - Thousand Oaks CA

International Classification:

F16L 2900

US Classification:

137 681

Abstract:

A breakaway coupler is fabricated as a cylinder with a flow through bore for interconnecting the end of a fluid line to a tank. A frangible groove is radially cut into the exterior wall of the cylinder midway between the ends. A plastic seal tube having a diameter less than the bore of the cylinder but longer than the cylinder is slideably positioned in the bore. There is a ring at one end of the seal tube and larger than the bore for maintaining the tube stationary within the cylinder. The other end of the seal tube extends from the other end of the cylinder and has flow through ports for allowing fluid flow through the coupler. This port end is also capped off. The frangible groove can fracture, causing the coupler to break into two sections and separate from one another. During the separation process, the section with the ring projection will pull away with the seal tube attached to it. This pulling away causes the capped end of the seal tube to enter the bore at the other end of the coupler and seal off the axial bore and prevent fluid leakage from the tank.