Sealing bolt and sealing system

• US 10,468,147 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2014
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
• Original Assignee: The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
• Inventors: Sironi, Marco, Littmann, Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Lugo, Carlos
• Application Number:
  US14/913,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20160217877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 292307 R
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 55/028 initial opening or unauthorised access being indicated by the presence or absence of an audible or electrical signal
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 5/12 Closures for containers; Sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 5/125 Means to monitor or detect the leak-tightness of the closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/48 Seals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/509 Encasing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/534 Seal-rupturing devices

Abstract

A sealing bolt and a related system for sealing a container lid to a container body includes a seal stud mounted to the container body, a seal head connecting the container lid, and a pin connecting the seal head to the seal stud, where the container lid is connected to the container body by connecting the seal head to the seal stud, and a rupture cable is fed through a transverse passage in the pin and arranged such that any rotational or translational movement of the pin with respect to the seal head and/or the seal stud causes the rupture cable to break.

Claims

1. Sealing bolt for sealing a container lid to a container body, said sealing bolt comprising:

a seal head mounted to said container lid;

a seal stud mounted to said container body;

a pin configured to pass through the seal head and the seal stud, said pin comprising a header plate at one end coupled to said seal head, and an opposed end attached to a clamping means secured on the seal stud, so that the pin is configured to connect said seal head to said seal stud; and

a cable arranged through a transverse passage in said pin,

wherein said cable is a fiber optic, and

wherein said seal head comprises lateral passages aligned with said transverse passage of said pin, arranged so as to pass said cable through said lateral passages and said transverse passage;

wherein, if the seal head is pulled away from the seal stud, said pin is configured to rupture at a point adjacent the header plate, allowing said seal head to move relative to said pin and away from said seal stud, and misaligning said lateral passages and said transverse passage, allowing the rupture of said cable and providing indication of tampering.

2. Sealing bolt according to claim 1, wherein said pin comprises an area of reduced thickness thereby providing a weak point causing said pin to fail if a predetermined tensile stress or a predetermined sheer stress of said pin in said area of reduced thickness is reached.

3. Sealing bolt according to claim 1, wherein said pin comprises a cone-shaped end portion, said cone-shaped end portion engaging said clamping element of said seal stud.

4. Sealing bolt according to claim 1, further comprising an identification means, said identification means comprising one or more of the following:

ultrasonic identification means;

RFID-tag.

5. Sealing bolt according to claim 1, wherein said cable has two ends with at least one fiber optic connector arranged at one end.

6. Sealing system for sealing a container lid to a container body, said sealing system comprising:

a plurality of sealing bolts according to claim 1;

a connection cable arranged between said sealing bolts, wherein said connection cable is a fiber optic;

a fiber optic reader arranged and designed to detect the rupture of said cable and/or said connection cable.

7. Sealing system according to claim 6, wherein said connection cable and said cable are integrally formed so as to form a single fiber optic.

8. Sealing system according to claim 6, wherein said connection cable is optically connected to said cable by an optic fiber connector.

9. Sealing system according to claim 6, further comprising communication means associated with said fiber optic reader, said communication means being arranged and designed for transmitting status information of said cable or connection cable from said fiber optic reader to a remote location.

10. Sealing system according to claim 6, said further communication means comprising encryption means for encrypting said status information.