Adjustable door arrangement for a vacuum chamber

摘要

Disclosed is a door and hinge frame arrangement for external-pressure vessels or vacuum chambers which has a five-way adjustment capability to assure that the door properly seals over the chamber entrance without the necessity for the application of large forces. A chamber door (which may be either circular or square) is pivotally mounted in a vertical position between ends of horizontal arms of a "C" shaped frame assembly. The "C" shaped frame comprises a vertical hinge member which is pivotally mounted at the bottom and top ends thereof, and the two horizontal arms extend from opposite ends of the straight member. Thrust bearings are provided to support the weight of the door and frame at the lower pivot of the vertical member. The vertical position of the door and frame can be adjusted by varying the thickness of the thrust bearings at this point. Similarly, the vertical position of the door with respect to the frame can be varied by varying the width of thrust bearings at the lower pivot point where the door is mounted to the lower arm. Further, the horizontal position of the lower pivot point with respect to the lower arm can be varied by loosening bolts holding a slotted fitting and moving the fitting and pivot point linearly with respect to the arm. The horizontal position of the upper pivot point with respect to the upper arm can similarly be varied by loosening bolts in a slotted bearing block and moving the bearing block back and forth with respect to the arm. Finally, the upper arm comprises a first portion mounted to the pivotably mounted straight member and a second portion which is pivotably mounted to the free end of the first portion intermediate the ends of the second portion. A spring biased bolt arrangement is provided to allow the second portion to be adjustably pivoted with respect to the first portion so that the vertical alignment of the upper pivot point with respect to the lower pivot point can be adjusted thus changing the vertical plane of the door to conform to the plane of the face of the entrance of the vacuum chamber.