Flanged transition joint for dissimilar metals

Claim 1

A TRANSITION JOINT FOR CONNECTING COMPONENTS OF DISSIMILAR METALS IN SYSTEMS FOR HANDLING OF FLUIDS AT LOW AND ULTRA-LOW TEMPERATURES COMPRISING TWO AXXIALLY ALIGNED TUBULAR ELEMENTS, EACH HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING TUBULAR PORTION PROVIDED AT ONE END WITH A FLANGE PORTION EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARD THEREFROM SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE COMMON AXIS OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENTS, SAID FLANGE PORTIONS BEING POSITIONED IN FACE-TO-FACE RELATION, ONE OF SAID TUBULAR PORTIONS BEING COMPRISED OF A METAL DISSIMILAR FROM THE OTHER SAID TUBULAR PORTION AND SAID DISSIMILAR METALS OF SAID TUBULAR PORTIONS CORRESPONDING RESPECTIVELY TO THE DISSIMILAR METALS OF TWO SYSTEM COMPONENTS WHICH IT IS DESIRED TO INTERCONNECT, AN ANNULAR COMPOSITE BIMETAL PLATE COMPRISING TWO PARALLEL EXTENDING LAYERS RESPECTIVELY OF DISSIMILAR METALS CORRESPONDING RESPECTIVELY TO THOSE OF SAID TWO TUBULAR PORTIONS, AND LAYERS BEING JOINED TOGETHER BY A MECHANICAL-METALLURGICAL SOLID PHASE BOND TO PROVIDE A HIGH DEGREE OF MECHANICAL STRENGTH AND SOUNDNESS AND A HIGH INTEGRITY OF LEAK-TIGHTNESS AGAINST THE PASSAGE OF FLUIDS BETWEEN SAID LAYERS, AND ANNULAR PLATE BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN THE OPPOSED FACES OF SAID FLANGE PORTIONS, SAID ANNULAR PLATE HAVING AN INSIDE DIAMETER CORRESPONDING TO THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENTS AND DISPOSED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE BORES OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENTS SO AS TO INSURE A SMOOTH FLOW PASSAGE THROUGH THE TRANSITION JOINT, CLAMPING MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID FLANGE PORTIONS OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENTS TO CLAMP SAID ANNULAR PLATE BETWEEN THE OPPOSED FACES OF SAID FLANGE PORTIONS, AND A PAIR OF CONTINUOUS SEAL WELDS BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE LAYERS OF SAID ANNULAR PLATE AND THE RESPECTIVE CORRESPONDING DISSIMILAR METAL TUBULAR PORTIONS, EACH OF SAID SEAL WELDS RESPECTIVELY EXTENDING AROUND THE ENTIRE ENNER PERIPHERY OF EACH OF SAID TUBULAR PORTIONS BETWEEN IT AND THE ADJACENT CORRESPONDING METAL LAYER OF SAID ANNULAR PLATE, SAID SEAL WELDS BEING SO CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED AS TO ELIMINATE ANY CREVICES AT THE JUNCTIONS BETWEEN SAID TUBULAR PORTIONS AND SAID ANNULAR PLATE, THE JUNCTION BETWEEN THE INNER EDGES OF SAID LAYERS OF SAID ANNULAR PLATE BEING SMOOTH AND LEAK-TIGHT THEREBY PROVIDING A SMOOTH BORE THROUGH THE TRANSITION JOINT SO THAT NO FLUID MAY BECOME ENTRAPPED AT ANY POINT IN THE WALLS OF THE BORE.