End Connected Filter Cartridges

Threaded nipples for connecting adjacent ends of filter cartridges are well known; however, such connections usually require special gaskets, supports and/or rigid sockets at the ends of the cartridges to prevent leakage at these connections, as well as to provide sufficient strength to withstand the vibrations produced from a pump. Furthermore, such connections are relatively expensive, and often difficult to assemble and disassemble for replacement and/or cleaning.

Generally speaking, the end connected filter cartridges of this invention each comprise a hollow cylindrical radially pleated filter medium, such as of a porous fabric sheet material, which pleats surround a durable plastic perforated tubular core of substantially the same length. Opposite ends of this filter medium and tube are simultaneously embedded and molded into an annular plastic disc with an internally threaded socket around the inside of each end of the perforated tube. This socket has an internal inwardly projecting tapered or bevelled shoulder flange, which bevel may be similar to the angles of the internal threads of the socket.

One of the important features of this invention is the discovery of a plastic for forming these end discs which is sufficiently pliable to seal the ends of the fabric filter media, and yet also sufficiently rigid to provide strong internal threads in its sockets for a more rigid connecting fitting or nipple. This plastic should have a Durometer at five seconds of about 54.+-.4 and a tear strength ASTM D624 of about 440.+-.40 lbs. per square inch, and a tensile strength ASTM D412 of about 3000.+-.300 lbs. per square inch. This plastic, commonly known as a plastisol, comprises an organosol. The mold for forming this plastisol disc at the end of the filter medium is provided with an annular rib as a land to rest the ends of the filter medium pleats or to control the depth or thickness of the plastisol between the end of the filter medium and the end of the disc. This land forms a circular groove about halfway between the central socket of the disc and the periphery of the disc.

In order to connect adjacent cartridges with internally threaded sockets in their opposite axially aligned ends, there are provided externally threaded plastic nipples of a harder plastic material, such as of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Nylon, Delron, etc., which nipple threads into the sockets and has a length of slightly more than twice the depth of the socket to its inner flange or shoulder, so that the ends of the nipple will seal against these shoulder flanges of adjacent cartridge sockets.

There is also provided a plastic cap, made of the same or similar plastic material as the nipple, for the nipple, which cap is internally threaded and has a depth slightly greater than half the length of the nipple, so that when it is threaded on the end of a cartridge projecting nipple to close that end of the cartridge, its rim edge will sealingly press against the plastisol plastic disc directly opposite the end of the perforated tube embedded in that disc. The outer cylindrical surface of the cap may be provided with a plurality of axially extending longitudinal radially outwardly projecting ribs for better manual gripping for assembly and disassembly of the caps.

The open end of the cartridge at the opposite end of one or more cartridges in a series, is threadedly connected either to a male fitting or a female fitting or special adaptor to an outlet or suction source, such as the intake of a pump, which connection also may be employed for supporting that end of the cartridge or cartridges, which cartridges may be supported either vertically in a column or horizontally in a tank, including laying on the bottom of a pool of liquid to be filtered.

Furthermore, since adjacent plastisol disc ends of cartridges in a series are not always abutting each other, there may be provided means for supporting the cartridges between adjacent cartridges as well as by the caps at the ends, particularly when the cartridges are submerged horizontally in a liquid to be filtered.

If the cartridges are used in a pressure vessel, they usually are supported and/or stacked vertically with the outlet of the series sealingly connected to a partition in the vessel such as by the nipple and/or an adaptor, and may be sealed and spaced from said partition by a gasket. The liquid to be filtered is then pumped into the vessel around the cartridges and the filtered liquid is collected on the opposite side of the partition from the cartridges in a chamber connected to an outlet duct. The pressure vessel is provided with a removable cover so that the cartridges may be replaced when needed.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to produce a simple, efficient, effective, non-leaking, rigid, economic, lightweight, and easily assembled and disassembled filter cartridge and its connection.

Another object is to produce a filter cartridge in which the discs sealing the pleated filters at the end of the cartridge also integrally provide internally threaded sockets for nipples to connect these cartridges in series without the requirement of gaskets between them to prevent leakage.

Another object is to produce such a filter cartridge which when connected is sufficiently strong to prevent cracking and leaking due to vibrations in the fluid, particularly from a pump connected to the cartridge, or to the vessel in which the cartridge is located.

The above mentioned and other features, objects and advantages, and a manner of attaining them are described more specifically below by reference to an embodiment of this invention shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pair of cartridges and their connections according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the connection between two cartridges as shown in the center of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged end view of one of the cartridges shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with part of the plastisol end disc broken away;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged side and end views, respectively, of the nipple shown threaded into the ends of the cartridges shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged side and end views, respectively, of the cap shown on the right end of the pair of cartridges shown in FIG. 1, with part of the cap broken away in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of how a pair of cartridges may be connected together in a column for placing in a vessel for filtering a liquid introduced therein, with the front half of the vessel broken away;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a rectangular surge tank or cistern filled with water in which pairs of filter cartridges according to this invention are submerged, horizontally supported, and connected to a common suction duct, with the front wall of the vessel partly broken away;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a series of filter cartridges according to this invention lying on the bottom of a pool of water, one end of which series is connected to the intake of a pump; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a pair of cartridges connected together in a column in a pressurized vessel, with most of the front side of the vessel being broken away.

Referring first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there are shown cylindrical filter cartridges 20, each comprising a central perforated durable plastic tube 22, such as of polyvinyl chloride, around which is wrapped a pleated porous sheet of filter medium 24 forming an annular cylindrical filter medium portion. The opposite ends of these tubes 22 and annular filter medium portions are embedded in a plastisol to form annular end discs 30, which plastisol discs seal the ends of the filter medium 24 with the adjacent ends of the perforated tubes 22 and also form central internally threaded sockets 32 for the connecting nipples 40. These plastisol end discs 30 are sufficiently soft to seal the ends of the fabric filter medium 24 without damaging the same, but also sufficiently rigid to form simultaneously therewith internally threaded sockets 32 with an inner end radially inwardly extending shoulder flange 34 which may have a bevelled inner surface 36, the angle of which bevel may be similar to that of the angle of the threads 33 in said socket 32. In order to gauge the thickness of the discs 30 and insure the complete embedding of the end of the cylindrical fabric filter medium 24 in the plastisol of the discs 30, there is provided in the mold for these discs 30 a circular rib or land to support the ends of the filter medium sufficiently above the bottom of the mold to insure their sufficient thickness. This rib produces the annular groove 38 in each plastisol disc 30 about halfway between the periphery of the socket 32 and outer periphery edge of the disc 30. The depth of the sockets 32 is greater than the thickness of the plastisol embedding the ends of the filter medium 24, and the outside of the sockets 32 are embedded and in contact with the ends of the perforated tubes 22.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, there is disclosed the connecting nipples 40 which may be made of a durable plastic similar to that of the perforated tubes. These nipples may be cut sections from a standard polyvinyl chloride pipe and externally continuously threaded with threads 42 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. These nipples 40 are axially in length slightly greater than twice the depth of the socket 32 so that when they are connected or screwed into adjacent sockets of a pair of axially aligned cartridges, the opposite ends of the nipples will tightly seal against the inner bevelled 36 shoulders 34 of the sockets 32. Thus there may be a slight spacing between adjacent ends of the plastisol discs 30 of the adjacent cartridges 20, and there is no reliable sealing between adjacent annular outer surfaces of the discs 30, which relative large areas would be very difficult to seal in any event. Accordingly, a much better, tighter and insured seal is obtained at the ends of the nipples 40 against the bevelled flanged shoulders 34 formed at the bottom of the sockets 32 of the plastisol ends 30 of each cartridge 20.

Since both ends of each cartridge 20 have open sockets 32, in order to have an effective filter, unless an outlet is connected to each end of the cartridge 20, there is preferably provided a cap 50 for one end, which cap 50 may be placed over the outwardly projecting half of a nipple 40. Such a cap 50 is shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7 and also is preferably made out of a durable plastic such as that of the tube 22 or nipple 40. This cap 50 has a socket portion 52 having internal threads 54 for screwing onto the exposed threads 42 of an outwardly extending nipple 40 at an open end of the cartridge to be closed. The seal of this cap 50 to the cartridge 20, however, is accomplished by providing the depth of the socket portion 52 in the cap deeper than half the length of the nipple 40 so that the threads 54 inside the socket 50 will permit the cap to have its peripheral edge 56 sealingly engage the outer surface of the plastisol disc 30 directly opposite the adjacent end of the perforated tube 22, to make a good seal between this edge 56 and the outer surface of the plastisol 30 adjacent the periphery of the nipple 40.

Furthermore, the outside of the cap 50 may be provided with a plurality, or at least a diametrically opposite pair, of axially extending and outwardly radially projecting ribs 58 to increase the friction of the outside of the cap for easy manual assembly and disassembly thereof.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 through 11, there are shown a plurality of filters according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 connected together in different ways for different uses, although a single cartridge with a nipple 40 and cap 50 also may be used. In FIG. 8 a pair of vertically stacked cartridges are shown in a tank T having a liquid inlet duct I and a bottom outlet duct O, which outlet duct O is connected to the suction or vacuum side of a pump P. Herein a nipple 40 on the lower open end of the pair of filter cartridges 20 is directly screwed into the internally threaded hole in communication with the bottom outlet duct O and may be sealed therein by a gasket G.

In FIG. 9 there are pairs of cartridges 20 supported in a rectangular reservoir or vessel R, such as by angle brackets A for the caps 50 and support brackets B intermediate the pairs of cartridges. These pairs of cartridges may then be connected to a vacuum source S, which also supports those ends of the cartridge pairs. Such a vessel R is often employed as a surge tank for water in circulating water through swimming pools.

In FIG. 10 there is shown a pool of water W, such as a pond or irrigation ditch in which a plurality of the filter cartridges 20 are laid on the bottom thereof. The one open end of this series of these cartridges is connected directly to an input duct D of a motor-driven pump M, thus filtering the water from the pool W before it is used or discharged from the pump M.

Referring to FIG. 11 there is shown a pressure vessel PV mounted on top of a motor pump MP. There are shown in this vessel PV two filter cartridges 20 similar to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the lower one of which is connected by a nipple 40 to the bottom partition L in the pressure vessel PV, which connection may include a gasket G. The pressure outlet 5 from the pump MP is connected into the side of the vessel PV so the liquid to be filtered can circulate around the outside of the two stacked cartridges 20. The nipple on top of the upper cartridge 20 has screwed thereon the cap 50 which may extend up into the removable domed cover C of the pressure vessel PV. This cover C can be removed for easy access to the cartridges for their removal, cleaning and/or replacement.

Thus the cartridges 20 and their connectors 40 according to this invention may be used for differential pressures, that is both increased and reduced pressure from their outsides or from their insides.

Although there is disclosed only connecting two or three cartridges together in series, it is to be clearly understood that more than two or three cartridges can be connected in series, if desired; however, if too many cartridges are so connected, the amount of suction or filtering action which can occur at the most remote cartridge is materially reduced the farther it is away from the vacuum or reduced pressure source connected to the opposite end of the series.

It also should be understood that the types of plastic employed for the parts of the cartridges may be varied in composition, provided they have physical properties similar to those above described.

While there is described above the principles of this invention in connection with a specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of this invention.