Importance

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Abstract

A hydraulic chuck haging a piston means with an axially centered fluid passage and a tube seating means on one end thereof. Collet means are provided and are mounted on the piston means such that axial movement of the piston means operates the collet means. The chuck body is slideably mounted on the piston means and has a nose cone means fixedly mounted on the body means. The nose cone means includes a collet engaging surface to close the collet upon engagement of the surface and the collet means. Seal means for preventing passage of fluid between the tube and the collet means are provided and include a seal cartridge means adjacent to tube seating means on the piston means. Seal seat means are slideably contacting the cartridge means and keyed to the collet means to define a seal cavity between the seal seat and the seal cartridge. The cavity has a first size when the collets are open and a smaller second size when the collets are closed. Finally, o-ring seal means are positioned in the cavity, having a larger cross section than the cavity when the collets are closed. The o-ring seal means may be constructed so as to have an uncompressed inner diameter greater than the diameter of the tube which fits the chuck device. In addition, the o-ring seal means may have an outer diameter slightly larger than the maximum diameter of the cavity so as to keep the o-ring out of contact with the tube when the collets are open. The device may further include pneumatic means on said body means to move the body with respect to the piston to close the collet without the presence of fluid in the fluid passage, whereby the device grips the tube and activates the o-ring seal prior to presence of fluid in the passage.

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First Claim