Importance

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Abstract

This lightweight explosion-mitigating assembly includes at least a containment structure and a door. The containment structure and door each include at least one set of engagement flanges. The flanges are movable between an interlocking arrangement and a non-interlocking arrangement. In the non-interlocking arrangement, the flanges are sufficiently relatively operatively free from each other to permit movement of the door relative to the containment structure between open and closed positions. On the other hand, in the interlocking arrangement, the door is in the closed position and the flanges are both mutually engageable and slidable relative to each other into mutual engagement and out of mutual engagement. When mutually engaged, the containment-structure flange and the door flange are not pivotal relative to each other between the interlocking and non-interlocking arrangements, yet sliding movement of the flanges relative to each other out of mutual engagement permits at least one of the containment-structure flange and the door flange to be moved relative to each other between the interlocking and non-interlocking arrangements. This structure may be lightweight, especially when elongated flanges are used, and does not rely on the bending stiffness of the structure to mitigate explosive forces.

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First Claim