Pressure relief panel hold open apparatus and method

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In one aspect the invention provides a method of protecting a building against over-pressures in said building, said method comprising providing a panel pivoted to said building at a pivot point for said panel to blow open about said pivot point to an open position upon the occurrence of an over-pressure in said building, and then upon reduction of said over-pressure, causing said panel partly to close to a partly open position, and holding said panel in said partly open position, thereby to reduce the likelihood of damage due to implosion in said building.
In another aspect the invention provides a pressure relief panel assembly for protecting a building against over-pressure, said assembly including a panel pivotally coupled to said building for movement between a normal closed position and an open position, and panel release means normally holding said panel in closed position but adapted to release when the panel is subjected to an over-pressure in said building, the improvement comprising a hold-open mechanism for holding said panel partly but not fully open after it has been opened by said over-pressure, said hold-open mechanism comprising means coupled to at least one of said panel and said building and responsive to the opening of said panel to said open position for thereupon permitting said panel partly to close to a partly open position and for then holding said panel in said partly open position, whereby to reduce the likelihood of damage due to implosion in said building.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.