AU2007329183B2

AU2007329183B2 - Rotating valve

Info

Publication number: AU2007329183B2
Application number: AU2007329183A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Saied Sabeti
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-12-07
Filing date: 2007-12-05
Publication date: 2010-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 2027-12-05
Also published as: AU2007329183A1; WO2008067603A1

Description

WO 2008/067603 PCT/AU2007/001879 1 ROTATING VALVE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a valve for use in selectively preventing or permitting fluid flow. It is envisaged for use primarily with water under pressure, 5 but may be used in other fluid applications. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Numerous valve types are available for domestic plumbing applications. Most common of these is a screw-down valve, used in tap fittings. Screw-down valves include a valve disc attached to a spindle, which moves axially to enable 10 the valve disc to seal against an annular washer at a valve seat. The valve disc must be engaged against the washer with sufficient force to overcome the force of water pressure acting against the valve disc. Deterioration of the washer over time leads to leaking of water though the valve. Leakage can also occur when debris is trapped between the valve disc and 15 the seat. Another valve used in domestic application is a ball valve. A ball valve comprises a generally spherical valve disc, or ball, with a diametric aperture bored through. A ball valve is arranged to rotate about an axis perpendicular to fluid flow between an open position where the diametric aperture is aligned with 20 fluid flow and a closed position where the aperture is aligned across the fluid flow. In the closed position the side walls of the ball seal against circular valve seats both upstream and downstream of the fluid flow. On the upstream side of a ball valve, the ball body seals against water pressure. In contrast to a screw-down valve, there is no externally applied force 25 maintaining the seal in position against the water pressure. Rather, the seal is maintained through the valve geometry. Typically, this requires the ball to be coupled to a bearing at both axial ends. Such an arrangement can be complex to manufacture. Positioning of the ball within the valve is generally done by accessing the ball through the fluid flow path. This means that any maintenance 30 on the valve - for instance, the replacement of worn washers - requires removal of the valve from the plumbing system in which it is installed.

WO 2008/067603 PCT/AU2007/001879 2 Ball valves are operated by an external handle, axially connected via a shaft to the ball. Rotation of the handle through 90* is required to move the valve from the closed position to the open position. Water pressure within the ball valve acts on the shaft leading to the 5 handle. During closing of the valve, there may be localised, temporary increases in water pressure acting against the shaft. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a suitable seal about the shaft to prevent the egress of water along the shaft to the handle. One method of achieving this is to provide two axially spaced sealing members along the shaft, resulting in a cavity between the sealing members in 10 which any leaked water is captured. Numerous alternatives to these arrangements have been previously suggested. One suggestion revealed by a detailed search of patent literature is discussed in US 3,893,469 (Baker). Baker describes using merely a segment of a ball in a ball valve arrangement, in order to reduce the size and weight of the 15 valve disc and allow for easier maintenance access. In Baker's arrangement the ball valve segment closes by sealing on the upstream side of the valve, thus working in the same fashion as a traditional ball valve. Rather than providing limited access through the fluid flow path for maintenance purposes, Baker proposes the use of an access port located at the side of the valve. 20 In arrangements such as that of Baker, the axial mounting of the valve disc or ball segment on bearings within the valve is even more important than in traditional ball valves. In order to withstand the fluid pressure acting on the outer surface of the ball segment in the closed position, the ball segment must be precisely aligned on its axis at all times. This requires support above and below 25 the ball segment. The present invention seeks to provide a valve which is more robust and long-lasting than some of the valves of the prior art. It also seeks to provide a valve which is simpler, and more easily accessible for maintenance, than previous ball valve-type valves. 30 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a valve for selectively permitting and preventing the flow of fluid, the valve having a housing which defines a chamber, the chamber having at least one fluid inlet WO 2008/067603 PCT/AU2007/001879 3 and at least one fluid outlet, a fluid flow path being defined between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, the valve including a sealing member located within the chamber, the sealing member being a generally C-shaped ball segment having a convex outer surface and a concave inner surface, the sealing member being 5 rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the fluid flow path between a closed position in which the outer surface seals against the fluid outlet, preventing flow of fluid from the inlet to the outlet, and an open position in which fluid is able to flow between the inlet and the outlet. Advantageously, when in the closed position, water pressure within the chamber acts against the inner surface 10 of the sealing member, providing a force which assists in sealing the outer surface against the fluid outlet. Preferably, the sealing member has a first axial side and a second axial side with respect to its axis of rotation, and the sealing member is mounted on its first axial side to a shaft aligned along the perpendicular axis, the shaft being 15 arranged to rotate about its axis, such that the sealing member is supported only on its first axial side and not on its second axial side. This permits provision of ready access for inserting and removing the sealing member from the chamber. To further this, in a preferred form of the invention, the valve housing includes an access portion located substantially along the perpendicular axis, on 20 the first axial side of the sealing member when the sealing member is located within the chamber. The access portion permits the insertion and removal of the sealing member into the chamber. The access portion is substantially cylindrical, and is arranged to receive a locating member within. In its preferred form, the access portion has an internally 25 threaded portion arranged to engage with an externally threaded portion of the locating member. The shaft is arranged to extend through a central aperture of the locating member, and to rotate within the locating member. Sealing means are provided between the locating member and the shaft. Preferably, there are a plurality of axially spaced annular seals provided. At least 30 some of these seals may be arranged in a step-wise manner. Use of a plurality of axially spaced seals in this manner creates a series of cavities in which leaking water can be contained.

WO 2008/067603 PCT/AU2007/001879 4 The shaft is mounted at an outer end to a radially extending handle. Preferably, the valve includes a plurality of locating means corresponding to a plurality of possible angular positions for the handle and hence the sealing member. The locating means may comprise a series of dimples about an upper 5 surface of the locating member, with the handle having a protrusion which locates with a dimple to prevent inadvertent movement. The valve may have one inlet and one outlet, diametrically opposed. Alternatively, the valve may have three connections (for instance an outlet, a hot water inlet and a cold water inlet) spaced about its periphery, preferably at 1200 10 intervals. Other arrangements are, of course, possible. In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a valve for selectively permitting and preventing the flow of fluid, the valve having a housing which defines a chamber, the chamber having at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet, a fluid flow path being defined between 15 the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, the valve including a sealing member located within the chamber, the sealing member being a ball segment having an outer surface, the sealing member being rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the fluid flow path between a closed position in which the outer surface seals against the fluid outlet, preventing flow of fluid from the inlet to the 20 outlet, and an open position in which fluid is able to flow between the inlet and the outlet, wherein the sealing member has a first axial side and a second axial side with respect to its axis of rotation, and the sealing member is mounted on its first axial side to a shaft aligned along the perpendicular axis, the shaft being arranged to rotate about its axis, such that the sealing member is supported only 25 on its first axial side and not on its second axial side. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It will be convenient to further describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the valve of the present invention. Other embodiments are possible, and consequently, the 30 particularity of the accompanying drawings is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings: WO 2008/067603 PCT/AU2007/001879 5 Figure 1 is a perspective of a valve in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the valve of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of a sealing member and associated shaft within the 5 valve of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a bottom perspective of a locating member within the valve of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a side view of the locating member of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a cut-away view of a valve housing within the valve of Figure 1; 10 Figure 7 is a perspective of a valve in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 8 is a perspective of a cover within the valve of Figure 1. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the Figures, Figure 1 shows a valve 10 having a housing 12 15 and a handle 14. The housing 12 is elongate, and has a first end 16 and a second end 18. In use, water or other fluid flows from the first end 16 to the second end 18, forming a fluid flow path through the valve. A chamber 20 is located internally of the housing 12, between the first end 16 and the second end 18. The housing includes a cylindrical access portion 22 extending away from 20 the chamber 20 in an upwards direction, that is, perpendicular to the fluid flow path. The handle 14 is mounted atop the access portion 22. The valve can be seen in an exploded view in Figure 2. The valve includes a sealing member 30 mounted on a shaft 40, a locating member 50 with an associated annular seal 52 and cover 54, the handle 14 and a securing nut 80. 25 Each of these elements will now be discussed in turn. The sealing member 30 is part-spherical, being a segment of a sphere. The segment extends through about 1800 about a horizontal axis, from a first axial side 32 to a second axial side 34. About a vertical axis, the segment extends through close to 900. The sealing member 30 thus has a convex outer surface 36 30 and a concave inner surface 38. At its first axial side 32 the sealing member 30 is mounted to the shaft 40. The shaft 40 has a first cylindrical portion 42 adjacent the sealing member 30, a second cylindrical portion 44 extending axially away from the first cylindrical WO 2008/067603 PCT/AU2007/001879 6 portion 42, and a rectangular prismatic outer portion 46 extending axially from the second cylindrical portion 44, remote from the sealing member 30. The first cylindrical portion 42 has a diameter equal to between one and two times the radius of curvature of the sealing member 30. The second 5 cylindrical portion 44 has a diameter about 80% that of the first cylindrical portion. The shaft 40 thus exhibits a stepped profile. Each of the first and second cylindrical portions 42, 44 includes grooves 48 in which resilient sealing rings, or o-rings, can be received. In the embodiment of the drawings the first cylindrical portion 42 includes a single groove 48, and the 10 second cylindrical portion 44 includes three grooves 48. Other distributions of sealing rings are possible. The locating member 50 is substantially cylindrical. It has an external configuration arranged to engage with the access portion 22, and an internal bore 55 arranged to received the shaft 40. 15 The locating member 50 has an externally threaded portion 56 arranged to engage with an internally threaded portion of the access portion 22. The locating member also has an externally located circumferential groove 58 arranged to receive a resilient sealing ring, to assist in sealing the locating member against the internal wall of the access portion 22. 20 The locating member 50 has an annular ridge 60 at an upper edge thereof. In use, the annular ridge 60 locates about an upper periphery of the access portion 22. The annular seal 52 locates between ride 50 and the access portion 22 to ensure the creation of a water-tight seal. The locating member 50 also has an integrally formed bolt-head 62 25 centrally disposed on an upper surface. The bolt-head 62 allows ready grasping of the locating member 50 by a tool in order to be rotated tightly into place within the access portion 22. The internal bore 55 of the locating member 50 is stepped-cylindrical in configuration, and is complementary in shape to the first and second cylindrical 30 portions 42, 44 of the shaft 40. The shaft 40 can thus be received within the locating member 50, with the sealing member 30 extending from a lower edge and the outer portion 46 extending from an upper edge, through the bolt-head 62.

WO 2008/067603 PCT/AU2007/001879 7 The cover 54 is arranged to locate over the bolt-head 62 of the locating member 50. The cover 54 has an annular upper surface 64. The annular upper surface 64 includes a plurality of dimples 66 disposed in a circle about the protruding outer portion 46 of the shaft 40. The outer portion 46 of the shaft 40 5 protrudes through the internal bore 45 of the cover 54. The handle 14 is elongate, with an inner end 70 having a rectangular slot 72 through which the outer portion 46 of the shaft 40 can be received and a lower bearing surface 74 arranged, in use, to bear against the upper angular surface 64 of the cover 54. The handle 14 includes a protrusion (not shown) extending from 10 the lower bearing surface 74. The protrusion is arranged to engage with a dimple 66 in use. The protrusion may be integral with the handle 14, or may be a separate component such as a ball bearing located within a receiving aperture. The securing nut 80 engages, in use, with the outer portion 46 of the shaft 40, thus maintaining the relative positions of the shaft 40, locating member 50 15 and handle 14. Figure 6 shows a cut away view of the housing 12, showing the chamber 20. The cut-away figure shows the first end 16 of the housing 12, however it will be appreciated that the housing is symmetrical and that the second side 18 is identical. 20 The housing 12 includes an inlet 82, surrounded by an annular washer 84. The washer 84 has a part-spherical inner edge 86, with the same radius of curvature as the outer surface 36 of the sealing member 30. For assembly, the housing 12 can be located within a plumbing system, with the first end 16 connected to a water inlet and the second end 18 connected 25 to a water outlet. Washers 84 can be inserted or removed from the housing 12 even following its connection in the plumbing system, through the access portion 22. When the housing is prepared, the shaft 40 can be inserted into the bore 55 of locating member 50. This can then be screwed into the access portion 22, 30 using the bolt-head 62. The cover 54 and handle 14 can be secured in position by the locking nut 80. Once assembled, manipulation of the handle 14 permits the valve 10 to move between a first closed position where the outer surface 36 of the sealing WO 2008/067603 PCT/AU2007/001879 8 member engages with the washer 84 of the fluid outlet, an open position where fluid can freely flow along the inner surface 38 between inlet and outlet, and a second closed position where the outer surface 36 engages with the washer 84 of the fluid inlet. 5 When in the first closed position, the pressure supplied by fluid within the chamber 20 acts against the inner surface 38 of the sealing member 30. This acts to push the outer surface 36 of the sealing member 30 into closer engagement with the outlet washer 84. In fact, it may promote some deformation of the washer 84 around the outer surface 36. 10 If the outlet washer 84 deteriorates, effective closing of the valve can still be achieved by 1800 rotation of the handle 14 and hence sealing member 30 to the second closed position. In this position the sealing member 30 seals against the applied water pressure in a manner similar to a standard ball valve. When it becomes necessary to change washers 84, the handle 14, 15 locating portion 50, shaft 40 and sealing member 30 can be readily removed through the access portion 22. In practice, the valve 10 can be moved between a plurality of stages between one of the closed positions and a fully open position, where the sealing member restricts the flow of fluid through the valve without preventing it entirely. 20 These positions correspond to locations of the dimples 66 on the locating member cover 54, which receive the protrusion of the handle 14. A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 7, with like numerals referring to like parts. The housing 112 of this embodiment differs from the housing 12 of first embodiment in that it has three pipes 116, 117, 118 25 equi angularly disposed around a base plane of the housing 112, that is, spaced at about 1200 from each other. About the cavity 20 are therefore three ports 82, typically a hot-water inlet, a cold-water inlet and an outlet. Each of the ports includes a washer 84. The sealing member 30 can be moved through a variety of positions by 30 manipulation of the handle 14. When placed against the outlet port, the sealing member 30 prevents water flowing through the valve 110, using the combined water pressure from the two inlets to assist sealing as discussed above. When placed against the hot water inlet, the sealing member 30 permits full pressure WO 2008/067603 PCT/AU2007/001879 9 flow of cold water. When placed against the cold water inlet, the sealing member 30 permits full pressure flow of hot water. When placed between hot and cold inlets, the angular position of the sealing member 30 can be varied to determine the relative amounts of hot and 5 cold water being delivered to the outlet at full pressure. When moved across the outlet, the sealing member can both affect the amount of water flowing through the outlet and its temperature, depending on which way from closed the handle 14 is turned. Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee 10 are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention. 15

Claims

1. A valve for selectively permitting and preventing the flow of fluid, the valve having a housing which defines a chamber, the chamber having at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet, a fluid flow path being defined between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, the valve including a sealing member located within the chamber, the sealing member being a generally C-shaped ball segment having a convex outer surface and a concave inner surface, the sealing member being rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the fluid flow path between a closed position in which the outer surface seals against the fluid outlet, preventing flow of fluid from the inlet to the outlet, and an open position in which fluid is able to flow between the inlet and the outlet; and wherein the sealing member has a first axial side and a second axial side with respect to its axis of rotation, and the sealing member is mounted on its first axial side to a shaft aligned along the perpendicular axis, the shaft being arranged to rotate about its axis, such that the sealing member is supported only on its first axial side and not on its second axial side.

2. A valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve housing includes an access portion located substantially along the perpendicular axis, on the first axial side of the sealing member when the sealing member is located within the chamber.

3. A valve as claimed in claim 2, wherein the access portion is substantially cylindrical.

4. A valve as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the access portion is arranged to receive a locating member within.

5. A valve as claimed in claim 4, wherein the access portion has an internally threaded portion arranged to engage with an externally threaded portion of the locating member. Amended Sheet IPEA/AU Receive aU OUUn nJUO

6. A valve as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein a plurality of axially spaced annular seals are provided between the shaft and a central aperture of the locating member.

7. A valve as claimed in claim 6, wherein more than two axially spaced annular seals are provided between the shaft and the central aperture.

8. A valve as claimed in claim 7, wherein some of the seals are arranged in a step-wise manner.

9. A valve as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the shaft is mounted at an outer end to a radially extending handle.

10. A valve as claimed in claim 9, wherein the valve includes a plurality of locating means corresponding to a plurality of possible angular positions for the handle and hence the sealing member.

11. A valve as claimed in claim 10, wherein the locating means comprises a series of dimples about an upper surface of the locating member, with the handle having a protrusion which locates within a dimple to restrict movement of the handle.

12. A valve as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the valve has one inlet and one outlet diametrically opposed.

13. A valve as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the valve has three connections spaced about its periphery.

14. A valve for selectively permitting and preventing the flow of fluid, the valve having a housing which defines a chamber, the chamber having at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet, a fluid flow path being defined between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, the valve including a sealing member located within the chamber, the sealing member being a ball segment having an outer surface, the sealing member being rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the fluid flow path between a closed position in which the outer surface seals against Amended Sheet IPEA/AU the fluid outlet, preventing flow of fluid from the inlet to the outlet, and an open position in which fluid is able to flow between the inlet and the outlet, wherein the sealing member has a first axial side and a second axial side with respect to its axis of rotation, and the sealing member is mounted on its first axial side to a shaft aligned along the perpendicular axis, the shaft being arranged to rotate about its axis, such that the sealing member is supported only on its first axial side and not on its second axial side. Amended Sheet IPEA/AU