CA1196355A - Valve assembly - Google Patents
Valve assemblyInfo
- Publication number
- CA1196355A CA1196355A CA000447862A CA447862A CA1196355A CA 1196355 A CA1196355 A CA 1196355A CA 000447862 A CA000447862 A CA 000447862A CA 447862 A CA447862 A CA 447862A CA 1196355 A CA1196355 A CA 1196355A
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- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- housing
- gland
- valve
- main body
- flange
- Prior art date
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Abstract
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a valve assembly.
The assembly is comprised of a valve housing which includes a main body portion and a generally tubular neck portion which extends outwardly from the body portion. A
housing flange extends radially outwardly from the neck portion and is longitudinally spaced from the main body portion. The valve housing has a bore through the neck portion and the adjacent part of the main body portion. A
valve stem is received in the bore for movement with respect to the valve housing. An annular seal is located within the bore surrounding the valve stem. A gland is provided which is comprised of a compression unit disposed at least partially within the bore adjacent one end of the seal, and a gland flange which adjoins the compression unit and extends laterally outwardly therefrom and is longitudinally spaced from the main portion of the valve housing. The gland is movable in a first longitudinal direction toward the seal to compress the seal. A
threaded adjusting unit engages with the housing flange and the gland flange and is operative to move the gland in the first direction. The adjusting unit has a rotatable engagement portion disposed longitudinally between the housing flange and the main body portion of the valve housing and engageable to operate the adjusting unit.
The present invention relates to a valve assembly.
The assembly is comprised of a valve housing which includes a main body portion and a generally tubular neck portion which extends outwardly from the body portion. A
housing flange extends radially outwardly from the neck portion and is longitudinally spaced from the main body portion. The valve housing has a bore through the neck portion and the adjacent part of the main body portion. A
valve stem is received in the bore for movement with respect to the valve housing. An annular seal is located within the bore surrounding the valve stem. A gland is provided which is comprised of a compression unit disposed at least partially within the bore adjacent one end of the seal, and a gland flange which adjoins the compression unit and extends laterally outwardly therefrom and is longitudinally spaced from the main portion of the valve housing. The gland is movable in a first longitudinal direction toward the seal to compress the seal. A
threaded adjusting unit engages with the housing flange and the gland flange and is operative to move the gland in the first direction. The adjusting unit has a rotatable engagement portion disposed longitudinally between the housing flange and the main body portion of the valve housing and engageable to operate the adjusting unit.
Description
1~635S
VALVE ASSEMBLY
This is a di~ision of copending Canadian Pa~ent Application Serial No~ 401,074, which was filed on April 15r 1982.
Background of the Invention The present invention pertains to stuffing box assemblies, and more specifically, to an improved structure allowing easier access to the adjusting means by which the gland is tightened against the seal between a shaft and housing. The invention is particularly applicable to valve assemblies, wherein the necessity for mounting a valve actuator Glosely adjacent to the stuffing box makes access to such adjusting means difficult. However, various principles of the invention can also be applied to other types of apparatus, and will be particularly useful in those in which access to the adjusting means for a stuffing box gland is made difficult because of adjacent apparatus.
U.S. Patents No. 2,711,333 and No. 3,223,425 illustrate generally what is probably the most common arrangement for providing adjustment of a packing gland for a stuffing ~ox assembly. As shown in those patents, the gland is provided with a radial flange, and one or more studs mounted in the housing extend through that flange. On the opposite side of the flange from the housing, each stud is provided with an adjustable nut which, when threaded inwardly toward the housing, urges the gland ahead of it thus compressing the seal. U.S.
Patent No. 860,035 illustrates a variation for an apparatus in which there are two generally oppositely directed glands arranged such that both of them can be tightened by a common set of studs and adjusting nuts.
One of the primary difficulties in accommodating the general scheme illustrated in U.S. Patents No. 2,711,333 and No. 3,223,425, discussed above, to valve assemblies is that which occurs when a valve actuator must be mounted on the housing closely adjacent the stuffing box. This requires that some portion of the housing, or an appendage thereto extend past the stuffing box and the gland adjusting system while still allowiny access to the latter. One ap~raoch to this problem is illustrated in U.S. Patent No. 4,156,529. As shown in this patent, the actuator is not mounted directly on the neck of the valve body or housing, but rather, is mounted on supports spaced laterally outwardly from the valve stem and valve neck, the latter being truncated. This appraoch has several disadvantages. In the first place, it is expensive in that it requires a greater amount of material and machining thereof to form the actuator support structure, whether it is formed integrally with the valve housing or attached thereto~ Furthermore, access to the actuating nuts for adjusting the packing gland is still relatively difficult in that the nuts must be reached through windows formed by the actuator support structure, and in some cases, parts of the actuator and~or other ancillary apparatus may even overhang these windows.
Another approach is illustrated in U.S. Patent No.
VALVE ASSEMBLY
This is a di~ision of copending Canadian Pa~ent Application Serial No~ 401,074, which was filed on April 15r 1982.
Background of the Invention The present invention pertains to stuffing box assemblies, and more specifically, to an improved structure allowing easier access to the adjusting means by which the gland is tightened against the seal between a shaft and housing. The invention is particularly applicable to valve assemblies, wherein the necessity for mounting a valve actuator Glosely adjacent to the stuffing box makes access to such adjusting means difficult. However, various principles of the invention can also be applied to other types of apparatus, and will be particularly useful in those in which access to the adjusting means for a stuffing box gland is made difficult because of adjacent apparatus.
U.S. Patents No. 2,711,333 and No. 3,223,425 illustrate generally what is probably the most common arrangement for providing adjustment of a packing gland for a stuffing ~ox assembly. As shown in those patents, the gland is provided with a radial flange, and one or more studs mounted in the housing extend through that flange. On the opposite side of the flange from the housing, each stud is provided with an adjustable nut which, when threaded inwardly toward the housing, urges the gland ahead of it thus compressing the seal. U.S.
Patent No. 860,035 illustrates a variation for an apparatus in which there are two generally oppositely directed glands arranged such that both of them can be tightened by a common set of studs and adjusting nuts.
One of the primary difficulties in accommodating the general scheme illustrated in U.S. Patents No. 2,711,333 and No. 3,223,425, discussed above, to valve assemblies is that which occurs when a valve actuator must be mounted on the housing closely adjacent the stuffing box. This requires that some portion of the housing, or an appendage thereto extend past the stuffing box and the gland adjusting system while still allowiny access to the latter. One ap~raoch to this problem is illustrated in U.S. Patent No. 4,156,529. As shown in this patent, the actuator is not mounted directly on the neck of the valve body or housing, but rather, is mounted on supports spaced laterally outwardly from the valve stem and valve neck, the latter being truncated. This appraoch has several disadvantages. In the first place, it is expensive in that it requires a greater amount of material and machining thereof to form the actuator support structure, whether it is formed integrally with the valve housing or attached thereto~ Furthermore, access to the actuating nuts for adjusting the packing gland is still relatively difficult in that the nuts must be reached through windows formed by the actuator support structure, and in some cases, parts of the actuator and~or other ancillary apparatus may even overhang these windows.
Another approach is illustrated in U.S. Patent No.
2,587,474. In this structure a sleeve which bears on the upper end of the packing gland to force it downwardly is threaded about the exterior of the neck portion of the housing. This arrangement is also undesirable, particularly in valve assemblies, in that it requires external machining of the neck and a more extensive gland structure, including a bulky sleeve which consumes additional space about the exterior of the neck.
i:~.9635~ ' _q _ Summa~y of the Invent on ~ he p~esent invention p.ovides a stuEfincl box and gland adjustin~ s~stem which not only allo~s easy access to the adjusting means, even where an actuator or like apparatus must be mounted closely adjacent the housing, but also minimizes the amount of material and structure which must be provided in the general ~alve neck/actuator support area, and further ~ithout compensatory enlaryement or embelishment of the structure of the gland itself.
One important eature of the pr~sent invention is that the housing is provided with one or more flange3 extending cgenerally laterally out~ardly from the v~lve neck, and spaced longitudinally along the valve neck from the main body portion - of the valve housing. The engagement portion of the gland adjusting means, e.g. nut or screw head, which must be engaged and rotated to tighten the packing is looated in the space thus provided, i.e. longitudinally between the aforementioned housing flange and the main body portion oE the valve housing, whereas the actuator is mounted on a s`econd flange located on the opposite side of the first mentioned flange from the main body portion of the housing.
Another important feature of the assembly of the present inven.ion is that, preferably between the housing flange means and actuator mounting flange described above, the housing is provided witl-a slot opening radially through the valve neck and communicating with the bore of the valve neck. The packin~
gland, which has a compression portion extending into the bore for engagement with the seal, also has a flange extending laterally outwardly through the slot for engagement ~7ith its adjusting means.
The structure described above allows for the elimination of bulky lateral actuator supports or the like which not only increase the expense of the apparatus but interfere ~;th access to the engagement portion of the adjusting means. Such access is further facilitated by the fact that said enga~ement portion is located on the opposite side o~ the housing ~lange from the actuator.
~ lthough these features can be emplo~ecl ~ith adjusting ~96~5~
means in which a stud is ~i~edly secur~d to th~ gland flange, loosely extended thcough the housing Elange, and threadedly engaged by an adjusting nut, even further advantages are achieved by providing the adjusting means in the form o~ a screw threadedly connected to the gland flange, loosely extending through the housing flange, and having a head which abuts the latter flange to not only serve as the aforementioned engaye-ment portion, but also to cooperate with the housing flange in limiting movement of the screw generally longitudinally away from the seal. Accordingly, when the screw is rotated in a direction which would tend to move it away from the seal, the gland will instead be moved toward the seal. However, because the screw need not move, it will not advance into the space between the housing flange and the main body of the valve housing, and this simplifies spaciny problems.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved stuf f ing box assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly which provides ready access to the adjusting means for the packing gland by eliminating the need for lateral support structures for ancillary apparatus such as a valve actuator.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly which minimizes the amount of material or structure which must be employed in the neck area of the housing.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly which eliminates adjusting nuts, utilizing only adjusting screws, the latter remaining longitudinally fixed during adjustment of the gland.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly in which the housing has a lateral slot or hole through which the gland flange extends.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus in ~hich both the gland flange and a coop-~rative housing flange are longitudinally spaced from the main body portion of the housing, with the engagement portion of the gland adjusting means being located in the space thus provided In accordance with an aspect of the invention there is provided a valve assembly comprising a valve housing including; a main body portion, a generally tubular neck portion extending outwardly from said main body portiol~, and housing flange means extending generally radially outwardly from said neck portion and longitudinally spaced from said main body portion, said valve housing having a bore through said neck portion and the adjacent part of said main body portion; a valve stem received in said bore for movement with respect to said valve housing; annular seal means within said bore surrounding said valve stem;
gland means comprising; compression means disposed at least partially within said bore adjacent one end of said seal means, and gland flange means adjoining said compression means ana extending laterally outwardly therefrom and longitudinally spaced from said main portion of said valve housing, said gland means being movable in a first longitudinal direction toward said seal means to compress said seal means; and threaded adjusting means engaged with said housing flange means and said gland flange means and operative to move said gland means in said first direction, said ad~usting means having a rotatable engagement portion disposed longitudinally between said housing flange means and said main body portion of said valve housing and engageable to operate said adjusting means.
BrieE Description of the Drawings The present invention taken in conjunction with the invention described in copending Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 401,074 which was filed on April 15 r 1982 r will be discussed in detail hereinbelow with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of the stuffing box area of a valve assembly.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.
Fig. 4 is a transverse cross-section taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.
Fig. 5 is a detailed view, similar to the upper right portion of Fig. 2, showing a modification of the invention.
Description of the PreEerred Embodiments ReEerrincJ Eirst to Fig. 1 there is shown the upper portion o~ a valve assembly, more specifically a butterfly valve. The ~alve assembly includes a housing 10 comprising a gene~ally annular main body portion 12 defining a fluid flot~way 14.
Housing 10 also includes a generally tubular nec~ portion 16 formed integrally with main body portion 12. In the normal opeL-ating position, neck 16 will extend yenerally up-,~ardly from main body portion 1~, and in any event, tne length of neck 1~ portion 16 extends generally radially with respect to flowway 14. As used herein, terms such as "radially," "longitu-dinally," "laterally," etc., unless otherwise indicated, will denote orientation with respect to neck 16.
~eferring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 in conjunction with ~ig.
lS 1, the valve housing or valve body 10 has a bore 18 extending longitudinally through neck 16 and through the adjacent part of main body portion 12 into com~unication with flowway 1~. In a manner t~ell known in the art, a valve element in the for~ of a disk (not shown? is rotatably mounted in flowway 14 to open and close the latter. Specifically, the valve element is mounted on a shaft or valve stem 20 which extends outwardly through bore 18 and is rotatably mounted therein. The outer end OL valve stem 20 extends beyond housing 10 and has wrench formations 22 thereon for engagement with a valve actuator to be mounted on 25 top of housing 10. Main body 12 of housins 10 also includes integral tabs 24 formed on the upper side of main body portion 12 generally on opposite sides of neck 16. Each tab 24 has a bore 26 therethrough for receipt of a stud or the like used in mounting the valve assembly in a pipeline or the like. Housins 10 further includes housing flange means in the form of a pair of diametrically opposed flanges or ears 28 extending laterally outwardly from neck 16 at a position spaced longitudinally along neck 16 from main body portion 12 of the valve housing.
Extending upwardly from the upper side of flanges 28 are a pair of slots 30 each communicating with bore 18 and opening radially outwardly through neck 16 directly above a respective one of the flanges 28. Finally, inteyrally formed at the upper end of neck 16 i5 an annular mounting flange 32 on which the valve actuator ~196~5 i would be mounted. }~lange 32 has a plurality o~ b~res 34 for receiving bolts or the lilce to secure the valve actuator to the ~lange~ ~lange 32 also has a pair of diame~rically opposed r~cesses 36 each continuous with and forming the upper portion S of a respective one of the slots 30 .
The upper portion o bore 18 is counterbored as shown in Fig. 2 to provide an annular space between valve stem 20 and the surrounding portion of housin~ 10 to receive a stack of packing rings diagramatically indicated at 38. Rings 38 may be of any conventional type, usually ~t least partially comprised o~ an elastomer, and in any event, deformable so that, when com-pressed longitudinally, they will expand radially and seal tightly between valve stem 20 and housing 10. A rigid support ring 40 rests on the shoulder formed between the large and sm~ll diameter portions of bore 18 to support packing rings 38 thereabove. A packing gland has a cylindrical compression portion 40 surrounding valve stem 20 and extending into bore 18 to rest on the upper end of the stack of packing rings 38.
Integrally formed with compression portion 40 are a pair of gland flange arms 42 each extending laterally outwardly through a respective one o~ the slots 30 in the housing. In the longitudinally outermost position, flange arms 42 are received in recesses 36. The fit of compression portion 40 àbout shaft 20 and within bore 18 is loose enough to permit it to move longitudinally inward, the lower portions of slots 30 (in neck 163 permitting movement of flange arms 42. It can be seen that, if the gland 40, 42 is driven inwardly, i.e., towa;d the stack of seal rings 38, it will compress the seal rings. Thus, the gland can be used to tighten the seal between the valve stem and 3C housing as desired.
In order to provide for such longitudinal adjustment of gland ~t 42, a pair of adju ting screws 44 are provided. Each of the screws 44 is oriented with its head 4~a lowermost and its shank extending upwardly therefrom. As shown, the head 44a of each screw abuts the underside of a respective one o~ the housing flanges 2B, with the shank being rotatably but non-threadedly received in a slot ~.6 in that flange. Tnence, the shank of the scre~/44 extends fuLther longitudin311y outwardly ~635S
and i5 threadedly connected to a respective one oE the cJland flanges 42. Itcan be seen that th~ abutment oE the screw heads 4~a with the flanges 28 will prevent movement of screws 4~ in an upward direction, i~e., a~1ay from the stack of seal rings 3~.
Thus, i~ screws 44 are engaged by their heads ~a and rotated in the direction which would tend to drive them-upwardly, the gland ~0, 42 will instead be driven downwardly against the seal rings 38 to tighten their sealing engagement as desc-ibed above.
It can be seen that the arrangement described above has numerous advantages over prior art stuffing box arrangements, particularly those commonly used on valves. The heads 44a which form the engagement portions of the adjusting screws 44, are disposed in the spaces formed between flanges 28 and tabs 24 and are readily accessible for engagement to adjust the gland 40, 42. This represents a great advantage over prior art arrange-ments ~herein the adjusting nuts were not only disposed close to the actuator, but were also blocked laterally out~Jardl~ by the actuator support formations paralleling the valve neck proper. Nevertheless, this advantage is obtained i7ithout significantly increasing the amount of material used in the valve neck area, the only valve housin~ structures specifically provided for the purpose of cooperating with the adjusting system being the two relatively small ~langes 28.
Referring now to Fig. 5, there is shown a modification of the invention inwhich li~e parts have beengiven like reference numerals. More specifically, all parts of the structure oE Fig.
S are identical to that of Figs. 1-4 except for the gland adjusting means. In the structure of Fig. 5, the screw 44 ~Jith its integral head 44a has been replaced by a scre~7 48 having an adjustable nut 50 threadedly connected thereto. One end of screw 48 is fixedly secured to gland flange 42 by a pin 52. Erom flange 42, screw ~.8 extends downwardly and is non-threadedly received in an oversized bore 54 in housing flange 28'. Nut 50 is secured to the lower end of screw 48 so that it abuts the underside of flange 28'. Thus, if n~t 5~ is rotated in the proper direction, screw 48 and glarld 40, 42 will be jointly drawn downwardly to compress the seal rinss 38. ~lthough both 1 ~355 `
embodiments o~ the invention achieve the general ad~anta~es o~
~oviding ready access to tne engagement portion (44a or 50) of the ~land adjusting means, ~,hile reducing the amount of metal which must be provided in the neck area oE the valve housing, 5 the embodiment of Figs. 1-4 may be preferred since it does not require that any por,ion of the gland adjustin~ means move do~nwardly along with the gland, such movement being limited by the upper end of tab 2~.
Numerous modifications of the preferred embodiments described above will suggest themselves to those of skill in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention be li~ited only by the claims which follow.
i:~.9635~ ' _q _ Summa~y of the Invent on ~ he p~esent invention p.ovides a stuEfincl box and gland adjustin~ s~stem which not only allo~s easy access to the adjusting means, even where an actuator or like apparatus must be mounted closely adjacent the housing, but also minimizes the amount of material and structure which must be provided in the general ~alve neck/actuator support area, and further ~ithout compensatory enlaryement or embelishment of the structure of the gland itself.
One important eature of the pr~sent invention is that the housing is provided with one or more flange3 extending cgenerally laterally out~ardly from the v~lve neck, and spaced longitudinally along the valve neck from the main body portion - of the valve housing. The engagement portion of the gland adjusting means, e.g. nut or screw head, which must be engaged and rotated to tighten the packing is looated in the space thus provided, i.e. longitudinally between the aforementioned housing flange and the main body portion oE the valve housing, whereas the actuator is mounted on a s`econd flange located on the opposite side of the first mentioned flange from the main body portion of the housing.
Another important feature of the assembly of the present inven.ion is that, preferably between the housing flange means and actuator mounting flange described above, the housing is provided witl-a slot opening radially through the valve neck and communicating with the bore of the valve neck. The packin~
gland, which has a compression portion extending into the bore for engagement with the seal, also has a flange extending laterally outwardly through the slot for engagement ~7ith its adjusting means.
The structure described above allows for the elimination of bulky lateral actuator supports or the like which not only increase the expense of the apparatus but interfere ~;th access to the engagement portion of the adjusting means. Such access is further facilitated by the fact that said enga~ement portion is located on the opposite side o~ the housing ~lange from the actuator.
~ lthough these features can be emplo~ecl ~ith adjusting ~96~5~
means in which a stud is ~i~edly secur~d to th~ gland flange, loosely extended thcough the housing Elange, and threadedly engaged by an adjusting nut, even further advantages are achieved by providing the adjusting means in the form o~ a screw threadedly connected to the gland flange, loosely extending through the housing flange, and having a head which abuts the latter flange to not only serve as the aforementioned engaye-ment portion, but also to cooperate with the housing flange in limiting movement of the screw generally longitudinally away from the seal. Accordingly, when the screw is rotated in a direction which would tend to move it away from the seal, the gland will instead be moved toward the seal. However, because the screw need not move, it will not advance into the space between the housing flange and the main body of the valve housing, and this simplifies spaciny problems.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved stuf f ing box assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly which provides ready access to the adjusting means for the packing gland by eliminating the need for lateral support structures for ancillary apparatus such as a valve actuator.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly which minimizes the amount of material or structure which must be employed in the neck area of the housing.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly which eliminates adjusting nuts, utilizing only adjusting screws, the latter remaining longitudinally fixed during adjustment of the gland.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly in which the housing has a lateral slot or hole through which the gland flange extends.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus in ~hich both the gland flange and a coop-~rative housing flange are longitudinally spaced from the main body portion of the housing, with the engagement portion of the gland adjusting means being located in the space thus provided In accordance with an aspect of the invention there is provided a valve assembly comprising a valve housing including; a main body portion, a generally tubular neck portion extending outwardly from said main body portiol~, and housing flange means extending generally radially outwardly from said neck portion and longitudinally spaced from said main body portion, said valve housing having a bore through said neck portion and the adjacent part of said main body portion; a valve stem received in said bore for movement with respect to said valve housing; annular seal means within said bore surrounding said valve stem;
gland means comprising; compression means disposed at least partially within said bore adjacent one end of said seal means, and gland flange means adjoining said compression means ana extending laterally outwardly therefrom and longitudinally spaced from said main portion of said valve housing, said gland means being movable in a first longitudinal direction toward said seal means to compress said seal means; and threaded adjusting means engaged with said housing flange means and said gland flange means and operative to move said gland means in said first direction, said ad~usting means having a rotatable engagement portion disposed longitudinally between said housing flange means and said main body portion of said valve housing and engageable to operate said adjusting means.
BrieE Description of the Drawings The present invention taken in conjunction with the invention described in copending Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 401,074 which was filed on April 15 r 1982 r will be discussed in detail hereinbelow with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of the stuffing box area of a valve assembly.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.
Fig. 4 is a transverse cross-section taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.
Fig. 5 is a detailed view, similar to the upper right portion of Fig. 2, showing a modification of the invention.
Description of the PreEerred Embodiments ReEerrincJ Eirst to Fig. 1 there is shown the upper portion o~ a valve assembly, more specifically a butterfly valve. The ~alve assembly includes a housing 10 comprising a gene~ally annular main body portion 12 defining a fluid flot~way 14.
Housing 10 also includes a generally tubular nec~ portion 16 formed integrally with main body portion 12. In the normal opeL-ating position, neck 16 will extend yenerally up-,~ardly from main body portion 1~, and in any event, tne length of neck 1~ portion 16 extends generally radially with respect to flowway 14. As used herein, terms such as "radially," "longitu-dinally," "laterally," etc., unless otherwise indicated, will denote orientation with respect to neck 16.
~eferring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 in conjunction with ~ig.
lS 1, the valve housing or valve body 10 has a bore 18 extending longitudinally through neck 16 and through the adjacent part of main body portion 12 into com~unication with flowway 1~. In a manner t~ell known in the art, a valve element in the for~ of a disk (not shown? is rotatably mounted in flowway 14 to open and close the latter. Specifically, the valve element is mounted on a shaft or valve stem 20 which extends outwardly through bore 18 and is rotatably mounted therein. The outer end OL valve stem 20 extends beyond housing 10 and has wrench formations 22 thereon for engagement with a valve actuator to be mounted on 25 top of housing 10. Main body 12 of housins 10 also includes integral tabs 24 formed on the upper side of main body portion 12 generally on opposite sides of neck 16. Each tab 24 has a bore 26 therethrough for receipt of a stud or the like used in mounting the valve assembly in a pipeline or the like. Housins 10 further includes housing flange means in the form of a pair of diametrically opposed flanges or ears 28 extending laterally outwardly from neck 16 at a position spaced longitudinally along neck 16 from main body portion 12 of the valve housing.
Extending upwardly from the upper side of flanges 28 are a pair of slots 30 each communicating with bore 18 and opening radially outwardly through neck 16 directly above a respective one of the flanges 28. Finally, inteyrally formed at the upper end of neck 16 i5 an annular mounting flange 32 on which the valve actuator ~196~5 i would be mounted. }~lange 32 has a plurality o~ b~res 34 for receiving bolts or the lilce to secure the valve actuator to the ~lange~ ~lange 32 also has a pair of diame~rically opposed r~cesses 36 each continuous with and forming the upper portion S of a respective one of the slots 30 .
The upper portion o bore 18 is counterbored as shown in Fig. 2 to provide an annular space between valve stem 20 and the surrounding portion of housin~ 10 to receive a stack of packing rings diagramatically indicated at 38. Rings 38 may be of any conventional type, usually ~t least partially comprised o~ an elastomer, and in any event, deformable so that, when com-pressed longitudinally, they will expand radially and seal tightly between valve stem 20 and housing 10. A rigid support ring 40 rests on the shoulder formed between the large and sm~ll diameter portions of bore 18 to support packing rings 38 thereabove. A packing gland has a cylindrical compression portion 40 surrounding valve stem 20 and extending into bore 18 to rest on the upper end of the stack of packing rings 38.
Integrally formed with compression portion 40 are a pair of gland flange arms 42 each extending laterally outwardly through a respective one o~ the slots 30 in the housing. In the longitudinally outermost position, flange arms 42 are received in recesses 36. The fit of compression portion 40 àbout shaft 20 and within bore 18 is loose enough to permit it to move longitudinally inward, the lower portions of slots 30 (in neck 163 permitting movement of flange arms 42. It can be seen that, if the gland 40, 42 is driven inwardly, i.e., towa;d the stack of seal rings 38, it will compress the seal rings. Thus, the gland can be used to tighten the seal between the valve stem and 3C housing as desired.
In order to provide for such longitudinal adjustment of gland ~t 42, a pair of adju ting screws 44 are provided. Each of the screws 44 is oriented with its head 4~a lowermost and its shank extending upwardly therefrom. As shown, the head 44a of each screw abuts the underside of a respective one o~ the housing flanges 2B, with the shank being rotatably but non-threadedly received in a slot ~.6 in that flange. Tnence, the shank of the scre~/44 extends fuLther longitudin311y outwardly ~635S
and i5 threadedly connected to a respective one oE the cJland flanges 42. Itcan be seen that th~ abutment oE the screw heads 4~a with the flanges 28 will prevent movement of screws 4~ in an upward direction, i~e., a~1ay from the stack of seal rings 3~.
Thus, i~ screws 44 are engaged by their heads ~a and rotated in the direction which would tend to drive them-upwardly, the gland ~0, 42 will instead be driven downwardly against the seal rings 38 to tighten their sealing engagement as desc-ibed above.
It can be seen that the arrangement described above has numerous advantages over prior art stuffing box arrangements, particularly those commonly used on valves. The heads 44a which form the engagement portions of the adjusting screws 44, are disposed in the spaces formed between flanges 28 and tabs 24 and are readily accessible for engagement to adjust the gland 40, 42. This represents a great advantage over prior art arrange-ments ~herein the adjusting nuts were not only disposed close to the actuator, but were also blocked laterally out~Jardl~ by the actuator support formations paralleling the valve neck proper. Nevertheless, this advantage is obtained i7ithout significantly increasing the amount of material used in the valve neck area, the only valve housin~ structures specifically provided for the purpose of cooperating with the adjusting system being the two relatively small ~langes 28.
Referring now to Fig. 5, there is shown a modification of the invention inwhich li~e parts have beengiven like reference numerals. More specifically, all parts of the structure oE Fig.
S are identical to that of Figs. 1-4 except for the gland adjusting means. In the structure of Fig. 5, the screw 44 ~Jith its integral head 44a has been replaced by a scre~7 48 having an adjustable nut 50 threadedly connected thereto. One end of screw 48 is fixedly secured to gland flange 42 by a pin 52. Erom flange 42, screw ~.8 extends downwardly and is non-threadedly received in an oversized bore 54 in housing flange 28'. Nut 50 is secured to the lower end of screw 48 so that it abuts the underside of flange 28'. Thus, if n~t 5~ is rotated in the proper direction, screw 48 and glarld 40, 42 will be jointly drawn downwardly to compress the seal rinss 38. ~lthough both 1 ~355 `
embodiments o~ the invention achieve the general ad~anta~es o~
~oviding ready access to tne engagement portion (44a or 50) of the ~land adjusting means, ~,hile reducing the amount of metal which must be provided in the neck area oE the valve housing, 5 the embodiment of Figs. 1-4 may be preferred since it does not require that any por,ion of the gland adjustin~ means move do~nwardly along with the gland, such movement being limited by the upper end of tab 2~.
Numerous modifications of the preferred embodiments described above will suggest themselves to those of skill in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention be li~ited only by the claims which follow.
Claims (3)
1. A valve assembly comprising:
a valve housing including;
a main body portion, a generally tubular neck portion extending outwardly from said main body portion, and housing flange means extending generally radially outwardly from said neck portion and longitudinally spaced from said main body portion, said valve housing having a bore through said neck portion and the adjacent part of said main body portion;
a valve stem received in said bore for movement with respect to said valve housing;
annular seal means within said bore surrounding said valve stem;
gland means comprising;
compression means disposed at least partially within said bore adjacent one end of said seal means, and gland flange means adjoining said compression means and extending laterally outwardly therefrom and longitudinally spaced from said main portion of said valve housing, said gland means being movable in a first longitudinal direction toward said seal means to compress said seal means;
and threaded adjusting means engaged with said housing flange means and said gland flange means and operative to move said gland means in said first direction, said adjusting means having a rotatable engagement portion disposed longitudinally between said housing flange means and said main body portion of said valve housing and engageable to operate said adjusting means.
a valve housing including;
a main body portion, a generally tubular neck portion extending outwardly from said main body portion, and housing flange means extending generally radially outwardly from said neck portion and longitudinally spaced from said main body portion, said valve housing having a bore through said neck portion and the adjacent part of said main body portion;
a valve stem received in said bore for movement with respect to said valve housing;
annular seal means within said bore surrounding said valve stem;
gland means comprising;
compression means disposed at least partially within said bore adjacent one end of said seal means, and gland flange means adjoining said compression means and extending laterally outwardly therefrom and longitudinally spaced from said main portion of said valve housing, said gland means being movable in a first longitudinal direction toward said seal means to compress said seal means;
and threaded adjusting means engaged with said housing flange means and said gland flange means and operative to move said gland means in said first direction, said adjusting means having a rotatable engagement portion disposed longitudinally between said housing flange means and said main body portion of said valve housing and engageable to operate said adjusting means.
2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said adjusting means includes an adjusting screw fixedly connected to said gland flange means and rotatably but nonthreadedly received in said housing flange means, said adjusting means further including an adjusting nut threadedly connected to said adjusting screw and abutting said housing flange means and serving as said engagement portion of said adjusting means.
3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said adjusting means includes an adjusting screw threadedly connected to said gland flange means and rotatably but nonthreadedly received in said housing flange means, said engagement portion comprising a screw head on said adjusting screw abutting said housing flange means, whereby said screw head and said housing flange means serve as stop means to limit movement of adjusting screw in a second longitudinal direction opposite said first direction.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US254,958 | 1981-04-16 | ||
| US06/254,958 US4411438A (en) | 1981-04-16 | 1981-04-16 | Packing gland |
| CA000401074A CA1180033A (en) | 1981-04-16 | 1982-04-15 | Packing gland |
Related Parent Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000401074A Division CA1180033A (en) | 1981-04-16 | 1982-04-15 | Packing gland |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1196355A true CA1196355A (en) | 1985-11-05 |
Family
ID=25669653
Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000447861A Expired CA1196354A (en) | 1981-04-16 | 1984-02-20 | Packing gland |
| CA000447862A Expired CA1196355A (en) | 1981-04-16 | 1984-02-20 | Valve assembly |
Family Applications Before (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000447861A Expired CA1196354A (en) | 1981-04-16 | 1984-02-20 | Packing gland |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (2) | CA1196354A (en) |
-
1984
- 1984-02-20 CA CA000447861A patent/CA1196354A/en not_active Expired
- 1984-02-20 CA CA000447862A patent/CA1196355A/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA1196354A (en) | 1985-11-05 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |