EP0212873A1 - Positive pressure demand valves - Google Patents
Positive pressure demand valves Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0212873A1 EP0212873A1 EP86305808A EP86305808A EP0212873A1 EP 0212873 A1 EP0212873 A1 EP 0212873A1 EP 86305808 A EP86305808 A EP 86305808A EP 86305808 A EP86305808 A EP 86305808A EP 0212873 A1 EP0212873 A1 EP 0212873A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- valve
- jewel
- seat
- valve seat
- resilient material
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Ceased
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
- A62B—DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING
- A62B9/00—Component parts for respiratory or breathing apparatus
- A62B9/02—Valves
- A62B9/022—Breathing demand regulators
- A62B9/025—Breathing demand regulators with tilting opening action
Abstract
The particular problems of embedding and wear which are encountered in the positive pressure demand valves for controlling the flow of gas in a breathing system are overcome by the provision of a positive pressure demand valve which has apertured jewels (14, 15) constituting the contacting valve surfaces of both the valve seat (13) and the head (12) of the tilt valve member. Both jewels (14, 15) are resiliently mounted as inserts, the jewel (15) of the tilt head member being a snap fit in a cap 116) of a plastics and therefore resilient material, while the seat jewel (14) is cushioned by a layer (11) of resilient material in a recess in a metallic valve seat (13). The seat jewel (14) is of frusto-conical shape thus restricting the area of the contacting valve surfaces.
Description
- This invention relates to positive pressure demand valves for controlling the flow of gas in a breathing system.
- In the known positive pressure demand valve the sealing member is a tilt valve member the stem of which passes through an aperture in a valve seat, the stem being moved by a diaphragm in the demand valve upon inhalation in order that the tilt valve member shall rock on the seat thereby causing the valve to open and emit breathable gas such as air or oxygen from a pressure source of the gas. The positive pressure demand valve therefore experiences wear which does not arise in other demand valves in which there is no contact between the valve member and the valve seat when the valve is open.
- Furthermore, during the period when the valve is open as a result of the rocking or pivoting of the tilt valve member on the valve seat the area of contact between the valve member and the valve seat is relatively small. In consequence the force per unit area which is exerted on the limited areas of the tilt valve member and the valve seat which are in pivoting contact when the demand valve is open is substantially greater than the force exerted between these contacting parts when the valve is closed and the areas of surface contact between the tilt valve member and the valve seat are greater. The forces involved in the rocking or pivoting movement when the demand valve opens are such that there is a special problem of wear in the positive pressure demand valve as a result of which there is a tendency for the materials of the valve member and the valve seat gradually to embed one in the other thereby impairing the breathing performance or causing a leakage through the valve.
- In the positive pressure demand valve both the tilt valve member and the valve seat are free to turn about their longitudinal axes and do in fact so rotate as a result of repeated operation of the demand valve. In consequence the wear caused by the rocking or pivoting movement when the demand valve opens is spread over an annular area of both the tilt valve member and the valve seat.
- Conventionally, the seat of the positive pressure demand valve has been made using phosphor bronze, and the tilt valve member has been made from Nylon 6. It is with these materials that, as a result of repeated operations of the valve, the relatively soft material of the tilt valve member can embed into the seat with the result that leakage through the valve occurs, or the breathing performance is impaired in some way, for example the valve does not open as it should in response to inhalation.
- The use of a harder material than Nylon 6 for the tilt valve member has proved to be no solution to this problem. When a harder material (such as carbon steel) is used either the seat area on which the tilt valve member pivots is bent and ultimately destroyed or it is found that the surface finish of the harder material used for the tilt valve member is not good enough to make a gas tight seal with the seat.
- According to the present invention these problems are overcome by employing jewels to provide the contact surfaces of both a valve seat and the sealing member which engages the seat in the closed condition of the valve. The term "jewel" is used in this specification to denote a crystal or a precious stone.
- According to the present invention there is provided a positive pressure demand valve comprising a valve body having an inlet and an outlet, a diaphragm within the valve body, a valve seat mounted within the inlet to the valve body, the valve seat including a jewel having an aperture therethrough constituting a flow passage for gas supplied under pressure, and a tilt valve member having a stem extending through the aperture in the seat jewel, one end of the stem contacting the diaphragm and arranged to be movable thereby in consequence of a reduction of pressure within the valve body, and a head on the stem on the side of the seat jewel remote from the diaphragm, the head constituting a sealing member engageable with the valve seat, and the head including a jewel which, in the closed condition of the valve, engages the seat jewel to prevent the flow of gas through the seat.
- Preferably each jewel is a corundum stone, conveniently a ruby or sapphire.
- In the examples which will be described hereinafter each jewel is a corundum ring stone, but the jewels are different. One of the jewels advantageously includes a portion of frusto-conical shape, the flat surface of the frustum constituting the surface engaged by the other jewel in the closed condition of the valve. The use of a jewel having such a portion of frusto-conical shape enables the contact areas of the two jewels to be reduced to an optimum area for obtaining the best sealing contact between the two jewels. Conveniently the seat jewel is the jewel which includes the portion of frusto-conical shape.
- It has, however, been found that the direct application of jewels as inserts in the head of the tilt valve member and in the valve seat does not give entirely satisfactory results in that the forces involved in the repeated opening and closing of the demand valve can result in chipping of the jewel.
- In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, therefore, it is proposed to overcome the problem of using jewels in the head of the tilt valve member and the valve seat of a positive pressure demand valve by mounting each of the jewels in a material which has a degree of resilience, for example a plastics material or a rubber material. By mounting both the jewels in a resilient material, the contact between the two jewels during the opening of the demand valve is modified to an extent such that chipping of either of the jewels as a result of their inherent brittleness is entirely avoided.
- In accordance with this aspect of the present invention the resilient mounting of the jewels may be obtained by making the bodies of the members in which the jewels are mounted entirely of the resilient material. The head of the tilt valve may be a plastics cap in which the jewel is mounted as an insert and similarly the body of the valve seat may be made of a plastics material. Alternatively either or both of the jewels may have a cushioning layer of resilient material such as rubber or plastics material between the jewel and a hard member.
- In a preferred embodiment, the seat jewel is an insert in a valve seat made of brass or similar nonferrous material or of stainless steel. The jewel is inset in a recess in the seat, the recess being machined to a size such that the jewel is a tight fit in the recess, so tight a fit it is almost an interference fit. Before inserting the jewel in the recess an annular cushion of a rubber or other resilient material is placed in the base of the recess. The circumferential surface of the jewel may be coated with an engineering adhesive, for example a methacrylate adhesive, which sets once the jewel has been inserted into the recess and in contact with the cushion of resilient material. Alternatively the jewel may be inserted into the recess in the seat without any adhesive and held in position against the cushion of resilient material in the recess either by plating the metallic seat in order to form a lip holding the jewel in position, or else by turning a preformed lip on the metallic seat over into a position to retain the jewel.
- The jewel in the sealing member which is for example the tilt valve member may be inserted as a snap fit within a recess in a member of plastics material, for example Nylon 66, or may be mounted in situ as part of the process of forming the tilt valve member.
- The present invention will be further understood from the following detailed description of a preferred .embodiment thereof which is made by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
- Figure 1 is a side view of a positive pressure demand valve incorporating the invention,
- Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the seat and the sealing member in the inlet to the valve of Figure 1,
- Figure 3 is a side view in cross-section on an enlarged scale of a corundum ring stone used as a jewel in the seat of the valve of Figures 1 and 2, and
- Figure 4 is a side view in cross-section on an enlarged scale (different from Figure 3) of a corundum ring stone used as a jewel on the sealing member of the valve of Figures 1 and 2.
- Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a positive pressure demand valve which has two
plastics body parts 1 and 2 of generally dished shape secured together at their outer peripheries by aclamping ring 3 secured by a clamping screw 4. Thebody part 2 is integrally moulded with acylindrical inlet 5 which receives asubassembly 6 of the components shown in Figure 2. Thebody part 2 is also formed with acylindricaloutlet 7 having a threadedring 8 for attaching the demand valve to the inlet of a face mask not shown. - Between the two
body parts 1 and 2 there is clamped at its periphery adiaphragm 9 engaged by one end of avalve stem 10 which extends through thecylindrical inlet 5 and carries at its end remote from the diaphragm ahead 12 which constitutes a sealing member. Thevalve stem 10 and thehead 12 are shown, together with the inventive features of the demand valve, in Figure 2 to which reference will now be made. - The valve stem 10 extends through a
brass body 13 of a valve seat and through the aperture in ajewel 14 which is advantageously a corundum ring stone. Thejewel 14 is mounted as an insert in a machined recess in theseat body 13 upon a layer 11 of rubber material of an annular shape. Thebody 13 and thejewel 14 together constitute the valve seat, of which the seat surface is provided by thejewel 14. The valve stem 10 carries at its end remote from thediaphragm 9 thehead 12 which comprises aplastics cap 16 in which ajewel 15, preferably another corundum ring stone of a different shape, is a snap fit. Thejewel 15 is thus mounted in a resilient material while thejewel 14 is resiliently mounted in thebody 13 as a result of the layer 11 which is an annular cushion. - The shapes of the two corundum ring stones constituting the
jewels jewels jewel 14 is formed to have a central precisely dimensionedcircular aperture 17 and a frusto-conical portion 18 at the end of thejewel 14 which will be engaged by the sealing member. This frusto-conical portion 18 of thejewel 14 is formed so that amajor part 19 of the surface of thejewel 14 facing the sealing member is an inclined conical surface and only aminor part 20 of that surface surrounding theaperture 17 through thejewel 14 is flat. - The
jewel 15 as shown in Figure 4 is a simple corundum ring stone having its outermost corners chamferred. Thus themain surface 21 of thejewel 15 facing theseat jewel 14 is a flat surface. However, when the sealing member which is thehead 12 engages the valve seat to close the valve, which it does with theflat surface 21 of thejewel 15 contacting the whole of theflat surface 20 of thejewel 14, the area of surface contact is limited by the relatively small area of the annularflat surface 20 of theseat jewel 14, thereby enabling a good gas-tight seal to be obtained. - In addition to the components mentioned above there is shown in Figure 2 a
hose connection 22 which is connected to the valve seat byscrew threads 23 and which also has ascrew thread 24 for receiving the hose from a pressure source of breathable gas. The junction of thehose connection 22 and thevalve seat body 13 is sealed by "0" rings 25, 26 and "0" rings 27 are also provided for sealing the valve seat body to theinlet 5 of the demand valve shown in Figure 1. - By use of jewels in the contact parts of demand valves as hereinbefore described an excellent gas-tight seal may be obtained and little or no embedding or wear is experienced in use. In consequence an improved and constant performance of breathing apparatus to specified standards is achieved.
Claims (8)
1. A positive pressure demand valve comprising a valve body (1,2) having an inlet (5) and an outlet (7), a diaphragm (9) mounted within the valve body (1,2), a valve seat (13) mounted within the inlet (5) to the valve body, the valve seat (13) having an aperture therethrough constituting a flow passage for gas supplied under pressure, and a tilt valve member having a stem (10) extending through the aperture in the valve seat, one end of the stem (10) contacting the diaphragm (9) and arranged to be movable thereby in consequence of a reduction of pressure within the valve body (1,2), and a head (12) on the stem on the side of the valve seat (13) remote from the diaphragm (9), the head (12) constituting a sealing member engageable with the valve seat (13), characterised in that the valve seat (13) includes a jewel (14) having an aperture therethrough coincident with the aperture in the valve seat (13), and the head includes a jewel (15) which, in the closed condition of the valve, engages the seat jewel (14).to prevent the flow of gas through the valve seat (13).
2. A valve according to Claim 1, characterised in that each jewel (14,15) is a corundum stone.
3. A valve according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised in that each jewel (14,15) is a corundum ring stone.
4. A valve according to Claim 3, characterised in that the seat jewel (14) includes a portion (18) of frusto-conical shape, the flat surface (20) of the frustum constituting the surface engaged by the jewel (15) of the sealing member in the closed condition of the valve.
5. A valve according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that each of the jewels (14,15) is in contact with a resilient material (11,16).
6. A valve according to Claim 5, characterised in that the head (12) of the tilt valve member comprises a cap (16) formed of the resilient material, and the sealing member jewel (15) is mounted in the cap (16) of resilient material.
7. A valve according to Claim 5 or Claim 6, characterised in that the resilient material constitutes a cushion (11) between the seat jewel (14) and a hard material of which the valve seat (13) is made.
8. A valve according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the seat jewel (14) is inset as a tight fit in a machined recess in a seat body (13) of metallic material upon an annular cushion (11) of a resilient material selected from the group consisting of plastics materials and rubber materials.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB8519926 | 1985-08-08 | ||
GB858519926A GB8519926D0 (en) | 1985-08-08 | 1985-08-08 | Valves |
GB8603390 | 1986-02-12 | ||
GB868603390A GB8603390D0 (en) | 1986-02-12 | 1986-02-12 | Valves |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0212873A1 true EP0212873A1 (en) | 1987-03-04 |
Family
ID=26289627
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP86305808A Ceased EP0212873A1 (en) | 1985-08-08 | 1986-07-29 | Positive pressure demand valves |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0212873A1 (en) |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2117931A (en) * | 1982-03-19 | 1983-10-19 | Dowty Hydraulic Units Ltd | Electro-hydraulic servo valves |
EP0126412A2 (en) * | 1983-05-19 | 1984-11-28 | SEKUR S.p.A. | Demand-valve for compressed-air breathing apparatus |
DE3420815A1 (en) * | 1984-05-30 | 1986-05-22 | Andreas Dr. 1000 Berlin Kage | Electronic metering unit for metering extremely small amounts of solvent at high pressure by means of a virtually inertia-less micro-metering valve, a solvent-independent flowmeter system and a low-axial-delay measuring section |
-
1986
- 1986-07-29 EP EP86305808A patent/EP0212873A1/en not_active Ceased
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2117931A (en) * | 1982-03-19 | 1983-10-19 | Dowty Hydraulic Units Ltd | Electro-hydraulic servo valves |
EP0126412A2 (en) * | 1983-05-19 | 1984-11-28 | SEKUR S.p.A. | Demand-valve for compressed-air breathing apparatus |
DE3420815A1 (en) * | 1984-05-30 | 1986-05-22 | Andreas Dr. 1000 Berlin Kage | Electronic metering unit for metering extremely small amounts of solvent at high pressure by means of a virtually inertia-less micro-metering valve, a solvent-independent flowmeter system and a low-axial-delay measuring section |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
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AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): DE FR SE |
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17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 19870723 |
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17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 19890201 |
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STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION HAS BEEN REFUSED |
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18R | Application refused |
Effective date: 19900407 |
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RIN1 | Information on inventor provided before grant (corrected) |
Inventor name: ALEXANDER, PAUL Inventor name: MAXWELL, IAN VICTOR |