EP0287564A1

EP0287564A1 - A valve component for a frictionless guided valve.

Info

Publication number: EP0287564A1
Application number: EP87900197A
Authority: EP
Inventors: David Godfrey Williams
Original assignee: David Godfrey Williams
Current assignee: ROUTLEDGE, MICHAEL
Priority date: 1985-12-21
Filing date: 1986-12-11
Publication date: 1988-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 2006-12-11
Also published as: DE3686770D1; GB2184521A; AU612107B2; CA1285849C; GB2184521B; WO1987003934A1; AU6771487A; DE3686770T2; ATE80702T1; EP0287564B1; IN166745B; GB8531550D0

Abstract

A composite valve plate for use in a plate-type non-return valve comprises an outer valve closure member (8) having a central aperture (9) and a planar guide member (1) locatable in said central aperture (9) and being capable or providing frictionless guidance of the valve closure member (8), with said guide member (1) being locatable within said aperture (9) by location means (4, 5, 6).

Description

A valve component for a frictionless guided valve.

The present invention relates to a valve component far use as part of a plate-type non-return valve and more particularly to a frictionless guide member for use with a valve closure member whereby a composite valve plate is formed. It is envisaged the valve closure member and the composite valve plate also form part of the present invention.

Hitherto in frictionless guided valves, valve plates are known which have been integrally formed of steel and have mainly comprised a main outer, annular valve closure portion normally provided with arcuate slots for the passage of air or other gases, and guide means located centrally of the valve closure portion to provide what is termed "frictionless guidance" with said guide means leading to mounting means which, in use in a valve, are clamped in position between the seat and guard of the valve. Hitherto known valve plates have been totally formed of steel or if formed of another material have been integrally formed i.e. the valve closure portion and the guide therefor have been one-piece.

Proposals have been made to form valve plates of titanium or plastics material or material other than steel but difficulties have been encountered. With a plate formed of titanium or plastics material, a considerable reduction in the weight of the plate can be achieved which is of considerable advantage since the inertia of the plate is reduced and the operation of a valve incorporating such a plate is enhanced. However, difficulties are experienced as a result of the poor flexing and wear characteristics of the central guide means which has detracted from the advantages resulting from the savings in weight.

According to the present invention a guide member for use as part of a plate for use in a plate-type non-return valve comprises central mounting means for enabling the guide member to be located in position in a valve, at least one resiliently flexible guide arm extending outwardly from or located outwardly of said central mounting means and leading to or joining with outer mounting means which permits the guide member to be connected to or mounted on an outer valve closure member.

The guide member will be of a material such as will exhibit the required flexibility and wear characteristics and will normally be of steel as used in known integrally formed valve plates. The guide member will generally be flat or lie in a single plane. The guide member will be of a thickness such as to exhibit the required resilience and flexibility and may be of a constant thickness or have reduced thickness portions to provide enhanced characteristics as may be desired. The central mounting means may be a central hub portion preferably with a central circular aperture therein or may be formed from separate arm portions leading inwardly from an outer continuous mounting portion. The central mounting means will have locating means such as cut out portions to ensure correct location of the member as is known in the central portions of known valve plates.

The at least one flexible guide arm may extend spirally outwardly of the central mounting means and will run into the outer mounting means although any other desired arrangement may be provided.

The outer mounting means will preferably be provided with means to ensure correct position thereof relative to the valve closure member with which it is to be used and this may comprise an outwardly extending projection which cooperates with and is locatable in a corresponding recess in the inner periphery of the valve closure member.

The outer mounting means will be such as to cooperate with means provided in the inner portion or portions of the valve closure member to ensure adequate retention. Preferably the mounting means will comprise two arms extending circularly from the end of the flexible guide arm in opposite directions and terminating with a space therebetween and being sufficiently resilient in the plane of the plate so as to be engageable with a corresponding circular groove or channel in the inner periphery of the valve closure member which is provided for receiving such in the manner of an internal circlip arrangement. Suitable apertures will be provided on the free ends of the mounting arms to permit engagement by suitable tools such as a pair of circlip pliers.

The guide member thus will normally be integrally formed αf one piece material preferably steel and be locatable in a specially formed valve closure member so as to provide for frictionless guidance thereof in desired manner.

Also according to the present invention a valve closure member comprises a generally annular or otherwise shaped plate member with through passages formed therein and having a central aperture therein for retainably receiving a guide member therein which is to provide frictionless guidance for the valve closure member.

The valve closure member is normally of a material of lesser density than steel and may be of any desired form and may be shaped to correspond to the valve closure portions of known integrally formed plate valve members - there being absent the central frictionless guidance portion and mounting portion and there being provided means for enabling location of the guide member centrally of the valve closure member.

The means for permitting location of the guide member centrally of the valve closure member may comprise a circular groove or channel of any desired cross-section extending around the inner periphery of the valve closure member and being of such a shape as to cooperate with the outer mounting means of a guide member so as to retain such therein. If the guide member were to have on its outer periphery a number of spaced apart projections, then one arrangement for location of the guide member might be to provide slots running into a groove or channel in the inner periphery of the valve closure member so as to permit insertion of the projections into said groove or channel and retention by a twisting movement of the guide member relative to the valve closure member with subsequent positional retention being achieved by the locating pins etc. of the valve to prevent undesired dislodgement of the guide member from the valve closure member.

Also according to the present invention a composite valve plate for use in a plate-type non-return valve comprises an outer valve closure member having a central aperture and a guide member locatable in said central aperture and being capable αf providing frictionless guidance of the valve closure member, with said guide member being locatable within said aperture by location means.

The location means will preferably be inter-cooperation means on the guide member and valve closure member and preferably comprise an annular groove or channel in the inner periphery of the valve closure member lying in the same plane as the valve closure member and into which channel or groove spring arms in the. form of an internal circlip may be locatable for retention purposes. Other location means may be provided by way of projection or rivetting or bonding or otherwise securing the guide member in position in the valve closure member.

It is of course important for the guide member to be retained against rotation relative to the valve closure member so as to maintain the passages in alignment with appropriate parts in the valve housing etc. and in this respect means are provided to prevent rotation of the guide member in the location means about a central axis transverse to the member. Stop means may comprise a radially extending projection and corresponding radially extending recess which are cooperable to prevent the mentioned rotation and may be provided an the guide member and closure member or vice versa. The same considerations as regards resilience and flexibility and lateral stability of the guide member as exist with the frictionless guide portions of known valve plates, for example when the guide member insert according to the present invention is made of steel or any other material suitable to provide the necessary lateral stiffness i.e. to prevent undue movement of the valve closure member in the plane in which it lies whilst at the same time providing the requisite resilience for frictionless guidance with other required characteristics of, for example, long life.

It is also important for the guide member to find its own central position or location concentrically within the valve and in this respect when, for example, the outer mounting means are in the form of oppositely directed arcuate spring arms to provide an internal circlip arrangement locatable within a groove within the central periphery of the aperture of the valve closure member, it is important for such spring arms to flex outwardly in opposite directions in the plane in which the member lies so that when located in the groove or channel of the valve closure member the central mounting means etc. ensure that the valve closure member is concentrically located within the valve housing.

It is accordingly to be appreciated that the concept of the invention enables a composite valve plate to be provided wherein the outer valve closure member may benefit from materials which enhance valve efficiency, for example, when of titanium or certain plastics material considerable weight reduction and therefore reduction in inertia is achieved whilst at the same time providing the requisite desirable characteristics of frictionless guidance i.e. guidance without sliding contact. The guide member will normally be made of steel as similar or equivalent to the central frictionless guide portions of known guide plates. It is of course to be appreciated that the thickness of the plate from which the guide member is made and indeed the thickness of the guide member may be considerably less than the thickness of the valve closure member to provide the required resilient flexibility somewhat along the lines of the central frictionless guide portion of known valve plates wherein the resilient guide arms are made of reduced thickness relative to the remainder of the valve plate.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a guide member according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the guide member of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a composite valve plate according to the present invention incorporating the guide member of Figs. 1 and 2 and including an outer valve closure member also according to the present invention; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line X - X of Fig. 3 but with the guide member being omitted.

In Figs. 1 and 2 a guide member 1 is illustrated comprising a central mounting means 2 in the form of an annular hub with cut-outs 2a, 2b for location purposes on pins within the valve housing (not shown). The hub 2 merges via a transition portion into a resiliently flexible spring arm or guide arm 3 which in the embodiment is concentric with the hub 2 although may in other embodiments be of spiral or other shape extension. The guide arm 3 merges via transition portion into outer mounting means 4 and 5 comprising two oppositely directed resilient spring arms 4 and 5 which are spirally tapered and lead to enlarged end portions 4a and 5a which have apertures therein for receiving circlip pliers to enable the arms 4 and 5 to be moved together to permit insertion of the guide member within an outer valve closure member as will be described subsequently. It will be appreciated that the arms 4 and 5 have to be resiliently flexible in the plane of the guide member 1 and spring apart upon release of the circlip pliers to engage in the grooves of a valve closure member and preferably when in such engaged position there will be certain pressure an the groove walls to ensure some abutment contact. A projection 6 extends from one side of the guide member and is cooperable with a recess 7 in the valve closure member 8 to ensure that the guide member 1 and closure member 8 do not move relative to one another once the guide member has been located so as to ensure correct alignment of the valve closure member within a valve housing. The guide member 1 in this embodiment is formed of steel and is of a thickness and characteristic as to provide the required resilient flexibility to ensure pliable frictionless guidance whilst providing the necessary actual stability as is required with frictionless guidance portions of known integrally formed valve plate. The guide member 1 is of constant thickness although may be fashioned as desired.

The outer valve closure member 8 illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 in the embodiment is made of plastics material or may be formed of suitable metal such as titanium to provide desired characteristics such as lightweight relative to known valve plates or at least the known outer valve closure portions of known integrally formed valve plates. It will be appreciated that the outer valve closure member may be of any suitable arrangement to close and open the valve ducts of a plate-type non-return valve and thus the particular arrangement is given by way of example only. The closure member 8 has a central circular aperture 9 and a continuous annual or groove 10 is provided as location means for the guide member 1 and receives the resilient arms 4 and 5. A recess 7 is provided to cooperate with the projections 6 so as to permit the guide member 1 to be inserted in the central aperture 9 in the valve closure member 8 and for the arms 4 and 5 to be located in the groove 10 but is such as to prevent rotation of guide member 1 relative to closure member 2 once the location has been effected. Whilst the groove 10 in the section 4 is illustrated as being of rectangular section such may be of any suitable shape or may in fact be of lesser relief, i.e. of lesser depth.

It will be appreciated that various modifications and changes may be effected without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in a valve plate arrangement whereby frictionless guidance or other guidance is effected by way of a guide portion being outwardly of the valve closure portion, the same considerations as regards composite construction and formation of the guide member of one suitable material and the valve closure member of another suitable and desirable material may be achieved.

Also whilst the present invention is generally related to a valve plate it is also considered to be within the scope of the present invention to provide an equivalent arrangement in a valve component such as guide washers, spring plates, cushion plates, damper plates and the like. As an example of an alternative arrangement for location of the guide member within the closure member, separate projections may be provided on the outer surface of the guide member almost in the form αf castellations and be insertable via corresponding castellated recesses in the periphery of the central aperture of the valve closure member leading to a groove therein or grooves therein with suitable locking means to prevent removal possibly somewhat in a manner of a bayonet clip arrangement. Alternatively projections or rivets may be provided for the location and securement.

As a further development of the inventive concept of the present invention a composite valve plate comprises an integrally formed metal plate part having an outer portion encapsulated, embedded or otherwise bonded to a plastics material or other material of lesser density than that of the metal from which said plate is composed and an inner portion comprising central mounting means and at least one resiliently flexible guide arm extending outwardly from or located outwardly of said central mounting means and joining with the outer plate portion; said outer plate portion corresponding in shape to a valve closure portion or otherwise extending from said central portion to act as interconnection means with said plastics material which is shaped so as to form the valve closure part of the plate. This development of the concept enables the weight of the valve plate to be reduced relative to known valve plates formed wholly of metal whilst taking advantage of the desirable characteristics of resilience, flexibility and long life enjoyed by the frictionless guidance of metal plates i.e. normally of steel. The metal plate part may be formed in the shape of a known valve plate but with at least the valve closure portion being of considerably reduced thickness relative to known plates thereby achieving considerable weight reduction. The plastics material may be integrally moulded around the outer plate portion or form a laminate with two annular sheets bonded either side of the outer plate portion and forming the valve closure portion.

Claims

1. A composite valve plate far use in a plate-type non-return valve comprises an outer valve closure member having a central aperture and a guide member locatable in said central aperture and being capable of providing frictionless guidance of the valve closure member, with said guide member being locatable within said aperture by location means.

2. A composite valve plate as claimed in claim 1 , in which the location means comprises inter-cooperation means on the guide member and valve closure member.

3. A composite valve plate as claimed in claim 2 , in which the location means comprises an annular groove or channel in the inner periphery of the valve closure member lying in the same plane as the valve closure member and into which channel or groove spring arms αf the guide member in the form αf an internal circlip may be locatable for retention purposes.

4. A composite valve plate as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 , in which means are provided to prevent rotation of the guide member in the location means about a central axis transverse to the member.

5. A composite valve plate as claimed in claim 4 , in which the rotation prevention means comprise stop means in the form of a radially extending projection and corresponding radially extending recess which are cooperable to prevent the mentioned rotation and are provided respectively on the guide member and located within the valve housing.

6. A composite valve plate as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the outer valve closure member is of a material which enhances valve efficiency, for example, is of titanium or certain plastics material, to achieve considerable weight reduction and therefore reduction in inertia, whilst the guide member is made of steel similar or equivalent to the central frictionless guide portions of known guide plates.

7. A composite valve plate as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 , in which the thickness of the guide member is considerably less than the thickness of the valve closure member to provide the required resilient flexibility.

8. A guide member far use as part of a plate for use in a plate-type non-return valve comprising central mounting means for enabling the guide member to be located in position in a valve, at least one resiliently flexible guide arm extending outwardly from or located outwardly of said central mounting means and leading to or joining with outer mounting means which permits the guide member tα be connected to or mounted on an outer valve closure member.

9. A guide member as claimed in claim 8, which is made of a steel having characteristics of spring arms as used in known integrally formed valve plates and/or the valve closure member is of plastics material or titanium or other material which provides a valve closure member of less weight compared with an identical member of steel as used in valve plates hitherto.

10. A guide member as claimed in claim 8 or 9, which is generally flat or lies in a single plane.

11. A guide member as claimed in any of claims 8 to10, in which the central mounting means is a central hub portion.

12. A guide member as claimed in claim 11,in which the central hub portion has a central circular aperture therein or is formed from separate arm portions leading inwardly from an outer continuous mounting portion.

13. A guide member as claimed in any αf claims 8 tα 12, in which the central mounting means has locating means such as cut out portions to ensure correct location of the member in a valve.

14. A guide member as claimed in any of claims 8 to 13 in which the at least one flexible guide arm extends spirally outwardly of the central mounting means, which is a central hub portion, and the arm runs into the outer mounting means.

15. A guide member as claimed in any of claims 8 to 14, in which the outer mounting means is provided with means to ensure correct position thereof relative to the valve closure member with which it is to be used.

16. A guide member as claimed in claim 15 in which the correct positioning means comprises an outwardly extending projection which cooperates with and is locatable in a corresponding recess in the inner periphery of the valve closure member.

17. A guide member as claimed in any of claims 8 to 15 in which the outer mounting means are such as to cooperate with means provided in the inner portion or portions of the valve closure member to ensure adequate retention.

18. A guide member as claimed in any of claims 8 to 17 in which the mounting means comprises two arms extending circularly from the end of the flexible guide arm in opposite directions and terminating with a space therebetween and being sufficiently resilient in the plane of the plate sα as to be engagεable with a corresponding circular groove or channel in the inner periphery of the valve closure member which is provided far receiving such in the manner of an internal circlip arrangement.

19. A guide member as claimed in claim 18, in which apertures are provided on the free ends of the mounting arms to permit engagement by a suitable tool.

20. A valve closure member comprising a generally annular or otherwise shaped plate member with through passages formed therein and having a central aperture therein for retainably receiving therein a guide member with which it is to be used and which guide member is to provide frictionless guidance for the valve closure member.

21. A valve closure member as claimed in claim 20 , which is of a material of lesser density than steel.

22. A valve closure member as claimed in claims 20 or

21, in which there are provided means for enabling location αf the guide member centrally of the valve closure member.

23. A valve closure member as claimed in claim 22, in which the means for permitting location of the guide member centrally of the valve closure member comprises a circular groove or channel of any desired cross-section extending around the inner periphery of the valve closure member and being of such a shape as to cooperate with the outer mounting means of a guide member with which it is to be used so as to retain such therein.

24. A valve closure member as claimed in claim 22, in which, where the means for permitting location of the guide member centrally comprises a number of spaced apart projections on the outer periphery, one arrangement for location of the guide member comprises the provision αf slots running into a groove or channel in the inner periphery of the valve closure member so as to permit insertion of the projections into said groove or channel and retention by a twisting movement of the guide member relative to the valve closure member with subsequent positional retention being achieved by the locating pins etc. of the valve to prevent undesired dislodgement of the guide member from the valve closure member.

25. A composite valve plate comprising a guide member as claimed in any of claims 8 to 18 in combination with a valve closure member as claimed in any of claims 20 to 24.

26. A guide member or valve closure member or composite valve plate substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.