IE49008B1 - Spherical valve assembly and seal - Google Patents

Abstract

A spherical valve structure comprising a valve housing (2), a spherical valve element (10), seals (11, 12) for said valve element (10) and a pivotable control rod (13) with a knob (17) or lever, in which the valve housing (2) may be of a one-piece construction. The inside diameter of the bore in the valve neck (3) accommodating said control rod (13) is dimensioned to allow the spherical valve element (10) and related seals (11, 12) to be inserted into a chamber (9) in said valve housing (2).

Description

This invention relates to a spherical valve assembly and a seal therefor, the term valve applying herein to any flow control, shut-off and the like device, such as is commonly employed in fluid delivery lines or ducts.

Known are several current spherical valve structures which feature in common a two-piece valve housing construction, namely one piece or part comprising the seat accommodating the spherical valve element, which part also includes the valve neck and a fluid communication fitting, and another part provided with the other valve port, said latter part being threadedly engaged with the former part. In these known types, the inner front face of the threaded fitting of the part including just a single port forms, when assembled, one of two seats accommodating respective seals for the spherical valve element. In conventional solutions, the valve element control member, termed rod”, may be associated with a knob or a lever which is pivotable between two travel limit positions through an angle which is generally of 90 degrees.

While spherical valves are made up of parts which provide for a simple operational mode, high precision machining is involved in their construction.

Moreover, conventional spherical valves exhibit several drawbacks and disadvantages, the most important whereof are that: - the valve construction is an expensive one, because two threaded portions must be provided for associating the two parts forming the valve housing together; - the assembling procedure is a time-consuming operation, since additionally to the time required for assembling and sealing the two parts which make up the valve housing, the tight fit of the same has to be checked; - the seating of the spherical valve element and its seals is not defined uniquely, but rather by tightening the two parts together, which may result, on the one hand, in a leaky valve when operated, and on the other hand, in uneven sizing of the seats involved; - it happens that, upon assembling said valves to the lines, since the same are generally required to take a definite position with respect to the lines for convenience of handling the control knob or lever, the two parts of the valve may become shifted angularly with respect to each other, thus affecting the fluid tightness of the valve assembly.

This invention sets out to remove the aforementioned disadvantages of conventional valves by providing a spherical valve which affords; - a simpler and quicker manufacturing and assembling procedure; - constant and reproducible dimensions of the spherical valve element seats; and - prevention of leakage through the valve.

According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a spherical valve assembly comprising: (a) a one-piece valve housing defining a valve chamber having opposed seats surrounding respective entry and exit ports of the chamber; (b) an annular seal located on each opposed seat; (c) a spherical valve element mounted between the seals; and (d) a control element connected to the valve element and located Ϊλ a bc/S- ukick extends HutuCj), a Unit «· 49008 of the housing, which opens into the chamber and which is dimensioned to allow at least the spherical valve element to be inserted therethrough into the chamber, wherein the control element is arranged to rotate the valve element, includes a seal acting on the bore, has a flange associated with the seal and has further a snap ring which is accomodated in a related seat in the bore to form stop means, with an anti-friction washer being located between the snap ring and the flange associated with the seal, thereby facilitating sliding movement between the snap ring and the flange.

Advantageously, there are provided fire-preventing means for covering the seals from the inside. For instance, adjacent the seal seats, fire preventing lugs may be provided.

Further features, advantages and details of the spherical valve assembly according to the invention will be more clearly apparent from the following description, to be taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in v/hich: Figure 1 is a longitudinal mid-sectional view through a spherical valve assembly; Figure 2 shows, on a reduced scale with respect to Figure 1, a perspective view of the valve assembly of Figure 1, the knob being represented therein prior to its assembly; and Figure 3 is a bottom view of the knob of Figure 2 above.

With reference to the figures of the drawing, a spherical valve assembly according to this invention is generally indicated at 1. It comprises a housing 2 which, in accordance with this invention, is of a one-piece construction. The housing 2 includes a neck portion 3 defining a bore communicating with a chamber 9 in the housing 2 and two end fittings or connective portions 4, 5 which, in the embodiment illustrated, are provided with external threads, although any suitable design will be satisfactory in actual practice, such as a single taper with 0-ring, male pipe threads, female pipe threads, hose connection fitting, soldered connection copper pipe fitting, S.A.E. standard fitting etc. In Figure 1, for the sake of completeness, there are shown for each fitting of the housing 2, a ring seal 6, an outer fitting 7, and a retaining ring 8. The chamber 9 defined by the housing 2 accommodates a spherical valve element lo therein, interposed seals 11, 12 being located on opposed seats defining entry and exit ports.

The numeral 13 denotes a control rod or element, which includes a ring seal or gasket 14 and a shank 15 engaging a specially provided seat 16 in the control knob 17 and a further shank 15a engaging in a further seat 16a in the valve element 10. The upper edge of the neck 3 of the valve is formed with detents or stops 18, 19 cooperating with lugs 20, 21 internal to the knob 17 such as to allow the latter to be turned through, for example, 90°. The drawing also shows at 22 a snap ring, and at 23 an anti-friction material washer. The snap ring 22 is accommodated in a respective seat 24 in the bore in the neck 3.

As can be observed in Figure 1, the crosssectional configuration of the seals 11, 12 is axially elongate or more extended longitudinally it being also symmetrical about a radial plane. It is further evident how the spherical valve element 10 can be easily introduced into its chamber 9 from above, through the bore in the neck 3 of the valve 1 either after the seals 11,12 have been located on their seats or as a unit with the seals.

The seats for the seals 11, 12 are in the form of machined undercuts, thereby they are easily made in a quick manner without being committed to a pre49008 determined profile. Such seals, 11 and 12, are subjected upon insertion to an elastic deformation, thus affording a correct positioning of the spherical element 10.

Dotted lines in Figure 1 indicate covering elements applied from the inside onto the seals 11, 12, which may be advantageous in some applications involving fire hazards.

As can be inferred from the drawings, the assembling of the valve assembly, according to this invention, is performed in a very short time, and by virtue of the symmetrical design of the seals 11, 12, no problansare encountered if the seals are interchanged.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the solution proposed by this invention effectively achieves the object set forth in the preamble, as well as the advantages thereof.

More specifically, any problems relating to the fluid tight assembling of the valve are prevented, while ensuring complete reproducibility of the dimensions of the chamber 9 accommodating the spherical element 10 with the seals 11, 12.

The assembling of the rod 13, as well as of the ancillary parts 22, 23 and 17, is also carried out in a quick and failsafe manner. Manufacturing costs are reduced considerably, while at the same time, the desired geometrical engagement of the seals 11, 12 with respect to the accommodating chamber 9 is accomplished in an accurate manner.

In actual practice, quite satisfactory results have been obtained through the use of seals 11, 12 made of rubber. Obviously, it is just as possible to use any other materials having a sufficient degree of deformability, as well as seals including inserts of the grommet type, either in the form of toroidal O-rings or spiral wound filaments, or the like, or to utilize composite materials providing, for example, an inner ring or liner of an elastic material and an outer ring or shell which is Teflcn (Registered Trads Mark) coated.

Xn putting the invention into practice any individual part may be replaced with another technically and function-wise equivalent part, or part having a different geometrical shape, while the cited control knob may be replaced with a lever member, and the end fittings of the valve body may be given any desired shape. Furthermore, the dimensions and materials may be selected as desired to suit individual application requirements.

Also, the control element may be formed with a recess accommodating a spring acting at one end against the bottom of the recess, and at the other end on the bottom of the seat in the spherical valve element for receiving the control element.

Claims (7)

1. CLAIMS : 1. A spherical valve assembly comprising: (a) a one-piece valve housing defining a valve chamber having opposed seats surrounding respective entry and exit ports of the chamber; (b) an annular seal located on each opposed seat; (c) a spherical valve element mounted between the seals; and (d) a control element connected to the valve element and located in a bore which extends through a wall of the housing, which opens into the chamber and which is dimensioned to allow at least the spherical valve element to be inserted therethrough into the chamber. wherein the control element is arranged to rotate the valve element, includes a seal acting on the bore, has a flange associated with the seal and has further a snap ring which is accommodated in a related seat in the bore to form stop means, with an anti-friction washer being located between the snap ring and the flange associated with the seal, thereby facilitating sliding movement between the snap ring and flange.

2. A spherical valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the annular seals are symmetrical about a radial plane.

3. A spherical valve assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cross-sectional configuration of the annular seals or the material used therefor, is arranged or selected, as the case may be to confer to the seals the required degree of elastic deformation to allow the spherical valve element to be positioned therebetween after they have been placed on their seats in the chamber.

4. A spherical valve assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the control element is formed with a recess accommodating a spring acting at one end against the bottom of the recess, and at the other end on the bottom of a seat in the spherical valve element for receiving the control element.

5. A spherical valve assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein, adjacent the seats for the seals of the spherical valve element and on the inner side thereof, fire preventing lugs are provided.

6. A spherical valve assembly according to any 5 preceding claim, wherein a knob or lever is mounted on the control element.

7. A spherical valve assembly substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.