JP2012145130A - Piston valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a piston valve that can improve durability.SOLUTION: The piston valve includes: a valve body 11 having an inlet port 12 for supplying a fluid, an outlet port 13, and flow passages 15, 14 and 16 for communicating with these ports; a valve seat member 17 provided on the way of the flow passages and having a valve seat 19; a valve rod 31 for opening and closing the valve seat of the valve seat member; and a driving part 50 for moving up and down the valve rod relative to the valve seat to open and close the valve seat. At least one of the valve seat member and the valve rod includes a base material and a hard coating layer formed on the surface of the base material. The hard coating layer is formed such that the hardness is gradually decreased as the distance from the surface of the base material becomes larger.

Description

  The present invention relates to a piston valve for controlling the supply of a high viscosity fluid mixed with hard particles, for example, an adhesive mixed with glass beads.

In an automobile body assembly line, a body panel called a door, a hood, a trunk or the like is basically composed of an inner panel and an outer panel. A caulking structure called “hemming” is adopted for the peripheral edge of the end portion where these panels are overlapped with each other, and a hemming adhesive is used for bonding the hemming portion (see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). .
The hemming adhesive is, for example, a mixture of spherical particles such as glass beads, ceramics, and hard alloy (stainless steel, titanium) as a spacer in a heat-cured epoxy resin. It plays a role of contributing to the temporary fixing effect.

Conventionally, when such a hemming adhesive is used in a vehicle body assembly line, a piston valve is used for supply control of the hemming adhesive.
In the piston valve, a valve seat is formed in the middle of the flow path connecting the fluid inlet port and the outlet port, the valve body is disposed with respect to this valve seat, and the valve body is valved by the piston sliding in the cylinder. It is a structure that controls the supply of fluid, that is, the hemming adhesive, by making contact with and separating from the seat (opening and closing operation).

JP 2004-26070 A Japanese Patent No. 2811372

  However, in conventional piston valves, the fluid to be controlled is a high-viscosity adhesive containing hard spherical particles such as glass beads, ceramics, and hard alloys (stainless steel, titanium). In order to reduce wear of the valve body and valve body, cemented carbide was used for the valve seat and valve body. However, when the valve is closed, a phenomenon such as damage to the valve body or the valve seat occurs due to an impact caused when the valve body collides with the valve seat.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a piston valve capable of solving the conventional problems and improving the durability.

  A piston valve according to the present invention includes an inlet port to which a fluid is supplied, an outlet port, a valve main body having a flow path communicating therewith, a valve seat member having a valve seat provided in the middle of the flow path, and the valve seat. A piston valve comprising: a valve stem that opens and closes a valve seat of a member; and a drive unit that opens and closes the valve seat by moving the valve stem into and out of contact with the valve seat. One is configured to include a base material and a hard coating layer formed on the surface of the base material, and the hardness of the hard coating layer gradually decreases as the distance from the surface of the base material increases. It is formed as follows.

According to such a configuration, the valve seat member or the valve stem, or the valve seat member and the valve stem includes the base material and the hard coating layer formed on the surface of the base material. Since it is formed so that the hardness gradually decreases as the distance from the surface of the substrate increases, that is, the surface side is formed most hard, such as an adhesive mixed with hard particles such as glass beads Even when used for fluid control, wear of the valve seat member or valve stem due to hard particles can be reduced.
In addition, since the hardness of the valve seat member and / or the valve stem gradually decreases as the distance from the surface increases, there is an impact when the valve stem collides with the valve seat when the valve is closed. However, phenomena such as breakage of the valve stem and valve seat can be reduced. By these, durability can be remarkably improved.

Here, “Jcoat α (trademark)” manufactured by Nippon Coating Center Co., Ltd. can be used as the hard coating layer. Specifically, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2773092, at least one of nitrogen and carbon is diffused in the base material, and the first diffusion layer is formed on the surface of the base material. And at least one selected from nitrogen and carbon and metals of group IVa and Va in the periodic table are diffused and formed in the base material, and formed on the surface of the first diffusion layer. A second diffusion layer formed on the surface of the second diffusion layer, and at least one of a metal carbide, nitride and carbonitride selected from metals of group IVa and Va of the periodic table. The structure containing the formed hard film is employable.
With such a configuration, the adhesion of the hard coating layer is high, and the wear resistance and durability can be remarkably improved.

In the piston valve of the present invention, it is preferable that a lubricating coating layer having liquid repellency with respect to the fluid is provided on the surface of the hard coating layer.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the fluid from adhering to the valve seat member and the valve stem and hindering the operation by the lubricating coating layer, so that the operation of the piston valve is stabilized over a long period of time. be able to.

In the piston valve of the present invention, it is preferable that the valve body is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy containing aluminum as a main component.
According to such a configuration, the valve body is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy containing aluminum as a main component, so that the entire piston valve can be reduced in weight. For this reason, what has been heavy up to now and whose application has been limited to fixation and deferment can be mounted on a robot or the like, and the use can be expanded.

In the piston valve of the present invention, the valve stem is supported by a valve member that opens and closes the valve seat, and an outer end side of the valve member is movably supported by the valve body in the contact / separation operation direction of the valve stem. The first shaft portion, which includes the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion, and is located in the inlet port side flow passage partitioned by the valve seat, faces the valve member and faces the inlet port. It is preferable that a pressure receiving portion for receiving the fluid pressure to be supplied is provided, and the pressure receiving area of the pressure receiving portion and the pressure receiving area of the valve member when the valve seat is closed are formed substantially the same.
According to such a configuration, the pressure of the fluid supplied to the inlet port acts on the pressure receiving portion provided in the first shaft portion and the valve member when the valve seat is closed. Since the pressure receiving area of the pressure receiving portion and the pressure receiving area of the valve member are formed substantially the same, the force when closing the valve member relative to the valve seat (force when closing the valve) can be reduced. For this reason, the drive unit for driving the valve stem can be made small, and this can also reduce the weight.

  In the Piton valve of the present invention, a seal member is provided between the first shaft portion and the valve body, and between the second shaft portion and the valve body, and the seal member has an annular groove. An elastic seal ring having an inner annular lip on the inner side and an outer annular lip on the outer side, and a cross section that is housed in an annular groove of the seal ring and urges the inner and outer annular lips away from each other It is preferable to include a V-shaped spring member and a restricting member that is inserted into the spring member and restricts the spring member and the seal ring from moving in the moving direction of the valve stem.

  According to such a configuration, the seal member includes the seal ring and the V-shaped spring member that is housed in the annular groove of the seal ring and biases the inner annular lip and the outer annular lip away from each other. Since the inner annular lip is urged to contact the valve stem and the outer annular lip is brought into contact with the valve body by the spring member, the fluid can be sealed. Moreover, when the valve stem moves in the axial direction, the seal ring also tries to move in the axial direction. However, since the seal ring is provided with a restricting member that restricts the movement of the seal ring in the movement direction of the valve stem, It is possible to reliably regulate the movement of the ring in the axial direction. Therefore, the sealing effect can be maintained for a long time.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance of embodiment of the piston valve which concerns on this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the cross section of embodiment same as the above. Sectional drawing which shows a part of sealing member used in embodiment same as the above.

<Configuration of piston valve>
The piston valve of this embodiment is for controlling the supply of an adhesive for hemming in which hard particles such as glass beads, ceramics, and hard alloys (stainless steel, titanium) are mixed in a heat-cured epoxy resin, for example. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the valve main body 10, the drive unit 50, and the connecting unit 40 that connects the valve main unit 10 and the drive unit 50 are provided.
The valve body 10 has a valve body 11. The valve body 11 has an inlet port 12 to which a fluid to be controlled is supplied on one side surface, and an outlet port 13 on the other side surface that opens along the same axis. It is formed orthogonal to the axis connecting the port 12 and the outlet port 13. Communication passages 15 and 16 are formed between the inlet port 12 and the valve stem storage hole 14 and between the outlet port 13 and the valve stem storage hole 14, respectively. Therefore, the inlet port 12 and the outlet port 13 are communicated with each other through the communication passages 15 and 16 and the valve rod storage hole 14 as flow paths. The communication path 15 is formed to extend obliquely downward from the back of the inlet port 12 toward the valve rod storage hole 14. The communication path 16 is formed to extend obliquely upward from the back of the outlet port 13 toward the valve rod storage hole 14.

A valve seat member 17 is held at an intermediate position of the valve stem housing hole 14, that is, between the communication passages 15 and 16. The valve seat member 17 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a through hole 18 therein, and has a valve seat 19 having a tapered surface on the periphery of the through hole on the upper surface side.
A support bush 27 is screwed onto the upper surface opening side and the lower surface opening side of the valve stem housing hole 14 via a collar 21 formed in a ring shape with high-speed steel, a resin stem guide 22 and a seal member 23. The valve rod 31 is supported between the upper and lower support bushes 27 so as to be movable in the axial direction.
As shown in FIG. 3, the seal member 23 includes a seal ring 24 made of an elastic material (for example, resin or rubber) having an inner annular lip 24 </ b> B on the inner side and an outer annular lip 24 </ b> C on the outer side with the annular groove 24 </ b> A interposed therebetween, A spring member 25 having a V-shaped cross section housed in the annular groove 24A of the seal ring 24 and urging the inner annular lip 24B and the outer annular lip 24C in a direction away from each other, and a spring inserted into the spring member 25 A ring-shaped regulating member 26 that regulates movement of the member 25 and the seal ring 24 in the axial direction of the valve stem housing hole 14 is configured.
The support bush 27 is formed with a flow path 28 that communicates the gap between the valve stem 31 and the support bush 27 to the outside. A needle valve 29 is screwed into the flow path 28, and the opening degree of the flow path 28 can be adjusted by the needle valve 29.

The valve stem 31 has a first stem 32 as a first shaft portion movably supported by a lower support bush 27 at the lower end, and an upper end of the first stem 32 screwed to the upper support bush 27. The second stem 33 as a second shaft portion that is movably supported, and a valve member 34 that is held between the first stem 32 and the second stem 33 and opens and closes the valve seat 19 are configured. Yes.
The first stem 32 is provided with a pressure receiving portion 32 </ b> A that faces the valve member 34 and receives the fluid pressure supplied to the inlet port 12. The pressure receiving area of the pressure receiving portion 32A and the pressure receiving area of the valve member 34 when the valve seat 19 is closed are formed in substantially the same area.

  The connecting portion 40 fixes the connecting piece 41, the bolt 42 that fixes the drive unit 50 to the connecting piece 41, and the connecting piece 41 to another fixing member 43 (that is, the piston valve is fixed to the fixing member 43. And bolts 44 to be fixed. A through hole 41 </ b> A is formed in the center of the upper surface of the connecting piece 41.

The drive unit 50 is housed in a cylinder case 51 having an upper surface opened and having a cylinder chamber 51A therein, a lid member 52 fixed to the upper surface of the cylinder case 51 and closing the upper surface opening, and slidable in the cylinder chamber 51A. A piston 53, a spring member 54 that is inserted between the piston 53 and the lid member 52, and constantly biases the piston 53 downward, and is inserted into the center of the piston 53 so that its upper end protrudes from the upper surface of the lid member 52; The lower end of the stem 53 protrudes from the lower surface of the piston 53, and the shaft 56 is screwed into the lower end of the stem 55 to connect the piston 53 and the valve rod 31.
An air supply path 51B for supplying air into the cylinder chamber 51A is opened on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder case 51.

Here, the valve main body 11 constituting the valve main body part 10, the connecting piece 41 constituting the connecting part 40, the cylinder case 51 constituting the driving part 50, the lid member 52 and the piston 53 are mainly composed of aluminum or aluminum, It is made of an aluminum alloy containing copper, manganese, silicon, magnesium, zinc, nickel and the like.
Therefore, since the entire piston valve can be reduced in weight, it can be mounted on robots, etc., which have been heavy up to now and have been used only for fixed or stationary applications, so that the usage can be expanded. It has become.

Moreover, about the 1st stem 32, the 2nd stem 33, and the valve member 34 which comprise the valve stem 31, and the valve seat member 17, the hard coating formed in the surface of this high-speed steel base material, and this base material And a lubricating coating layer formed on the surface of the hard coating layer and having liquid repellency with respect to fluid.
Here, as a base material, it consists only of a steel-type metal base material, for example, high-speed steel, such as SKH51, heat-resistant steel, such as SUS310S, and corrosion-resistant acid-resistant steel, such as SUS410.

  The hard coating layer is formed so that the hardness gradually decreases as the distance from the surface of the substrate increases. Specifically, as in the surface coating layer disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2773902, at least one of nitrogen and carbon is diffused in the base material, and the first surface formed on the surface of the base material. A diffusion layer and at least one selected from metals of Group IVa and Va of the periodic table and at least one selected from nitrogen and carbon are formed in the base material by diffusing and formed on the surface of the first diffusion layer A second diffusion layer formed on the surface of the second diffusion layer, and at least one of a metal carbide, nitride and carbonitride selected from metals of group IVa and Va of the periodic table. The structure containing the formed hard film is employable.

The first diffusion layer is formed by diffusing carbon and / or nitrogen in the same steel-based metal base material as that of the base material, and the carbon and nitrogen are present in a solid solution state in the base material. Here, the carbon and / or nitrogen diffused in the base material is not originally contained in the base material but is diffused in the base material later. In the first diffusion layer, carbon and nitrogen do not exist as a compound with a metal component, that is, carbide or nitride, including the vicinity of the interface with the adjacent second diffusion layer.
In order to form the first diffusion layer in the base material, a known method can be used. For example, any of a method using a molten salt, a method using a gas, and a method using an ion may be used.

The second diffusion layer is located between the first diffusion layer and the hard coating and functions to firmly bond both. The nitrogen and / or carbon diffused in the second diffusion layer and the metals of Group IVa and / or Va are not originally contained in the base material, but are later included in the base material. It is diffused inside. It is desirable that the IVa group and Va group metals diffused in the base material are inclined in a state where the concentration is high on the hard film side and low on the first diffusion layer side. When the concentration is inclined like this, the side close to the hard coating of the second diffusion layer is rich in IVa group and Va group metal, so the affinity with the hard coating is high, and the changes in physical properties at the interface are slow. A strong bond can be obtained.
In order to form the second diffusion layer in the base material, for example, the metal vapor is ionized and accelerated by an electric field by ion implantation or ion bombardment which gives the metal vapor high kinetic energy, and these metals are accelerated. A method in which the component is driven into the surface of the intermediate product on which the first diffusion layer is formed is preferable.

The hard coating is composed of one or more selected from carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides of Group IVa and / or Va metals of the periodic table, and may be formed as a single layer. It may be formed of the above layers. Examples of the IVa group metal used include Ti, Zr, and Hf, and examples of the Va group metal include V, Nb, and Ta.
The hard film can be formed by vapor deposition using a known reactive gas (for example, N ₂ , hydrocarbons), sputtering, ion plating, or CDV method.
If such a composite treatment is performed on the substrate, the adhesion of the hard coating layer to the substrate is high, and the wear resistance and durability can be significantly improved.

The lubricating coating layer has a property of having liquid repellency with respect to the fluid to be controlled, and is a coating layer made of a fluororesin. An example is “HANARL RX-4552 (trademark)” manufactured by Kanto Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Therefore, since the lubricant coating layer can prevent the fluid from adhering to the valve seat member 17 and the valve stem 31 and hindering the operation, the operation of the piston valve can be stabilized over a long period of time.

<Action and effect of piston valve>
In use, a high-viscosity adhesive supply pipe containing hard particles such as glass beads, ceramics, and hard alloy (stainless steel, titanium) is connected to the inlet port 12, and the outlet port 13 is adhesive. Connect the pipe connected to the coating machine. In this state, when an adhesive is supplied to the inlet port 12, the adhesive passes from the inlet port 12 to the valve seat 19 blocked by the valve member 34 of the valve stem 31 through the communication passage 15 and the valve stem storage hole 14. Reach.
At this time, the pressure of the adhesive supplied to the inlet port 12 acts on the pressure receiving portion 32A provided on the first stem 32 and the valve member 34 when the valve seat 19 is closed. Since the pressure receiving area of the pressure receiving portion 32A and the pressure receiving area of the valve member 34 are formed to be substantially the same, the force when closing the valve member 34 with respect to the valve seat 19 (force when closing the valve) can be reduced. For this reason, the drive unit 50 for driving the valve stem 31 can also be made small, so that the weight can be reduced.

Here, when air is supplied into the cylinder chamber 51 </ b> A from the air supply path 51 </ b> B, the piston 53 is moved upward against the spring member 54. Then, as the piston 53 moves upward, the valve rod 31 is also moved upward, so that the valve member 34 opens the valve seat 19. As a result, the adhesive is fed from the outlet port 13 through the valve seat 19, the valve stem storage hole 14 and the communication path 16.
After air is supplied from the air supply path 51B after a predetermined amount of adhesive is supplied, the piston 53 is moved downward by the urging force of the spring member 54. Then, as the piston 53 moves downward, the valve rod 31 is also moved downward, so that the valve member 34 closes the valve seat 19. Thereby, supply of an adhesive agent is interrupted | blocked.

At this time, the valve stem 31 including the valve member 34 and the valve seat member 17 include a base material and a hard coating layer formed on the surface of the base material, and the hard coating layer is a distance from the surface of the base material. When it is used to control fluids such as adhesives mixed with hard particles such as glass beads because the surface side is formed to be the hardest, because it is formed so that the hardness gradually decreases with increasing However, wear of the valve seat member 17 or the valve stem 31 due to hard particles can be reduced.
Further, even if an impact is applied to the valve stem 31 due to the reciprocating motion of the valve stem 31, the hardness of the valve seat member 17 and the valve stem 31 gradually decreases as the distance from the surface increases. Phenomena such as 31 and the valve seat member 17 being damaged can be reduced. By these, durability can be remarkably improved.

  Incidentally, in the configuration of the above embodiment, a hard coating layer is formed on the surface of the valve seat member 17 and the valve stem 31 by “Jcoat α (trademark)” manufactured by Nippon Coating Center Co., Ltd. A piston valve formed with “HANARL RX-4552 (trademark)” manufactured by Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. was tested for durability using a fluid to be controlled as an adhesive for hemming mixed with glass beads. Durability performance of 10,000 times or more was obtained. According to the knowledge of the inventor, this can drastically improve the durability as compared with the conventional durability performance of about 50,000 times.

  Further, the seal member 23 includes a seal ring 24 and a V-shaped spring member 25 which is housed in the annular groove 24A of the seal ring 24 and biases the inner annular lip 24B and the outer annular lip 24C in a direction away from each other. Therefore, the spring member 25 can urge the inner annular lip 24B to contact the valve stem 31 and the outer annular lip 24C to contact the support bush 27. Can be sealed. In addition, when the valve stem 31 moves in the axial direction, the seal ring 24 also tries to move in the axial direction, but a regulating member 26 that regulates the movement of the seal ring 24 in the moving direction of the valve stem 31 is provided. Therefore, the movement of the seal ring 24 in the axial direction can be restricted. Therefore, the sealing effect can be maintained for a long time.

<Modification>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, and the like within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.
In the above-described embodiment, the surface coating layer disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2773092 is exemplified as an example of the hard coating layer formed on the surface of the base material. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and other methods may be used. For example, as disclosed in JP-A-58-64377, a nitride layer or a carbonitride layer is formed on the surface of a substrate, and a carbide, nitride, or a group IVa metal or a group Va metal is formed thereon. One or two or more coating layers of carbonitride may be formed.

  Further, the member forming the hard coating layer is not limited to the example in which the entire valve seat member 17 and the valve stem 31 are targeted as described in the above embodiment, but one of the valve seat member 17 and the valve stem 31 is also provided. Alternatively, the hard coating layer may be formed only on the portions of the valve seat member 17 and the valve stem 31 that are in contact with each other.

  In the above-described embodiment, “HANARL RX-4552 (trademark)” manufactured by Kanto Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. has been described as the lubricating coating layer provided on the surface of the hard coating layer, but is not limited thereto. Any other coating layer may be used as long as it has a liquid repellency with respect to the fluid to be controlled.

  In the said embodiment, although the control object fluid was the adhesive for hemming which mix | blended the glass bead, it is not restricted to this. It may be used for purposes other than the use of a vehicle body assembly line, and is particularly suitable for controlling a high-viscosity fluid mixed with hard particles.

  The present invention can be used for, for example, a piston valve that controls the supply of an adhesive mixed with hard particles such as glass beads.

11 ... Valve body,
12 ... Inlet port,
13 ... Exit port,
14 ... Valve rod storage hole (flow path),
15 ... Communication passage (flow path),
16 ... Communication path (flow path),
17 ... valve seat member,
19 ...
23 ... Sealing member,
24 ... seal ring,
24A ... annular groove,
24B ... inner annular lip,
24C ... outer annular lip,
25 ... Spring member,
26: restriction member,
31 ... Valve stem,
32 ... 1st stem (1st axial part),
32A ... pressure receiving part,
33 ... 2nd stem (2nd axial part),
34. Valve member,
50: Drive unit.

Claims (6)

A valve body having an inlet port, an outlet port to which a fluid is supplied, and a flow path communicating with these, a valve seat member having a valve seat provided in the middle of the flow path, and opening and closing the valve seat of the valve seat member In a piston valve comprising a valve stem and a drive unit that opens and closes the valve seat by moving the valve stem to and away from the valve seat,
At least one of the valve seat member and the valve stem includes a base material and a hard coating layer formed on the surface of the base material,
The said hard coating layer is formed so that hardness may fall gradually as the distance from the surface of the said base | substrate increases, The piston valve characterized by the above-mentioned. The piston valve according to claim 1,
The hard coating layer is formed by diffusing at least one of nitrogen and carbon in the base material, a first diffusion layer formed on the surface of the base material, and nitrogen and carbon in the base material And a second diffusion layer formed on the surface of the first diffusion layer, and at least one selected from metals of Group IVa and Va of the Periodic Table, A hard coating formed on the surface of the second diffusion layer, and formed of at least one of carbide, nitride and carbonitride of a metal selected from Group IVa and Va metals Piston valve characterized by The piston valve according to claim 1 or 2,
A piston valve characterized in that a lubricating coating layer having liquid repellency to the fluid is provided on the surface of the hard coating layer. In the piston valve in any one of Claims 1-3,
The said valve main body is comprised with the aluminum alloy which has aluminum or aluminum as a main component, The piston valve characterized by the above-mentioned. The piston valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The valve stem includes a valve member that opens and closes the valve seat, and a first shaft portion and a second shaft that are supported by the valve body so that the outer end side of the valve member can move in the contact / separation operation direction of the valve stem. And a shaft portion,
The first shaft portion located in the inlet port side flow passage partitioned by the valve seat is provided with a pressure receiving portion that faces the valve member and receives the fluid pressure supplied to the inlet port. The piston valve is characterized in that the pressure receiving area of the valve member and the pressure receiving area of the valve member when the valve seat is closed are formed substantially the same. The piston valve according to claim 5,
Seal members are provided between the first shaft portion and the valve body, and between the second shaft portion and the valve body,
The seal member has an elastic seal ring having an inner annular lip on the inner side and an outer annular lip on the outer side with the annular groove interposed therebetween, and the inner annular lip and the outer annular lip housed in the annular groove of the seal ring. A spring member having a V-shaped cross section that is urged in a separating direction, and a restriction member that is inserted into the spring member and restricts movement of the spring member and the seal ring in the movement direction of the valve stem. Piston valve characterized by that.

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