NZ205799A - Butterfly valve assembly,assembly collar secures valve and flanged ends of pipe - Google Patents

Description

205799 2 7SEP J984 ■ I'i-.'iy PATENTS FORM NO: 5 THE PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION After Provisional No: 205799 Dated; 29th September 1983 TITLE: "IMPROVEMENTS DM OR RELATING TO VALVING MEANS".

I, Norman William Hawes, a British subject and New Zealand citizen of 77 Howell Avenue, Hillcrest, Hamilton, New Zealand hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 205799 This invention relates to valve assemblies.

Shut-off valves such as butterfly and ball valves are commonly used in the dairy and food processing industries as well as having common application in other industries. Butterfly valves are commonly used as quick release valves. In some industries there is a requirement that the regions of the valves in contact with a fluid mainstream be made in corosion resistant material and that seals of the valves also in contact with the processed materials be corosion resistant as much as practicable, and also the construction of the valves should be such that seals are easily replaced. In some instances the valves are required to withstand quite high pressures and as a result they are built sturdily which is reflected in the cost of the assemblies.

There is a substantial market for shut-off valves which operate under relatively lower pressures and it is an object of the present invention to provide a valve assembly which is of simplified construction and will go at least some way to meeting the existing demand for a less costly valve.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example.

According to the present invention there is provided a valve assembly comprising a closure member, a substantially annular locating member to which the closure member is pivotally located, a pair of tube sections having at least one flanged end, and a pair of assembly collars which when secured relative to each other provide a socket to which the locating member and the flanged ends of the tube sections are accommodated.

Aspects of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to„the accompanying drawings in which: 205799 Figure 1: is an end view of a valve assembly in accordance with one possible embodiment of the present invention illustrated by way of example, and Figures 2 and 3; are cross-sections taken at A:A of Figure 1 showing the valve partially and then fully open.

According to the present invention therefor there is provided a valve assembly generally indicated by arrow 1 comprising a closure member generally indicated by arrow 2, a substantially annular locating member generally indicated by arrow 3 in which the closure member 2 is pivotably located, a pair of tube sections generally indicated by arrow 4 having at least one flanged end 5, and a pair of assembly collars each being indicated by arrow 6 which when secured relative to oneanother provide a socket 7 into which the locating member 3 and the flanged ends 5 of the tube sections 4 are accommodated.

In the example illustrated the closure member 2 comprises a substantially circular butterfly disk 8 having opposed shafts 9 and 10 extending perpendicularly from an outer peripheral surface 11 thereof. The shafts 9 and 10 are circular shafts and the shaft 10 is elongated such that it extends outside the assembly collars 6 and has mounted thereto a lever 12 which is operable to rotate the closure member through 90 degrees to or from open to closed positions. A spring loaded locking key 13 is provided so that the lever can be set in open or closed positions 90 degrees apart.

The annular locating member 3 can be fabricated or moulded in a corrosion resistent plastics or rubber material such as for example Silicone rubber, EPDM rubber or Plastics and as indicated is of a substantially annular ring-like configuration. The locating member is provided with opposed internal peripheral grooves 14 at each end thereof which are adapted to accommodate and are complementary to the flanged ends 5 of the tube sections, the arrangement being such that the outer edges 5A of the flanges 205799 of the tube sections 4 are flush with matching edges 15 of the socket 7 which, as indicated is formed when the assembly collars 6 are secured relative to one another. It is to be appreciated that the shape of the flanged ends 5 of the tube sections 4 and accordingly the grooves 14 in the locating member 3 may be altered from that shown with the edges of the groove being cut or moulded to suit.

The locating member 3 is provided with opposed locating apertures 16 for accommodating the shafts 9 and 10. As well as mounting the closure member 2 contact between the closure member 2 (which can be fabricated from stainless steel) and the annular locating member moulded in a resilient material provides an effective seal against leakage from the interiors of a fluid mainstream 17 within the valve assembly, and similarly contact between the flanged ends 5 of the tube sections 4 and the annular locating member 3. provides an effective seal against leaking between the fluid mainstream 17 and the exterior of the valve. The materials from which the locating member 3 is moulded should have the property of resilience and should also be a "low function" material. The valve assembly can be provided for the user in the form illustrated and can be fitted in a conduit or pipe by matching the plain ends of the tube sections to the pipe and fixing same with adaptions (not shown) as required.

As well as providing the socket 7 the matching assembly collars provide upper and lower apertures 18 for accommodating the shafts 9 and 10 and the collars are joined to one another (and thus the assembly is secured) by studs 19 which pass through a plurality of radially spaced apertures ,16 provided for same in the assembly collars 6.

In the example illustrated the lever 12 is provided with a spring loaded locking key and is mounted in a block 20 rigidly fixed to the butterfly shaft 10 with the lever and block 20 being rotatable with respect to a collar 21 when it is withdrawn against the spring 22 and being locatable in sockets 23 in the collar which are at 90 degrees to one another. 205799 To disassemble the valve assembly, the lever mechanism is dismantled, the studs 19 can be removed, the assembly collars 6 drawn away from oneanother, thus exposing the locating member 3 and the pivotably mounted closure member 3 for insitu inspection and, if necessary, replacement of the locating member. To simplify disassembly for inspection and/or replacing parts of the assembly, each of the assembly collars 6 may be split (not shown) into semi-circular sections. In such a case the matching ends of the semi-circular sections could be made to be interlocking.

The present invention provides a simplified form of shut-off valve and it is to be appreciated that modifications and additions thereto may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (8)

3.05 711 WHAT 1 CLAIM IS;

1. A valve assembly comprising a closure member, a substantially annular locating member to which the closure member is pivotably located, a pair of tube sections each one having at least one flanged end and, a pair of assembly collars which, when secured relative to each other provide a socket into which the locating member and flanged ends of the tube sections are accommodated.

2. A valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the locating member is moulded or fabricated from a resilient material and acts as a sealing member for both the closure member and the flanged ends of the tube sections.

3. A valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the locating member is in one piece and is provided with opposed locating apertures for accommodating opposite shaft members of the closure member.

4. A valve assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the locating member is provided with opposed internal peripheral grooves at each end adapted to accommodate and being complementary to the flanged ends of the tube sections, the arrangement being such that the outer edges of the flanges of the tube sections are flush with the edges of the ends of the closure member.

5. A valve assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the said pair of assembly collars are provided with a plurality of equally radially spaced apertures therein for accommodating collar assembly studs.

6. A valve assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the closure member is a butterfly valve having opposed and opposite shaft members one of which is elongated so that on assembly of the valve the — "f -6- i N.Z. PATENT 06 DEC 1985 205799 elongated stem extends outside the assembly collars and has mounted thereto a lever which is operable to rotate the closure member through ninety degrees to or from open to closed positions.

7. A valve assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein each of the assembly collars are provided in half sections so that the valve assembly can be disassembled insitu.

8. A valve assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. NORMAN WILLIAM HA WES by his Attorneys 2 7SEPS9S4