US1784055A - Thermostatically-controlled valve mechanism - Google Patents

Description

1,1s4;oss

Dec. 9, 1930.

J. v. GIESLER THERIOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED VALVE IECHANISI Filed Obi. 30

, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec, 9, 1930. J. v. GIESLER 1,734,055

THERIOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED VALVE MECHANISM Filed Oct. 30, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JEAN V. GIESLER, 0F KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOB, BY, MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO THE FULTON SYLPHON COMPANY, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, A CORPORA- TION OF DELAWARE THERMOSTATICALLY'GONTROLIJED VALVE MECHANISM Application filed October 30, 1926 Serial No. 145,341.

This invention relates to thermostatically controlled valve mechanism, and particularly to valve mechanism of this character for controlling the circulation of a cooling medium through the cooling system of an internal combustion engine. The invention is capable of embodiment both in valve mechanism of the choker type wherein the opening and closing of the valve determines the circulation of the cooling medium, and in valve mechanism of the by-pass type wherein the movement of the valve determines the path of circulation of the coolingmedium.

It is an object of this invention to provide a thermostatically controlled valve mechanism of simplified construction so that the same may be inexpensively manufactured and readily installed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a thermostatically controlled valve mechanism with improved means of simplified construction for supporting the thermostat in operative relation to the valve elements; and also improved means of simplified construction for associating a thermostat support with the valve seat.

Other objects will appear as the description of the invention proceeds.

The invention is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, some of which are shown on the accompanying drawings, but it is to be expressly understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for that purpose.

Referring in detail to the drawings wherein the same reference characters are em-' ployed to designate corresponding parts in the several figures,

Fig. 1 is an enlarged axial sectionof an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an inverted perspective of one embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a U-shaped strap which may be used alone or in conjunction with a similar strap to constitute the thermostat support.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a thermostat support formed from sheet metal and employing more than two arms; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another form of thermostat support which may be used in conjunction with certain features of the present invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 is a thermostat of any suitable construction and shown as composed of a'corrugated,'expansible and collapsible, tubular metal wall, preferably of resilient metal, and suitably secured, as by brazing or soldering, at its opposite ends to an end wall 2, designed to be secured in fixed position, and an end wall 3, designed to move under the expansive and contractive action of any suitable thermosensitive medium enclosed within the same. In the form shown, the end wall 2 is provided with a threaded boss 4 whereby the thermostat may be secured in fix'ed position, and said boss may also be provided with a filling aperture 5, shown as sealed, as by a stopper 6 and solder 7, after the thermosensitive fluid has been introduced into the thermostat. The movable end wall 3 is shown as provided, interiorly of the thermostat, with a tubular stop 8 for limiting the contraction of the thermostat, and exteriorly the movable end wall is provided in any suitable way with a stem 9 shown as threaded at its outer end 10 for a purpose to be described.

Associated with said thermostat is a valve seat of any suitable size and construction. In. the form shown, a ring 11 is provided with a centrally arranged aperture12 to constitute a valve port, and mounted within said port 12 is a spider 13, preferably formed integrally with the ring 11 and composed of a plurality of radially extendin arms which terminate in a centrally dispose ring 14 having an axial aperture 15. The valve stem 9 projects througn the aperture 15, said ring 14 acting as a guide for said valve stem, and

any suitable position and manner, as by a cotter pin 18 passed through a hole 19 drilled in said hub and stem.

The central hub member 14 of the spider may be made of such length, or it may be so positioned by the axial configuration of the spider, that its inner face 20 constitutes a stop for engagement with the movable end wall 3 of the thermostat, or suitable means mounted thereon or on the valve stem, so as to limit the extent to which said thermostat may expand.

In conformity with the present invention, simplified means are provided for mounting the thermostat 1 in association with the ring 11; also for associating the thermostat support with said ring. In its simplest form the thermostat support taks the form of a U-shaped strap 21, as shown in Fig. 3, said strap being preferably formed of sheet metal so as to provide a pair of arms 22 and an intermediate base portion 23 which is also provided with an aperture 24. Said U-shaped support is mounted in engagement with the stationary end wall 2 of the thermostat with the threaded boss 4 projected through the aperture 24 in the base of said U-shaped support. The support is then clamped fixedly to the stationary end wall of the thermostat by a nut 26 threaded onto the boss 4. The arms 22 are then secured to the ring 11 in any suitable way. In the preferred form said ring 11 is provided with an annular slot, or suitably positioned separate slots 27, into which the ends of the arms 22 may be inserted and there retained. Preferably holes 28 are drilled inward from the periphery of the ring 11 and through the ends of the arms 22, and pins 29 are then driven into said holes so as to securely lock the ends of the arms 22 in the slots 27. If desired, the arms 22 may also be soldered in the slots 27, or they may be attached to the ring 11 in other ways; for example, the arms 22 may be soldered to the ring 11 in any suitable relation thereto without the use of the pins 29, although the pins are preferred because of the security of the attachment, or said arms 22 may be pinned to the periphery of the ring 11 without the use of said slots 27.

In place of using a single U-shaped strap the thermostat support may be composed of a pair of U-shaped supports 21 and 30 as shown in Fig. 2, the two straps being angularly related and shown as positioned at right angles with respect to each other, and the boss 4 passed through apertures'in both straps so that they are secured fixedly to the end wall 2 of the thermostat. The ends of both straps are then secured to the valve ring 11, as in the manner heretofore described.

If desired, the two straps may be soldered together either before or after they are mounted in position on the boss 4 and thereby made into a multi-armed unit.

While the thermostat supportmay be composed of a plurality of straps as just de scribed, the several arms of the support may be formed integrally by stamping the entire support out of sheet metal and bending the arms into position. This embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 4 wherein a blank 31, having the desired number of arms 32, is stamped from sheet metal and the arms are then bent into the position shown. In this embodiment of the invention three, four or any other desired number of arms may be provided, the arms being preferably equally spaced around the periphery of the support thereby formed. The support is provided with a centrally arranged aperture in its base for the reception of the boss 4 of the thermostat and the ends of the arms 32 are secured to the valve ring 11, as in the manner heretofore described.

While the thermostat support is preferably formed of sheet metal bent into form as heretofore described, the novel method of attaching the thermostat support to the valve ring may also be used with a thermostat support of drawn or cast construction. In Fig. 5 is shown a thermostat support 33 which takes the form of a drawn cup provided with a plurality of openings 34 in its peripheral wall and a centrally arranged aperture 35 to a receive the threaded boss 4 of the thermostat in its bottom Wall. This thermostat support may be assembled with the thermostat in the manner heretofore described and the rim 35 of the support may then be assembled with the valve ring in the manner heretofore described in conjunction with the other embodiments.

Assuming that the thermostat has been assembled and charged with a thermosensitive fluid to operate at a predetermined temperature, the same may be assembled with the thermostat support by passing the threaded boss, 4 on the stationary end wall of the thermostat through the aperture in the base of the support and then locking the same in position b the nut 26. The valve stem 7 may then be passed through the hub 14 of the spider in the valve ring 11 and the outer end of the thermostat support engaged in the slot or slots 27 of said valve ring. The valve disk 16 may then be threaded onto the the outer end 10 of said valve stem to such a position as to withdraw the interior tubular stop 8 of the thermostat slightly away from the stationary end Wall 2 when the valve disk 16 is in contact with its seat 11. The valve disk may then be locked in this position, as by drillin the hole 19 through the hub and stem and the introduction of the cotter pin 18. The thermostat support may then be secured to the valve ring 11, as by drilling the holes 28 and introducing the pins29, and then soldering the same if desire perature has been reached at which the device is intended to operate, when the thermostat will begin to expand and move the valve disk 16 away from its seat 11 to permit and control circulation of the cooling medium. When the valve mechanism is to be used in a cooling system of the by-pass type, it will be associated with passages including a by-pass of any suitable construction and the path of the cooling medium will be controlled by the position of the valve disk 16' with respect to the valve ring 11 and the by-pass entrance or outlet, as the case may be, in the. manner well understood in the art. In either event the valve disk may be provided with a leakage aperture 37 to assure that there will be slight circulation over the thermostat even when the valve disk is in contact with its seat.

It is to be understood that the thermostat may be of any suitable character; for example, it may be charged at a pressure below atmospheric, at normal or atmospheric temperature, so that atmospheric pressure tends to collapse the bellows at normal temperature, to the end that a leak in the bellows will result in a tendency of the valve 7 to open by reason of the equalization of the interior and exterior pressures. The valve disk may also be made of any suitable area with respect to the effective area of the bellows so that the pressure of the circulating fluid may tend to move the valve to safety position upon the occurrence of a leak in the thermostat. I

It will therefore be perceived that thermostatic valve mechanism has been provided of simplifiedconstruction whereby the same is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to install. As the thermostat support may be formed. entirely of sheet metal, readily stamped'and bent to shape, and as said support may be quickly and easily secured to the valve ring to maintain the parts fixedly in assembled relation, the cost of manufacture and assembly has been materially reduced.

While the embodiments of the invention illustrated on the drawings have been described with considerable particularity, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not restricted thereto as the same is capable of receiving other mechanical expressions, some of which will now readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, While changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and-proportion of parts without departing from the spirit of this invention. Reference is therefore to be had to the claims hereto appended for. a definition of said invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, in combination with a thermostat including movable and stationary end 'walls, valve mechanism operatively related thereto and including a valve disk and a valve seat, said valve seat being provided with one or more slots, a support, for said thermostat secured to said stationary end wall and having its ends secured in said slots.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination with a thermostat including movable and stationary end walls, valve mechanism operatively related thereto and including a valve disk and a valve seat, said valve seat being provided with one or more slots, a sheet metal support for said thermostat fixedly attached to said stationary end wall and provided with a plurality of arms having their extremities secured in said slots.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination with a thermostat including movable and stationarv end walls, valve mechanism operatively related thereto and including a valve disk and a valve seat, said valve seat being provided with one'or more slots, and a sheet metal support for said thermostat bent to provide a plurality of longitudinal arms, said support being attached to the stationary end wall of said thermostat at its central portion and having the extremities of said arms pinned in said slots.

4. In a device of the character described,

in combination with a thermostat, a valve seat ring, a valve stem and disk operatively associated with said thermostat, means for supporting said thermostat in operative relation to said valve seat ring including a plurality of separate a-ngularly related U- shaped supports each secured to said valve seat ring, U-shaped supports to said thermostat.

5. In a device of the character described, in combination with a thermostat including movable and stationary end walls, valve mechanism operatively related thereto and including a valve disk and a valve seat, and a support for said thermostat formed of. separate U-shaped elements which cross at their central portions and provide a plurality of axially extending arms, means for securing said thermostat to said elements at their intersection, and means for securing the ends of said arms to said valve seat.

and means securing each of said

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