US3439697A

US3439697A - Vent value

Info

Publication number: US3439697A
Authority: US
Inventors: Howard M Blanchette; William R Osban
Original assignee: Monsanto Co
Current assignee: Monsanto Co
Priority date: 1966-04-26
Filing date: 1966-04-26
Publication date: 1969-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 1986-04-22

Description

A ril 22, 1 969 H. M, BLANCHETTE ET AL 3,439,697

VENT VALVE Filed April 2 1966 FIG. I.

INVENTORS HOWARD M. BLANCHETTE WILLIAM R. OSBAN AGENT 3,439,697 VENT VALVE Howard M. Blanchette, Pensacola, and William R. Osban, Gulf Breeze, Fla., assignors to Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 26, 1966, Ser. No. 545,368 Int. Cl. F16k /00; G05d 7/00 US. Cl. 137-119 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vent valve having a longitudinally fluted valve member slidably operable within a bore formed in the valve housing and being exposed at the fluid inlet end of the bore to pressure of fluid that is restrictively vented or bled to atmosphere through passages formed in the valve housing and valve member when the latter is biased to a closed or seated position. When the valve member is unseated to an open position by a build-up of fluid pressure in the inlet end of the bore the passages are disconnected and fluid flows past the fluted valve member.

In some manufacturing processes conditions require alternate supply and cut-off of a gas, as steam or air under pressure, to a processing zone. A typical example is in the processing of nylon filaments and yarns. In conditioning certain types of yarns, the yarns are passed through a conditioning tube filled with steam. In conditioning other types of yarns it is necessary to cut-off the delivery of team to the conditioning tube. In controlling the delivery and cut-off of steam to the conditioning tube by conventional valve means, the latter means sometimes leak when in a shut-01f position and permit steam to seep or escape therepast. The fugitive steam seeping to the conditioning tube often adversely affects the processing of yarns that do not require steam conditioning. Another example in the textile industry where it is important not to have fluid seep by a valve is in the use of a venturi tube employed to string-up yarns. The yarn is sometimes passed through a venturi tube having air under pressure delivered thereto to keep the yarn end moving from one position to another. After the string-up is accomplished, the flow of air under pressure to the venturi tube is cut-off. However, in this example, air under pressure often seeps past valves and flows to the venturi tube to cause adverse yarn processing conditions. The present invention is a solution for controlling low pressure seeping gases in a processing system.

It is an object of the invention to provide a valve means adapted to vent low pressure gases.

Another object of the invention is to provide a valve including a gas vent means.

Another further object is to provide a supplemental gas bleed device for a leaking valve system.

Another object is to provide a vent valve adapted to bleed-off low pressure gases when seated and to permit flow of gases therepast when unseated.

According to the invention, the novel vent valve comprises a valve housing or body having a bore providing an opening extending therethrough with respective inlet and outlet ends. A valve member is slidably positioned in the bore and is normally biased by resilient means sealingly against a valve seat formed in the valve housing bore. The valve member is peripherally grooved or fluted to permit the flow of gas past the valve member when the latter is unseated against the force of the resilient means.

The valve member and housing each are provided with a vent passage which, when the valve member is seated, are aligned to open the intake end of the bore opening to atmosphere. Thus, when the vent valve is connected within United States Patent 0 "ice a gas system and there is seepage of gas, the seeping gases are vented from the system. When the valve member is unseated by the build up of gas pressure against the valve member overcoming the force of the resilient means, the valve vent passage and the housing passage become misaligned and thereby disconnect the intake end of the bore opening from atmosphere.

A better understanding of the invention will be gained by referring to the more complete description that follows and to the accompanying drawing. In the drawing,

FIGURE 1 is a cross-section view of the vent valve embodying the invention shown in a seated position and further represented diagrammatically in association with an off-on valve and a conditioner tube,

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section view of the vent valve in an unseated position, and

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view of the novel vent valve.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3 in the drawing, the novel vent valve 1 is shown connected by a conduit 2 to a steam off-on valve 3 at the upstream or left side of vent valve 1 and by a conduit 4 to a steam conditioning tube 5 for conditioning yarns and filaments 6 passing therethrough at the downstream or right side thereof.

Vent valve 1 comprises a valve body or housing 7 with a bore 8 defined therein providing a bore opening or passage 9 therethrough having an inlet end at the upstream side of the valve and an outlet end at the downstream side of the valve. A valve seat 10 and a shoulder 11, spaced from seat 10, are defined in bore 8. A valve member 12 is slidably positioned in bore 8 between seat 10 and shoulder 11. Valve member 12 has a valve seating surface 13 complementary to the surface of valve seat 10. Valve member 12 is normally biased to a seated position on seat 10 by a spring 14 compressed and retained between the valve member 12 and shoulder 11. Spring 14 and one end thereof'abuts against valve member 12, opposite the seating surface 13 thereof, and at its opposite end abuts against shoulder 11. A plurality of spaced grooves or flutes 15 extend axially or longitudinally and continuously along the full length of the periphery of valve member 12, and extend through the outer portion of seating surface 13 adjacent to the periphereal surface of member 12.

A vent passage or port 16 extends through the wall of valve body 7 and another vent passage 17 extends through valve member 12. Vent passage 17 is open at one end thereof to the inlet end of bore opening 9 and at its opposite end is open to vent port or passage 16 when valve member 12 is biased by spring 14 to its seated position, shown in FIG. 1,.so that the inlet side of opening 9 is open to atmosphere.

A thrust screw 18 extends threadingly through the side Wall of housing 7 and extends into contact with a recessed portion or keyway 19 formed on valve member 12. Preferably, screw 18 has a bore therein with a spring 20 and a slidable plug 21 assembled in the screw bore. Plug 21-contacts the recessed portion 19 and applies a side thrust to the valve member 12 to maintain axial alignment thereof. The recessed portion 19 terminates at one side thereof in a shoulder 22. When the valve member 12 is displaced by the pressure of a gas against the force of spring 14 a certain distance to the right, FIG. 2, shoulder 22 contacts thrust screw 18 and constrains or limits further movement of valve member 12.

In operation, assume that valve member 12 is biased to a seated position by spring 14 and

vent passages

16 and 17 are aligned to vent the inlet side of bore opening 9 to atmosphere as shown in FIG. 1. Assume further, that a yarn 6 being processed without steam is passing through the conditioner tube 5 and that the off-on valve 3 is in an off position but that steam is seeping or escaping therepast and bowing to the upstream or inlet side of bore opening 9. The seeping steam will then be vented to atmosphere through

vent passages

16 and 17. It will be understood that

vent passages

16 and 17 are sized to permit seeping gases of low pressures only to vent restrictively to atmosphere. Spring 14 is of a chosen value to normally bias valve member 12 to a closed position until a certain working pressure above that of the seeping gas is exerted against the valve member 12.

Assume now, that it is desired to steam condition the yarn 6 passing through the steam conditioner 5. In this case, the off-on valve 3 is moved to the on position and steam will flow to the inlet end of opening 9. Since the

vent passages

16 and 17 are small, the pressure of the steam will build up in the inlet end of opening 9 and will act against the valve member 12. When suflicient pressure is built up to overcome the force of spring 14, the valve member 12 will be pushed slidingly to the right (FIG. 2) unseating member 12 and permitting steam to pass through the vent valve 1 via flutes 15 of valve member 12 and to flow to the conditioner tube 5.

Passages

16 and 17 become misaligned when valve member 12 is slightly unseated thereby closing off the inlet side of opening 9 fioni atmosphere. Movement of valve member 12 rightward is limited by contact of shoulder 22 of recess 19 with thrust screw 18 (FIG. 2).

When the off-on steam valve 3 is placed in the OE position, the pressure of the steam will decrease and spring 14 will return valve member 12 to its seated position. Thus, the yarn process is protected against harmful seeping gases.

It will be understood that variations and modifications in structure from the illustrated embodiment of the invention are expected to be covered Within the spirit of abutment means defined in said bore near said outlet end,

a valve member slidably positioned in said bore be tween said valve seat and said abutment means, said valve member provided with a seating surface at one end thereof complementary to said valve seat and provided with spaced, longitudinal grooves extending continuously along the peripheral length thereof,

bias means having one end thereof acting against said valve member and the opposite end thereof acting against said abutment means in said bore,

a fluid bleed vent port extending through the wall of said valve body and open to atmosphere at all times,

a fluid bleed vent passage in said valve member, said vent passage being open at one end to the inlet end of said bore and open at its opposite end to said vent port when said valve member is biased to a seated position by said bias means for bleeding restrictively low pressure fluid from the inlet end of said bore to atmosphere, and said vent port being disconnected from communication with said vent passage by said valve member when the latter is unseated by a fluid pressure build-up in said inlet end of said bore, permitting fluid to flow through said longitudinal grooves past said valve member to said outlet end of said bore.

2. A vent valve as in claim 1, further comprising means for limiting the open position and for maintaining axial alignment of said valve member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,468,960 5/1949 Case 137116 2,733,729 2/1956 Wolfe 251297 XR 2,968,317 1/1961 Jay 1371l9 XR WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner. H. M. COHN, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.