Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
  • F16K5/00—Plug valves; Taps or cocks comprising only cut-off apparatus having at least one of the sealing faces shaped as a more or less complete surface of a solid of revolution, the opening and closing movement being predominantly rotary
  • F16K5/08—Details
  • F16K5/14—Special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together
  • F16K5/20—Special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together for plugs with spherical surfaces
  • F16K5/204—Special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together for plugs with spherical surfaces with the plugs or parts of the plugs mechanically pressing the seals against the housing

Definitions

• the invention relates to ball valves; and, more particularly, to a ball valve that fully seats in a throughbore through a valve body without additional parts to effect such seal.
• Such valves usually have a number of parts or components to effect a good positive seal of the bore through the valve body. Some of these parts or components must be carefully machined in order to carry out such seal in that the ball valve must be fully seated in closing off the bore through the valve body. Thus, such conventional ball valves have a large number of parts to effect such seal, such as 10 parts.
• a ball valve having a main body portion with a throughbore and a rotatable ball closing off the throughbore.
• the ball is of resilient plastic and is comprised of a pair of interconnected sides defining a slot therethrough.
• the valve body portion has cams associated with the throughbore engageable with the ball side when the same is rotated. The sides in a first position close off the throughbore, the cams engage the flexible sides and camming the same into fully seated closure of the throughbore. When rotated 90° away from engagement with the cams, the slot in the ball valve is aligned with the throughbore allowing fluid flow therethrough.
• Fig. 1 is an elevational cross-sectional view of a ball valve in accordance with the teachings of the invention
• Fig. 2 is an elevational side view of the rotatable ball alone of the valve of Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3 is an elevational front view of the rotatable ball alone of the valve of Fig. 1;
• Fig. 4 is a view taken along lines 4-4 of Fig. 1 but showing the ball valve in the Fig. 2 position;
• Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the camming portion alone of the valve of Figs. 1 to 4;
• Fig. 6 is a side view of the valve of Fig. 1 illustrating operation thereof.
• a ball valve 10 having a main valve body 11 with an inlet 12 and an outlet 13.
• the inlet 12 and outlet 13 may be threaded on the interior- for connecting suitable conduits thereto.
• Valve body 11 has a throughbore 14 with ports 33, 34, respectively, communication with inlet 12 and outlet 13. Ports 33, 34 are- generally rounded to conform to ball valve 15 as will be discussed.
• a ball 15 (see Fig. 2) is mounted internally of valve body 11. As seen in Fig. 2, ball 15 has a main ball portion 16 comprised of a pair of interconnected rounded side portions 17, 18. Portions 17, 18 are interconnected at the top by a web portion 19. In manufacture, ball valve 15 (parts 17-19) may be one unitary piece of a resilient plastic material forming a slot 20 therethrough.
• a valve stem 21 is integral with ball 15 or otherwise coupled thereto and terminates at top in a snap-on handle 25. As handle 25 is turned, stem 21, frictionally held thereto, also turns and rotates ball 15.
• valve body 11 has a central apertured boss 26 on the upper surface thereof through which stem 21 extends.
• a resilient O-ring 27 is disposed between the underside of flange 28 and shoulder 29 on the upper surface of ball 15.
• camming means 30 are provided in valve body 11.
• Such camming means 30 includes an insert portion 31 mounted in the lower portion of valve body 11 having an upwardly extending cam portion 32.
• Cam portion 32 has a width slightly greater than the spacing X (Fig. 2) between side portions 17, 18.
• Cam portion 32 has a pair of opposed camming protrusions 33, 34 (Fig. 5).
• cam portion 32 is disposed between side portions 16, 17, the ball 15 being in the Fig. 3 position whereby fluid can flow through valve 10 entering inlet 12, through slot 20, and out of outlet 13.
• Ball valve 15 is preferably of a suitable resilient material, such as Acetal.
• the opening leading into each side of slot 20 may be chamfered or tapered, as at chamfer 35 (Fig. 2) and the inner vertical side walls forming slot 20 may be disposed at a slight angularity from the vertical, e.g., 5° or so away from the vertical centerline of slot 20.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Taps Or Cocks (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=22435785

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (9)

Citations (1)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 1993
  • 1993-09-29 US US08/128,531 patent/US5308039A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1994
  • 1994-02-02 AU AU61008/94A patent/AU6100894A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1994-02-02 WO PCT/US1994/001241 patent/WO1995009316A1/en active Application Filing
  • 1994-02-04 TW TW083100934A patent/TW255001B/zh active

Patent Citations (1)

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