WO2002059510A1

WO2002059510A1 - Valve assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2002059510A1
Application number: PCT/US2002/001460
Authority: WO
Inventors: Douglas G. Calvin; Kevin L. Swicegood; Lindsey D. Bredemeyer; Robert A. Frenzel
Original assignee: Tyco Flow Control, Inc.
Priority date: 2001-01-24
Filing date: 2002-01-18
Publication date: 2002-08-01

Abstract

A valve assembly comprising a valve body with a flow passage, a valve element (30) rotatably mounted in the valve body to control flow through the flow passage, a valve seat assembly disposed in the valve body, the valve seat assembly including an annular resilient seat member (88) to sealingly engage the valve element when the valve element (30) is in a closed position, the resilient seat member being disposed in a valve pocket at least partially formed by an annular, generally S-shaped seat support (100) that is radially inwardly compressible sufficient to permit the axially outermost end of the seat support (110) to be positioned adjacent the seat member, at which point the seat support expands radially to an extent sufficient to engage an abutment (114), which prevents the seat support (100), and hence the valve seat (88), from being displaced from the valve.

Description

NALNE ASSEMBLY

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a valve assembly having a rotatable valve element and, more particularly, to such a valve having an assembly for retaining the valve seat in the valve body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Valves having rotatable valve elements, e.g., butterfly valves, ball valves, and the like, are well known. In certain of these types of valves, the valve seat is insertable and removable axially from the valve body tlirough an opening in the valve body that partially defines the flow passage through the valve. In such valves, a retainer ring or insert is typically used to hold the valve seat in the valve body. Examples of prior art seat retaining arrangements used, for example, on butterfly valves, arc shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,399,833; 4,560,142; 4,575,048; and 5,427,354. Prior art valves of the type under consideration—i.e., wherein the valve seat is removable axially from the valve body— typically use at least a two-piece assembly to hold the valve seat in place. Thus, it is common for a retaining assembly to include a rigid ring against which the seat assembly bears when the valve is subjected to line pressure and a second member, such as a wire, snap ring, or the like, that prevents the ring from being dislodged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a valve having a seat support retainer that is of one-piece construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a valve having a scat support/retainer that can be easily installed. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a valve having a seat support/retainer that functions to at least partially form a pocket for the valve seat while at the same time preventing the valve seat from being dislodged under line pressure.

The above and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the drawings, the description given herein, and the appended claims.

The valve of the present invention includes a valve body having a flow passage theretlirough, the flow passage being at least partially defined by a counterbore, there being an annularly extending abutment formed in said counterbore. A valve clement mounted in the valve body is rotatable between open and closed positions to control the flow of fluid through the flow passage, the valve element having a sealing surface. A seat assembly is disposed in the valve body, the seat assembly comprising an annular, resilient seat member disposed in surrounding relationship to the flow passage, the seat member having a seating surface engageable with the sealing surface on the valve element when the valve element is in the closed position. The seat assembly further includes an annular, deformable seat support received in the counterbore in surrounding relationship to the flow passage. The seat support has first and second, axially spaced ends, and includes a first annularly extending run extending from said first end, a second annularly extending run, and a third annularly extending run extending from said second end, said second run interconnecting said first and third runs. The first and third runs are axially displaced from one another, the first run being radially outwardly displaced from the third run. When positioned in the counterbore, the first end of the seat support engages the abutment in the counterbore, the first and second runs cooperating with the counterbore to at least partially form a seat pocket, the seat member being received in the seat pocket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a front, elevational view of the valve of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 ; and Fig. 3 is a partial, cross-sectional view of the portion of Fig. 1 circumscribed by the circle A. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

While the present invention will be described with particular to a butterfly valve, it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited and that it is applicable to any quarter-turn valve having a rotatable valve element wherein the valve seat, which is engaged by the valve element to effect sealing, is insertable and removable from the valve body axially— i.e., along the flow path through the valve.

With reference first to Figs. 1 and 2, the valve, shown generally as 10, comprises a valve body, shown generally as 12, optionally provided, as shown, with laterally outwardly projecting ears 14 provided with bolt holes 16 to enable the valve to be connected to adjoining pipe flanges in a well-known manner. Valve body 10 comprises a central cylindrical portion 18 from which projects a neck portion 20 and bottom boss portion 22, neck portion 20 and boss portion 22 being diagonally disposed relative to one another. Neck portion 20 is provided with a mounting flange 21 on which can be secured an actuator, as well understood by those skilled in the art. Central cylindrical portion 18 defines a through opening 24 that forms a fluid flow passage through the valve body 12. The fluid flow passage is further defined by counterbores 26, 27 on each axial side of valve body 12, counterbore 26 being defined by a cylindrical wall 28. Disposed in tlirough opening 24 is a disk -type valve element 30 having a peripheral sealing surface 32, valve element 30 serving to control the flow of fluid through the fluid flow passage defined by through opening 24 and counterbore 26. A lower shaft 34 is received in a bore 36 of neck portion 22, lower shaft; 36 being rotatably journalled by means of a bearing 38 in the well-known manner. An end cap 40 is secured to boss 22 by bolts 42.

An upper shaft 44 is received in a bore 46 in neck portion 20. Shaft 44 is rotatably journalled in neck 12 by means of a bearing 48 in the well-known manner. Shaft 44 is secured to disk 30 by means of pins 74, which are received in a projecting dog 76 of disk 30. To provide fluid-tight sealing between neck portion 20 and shaft 44, a stack of packing rings 50 is received in a counterbore 52 in neck portion 20. A follower 54 is engaged by a packing gland 56, which in turn is urged against follower 54 by methods well known in the art to compress packing rings 50 and effect sealing between rings 50 and the wall of bore 46. U.S. Patent No. 4,411,438, incorporated herein by reference, is exemplary of packing gland assemblies that can be used in the valve of the present invention. Shaft 44 has a portion 70 on which are formed wrench flats 72 to enable shaft 44 to be rotated manually or by means of an actuator.

To effect sealing around the periphery of disk 30, there is provided a valve seal assembly, shown generally as 80, described more fully below with reference to Fig. 3. With reference then to Fig. 3, the area in Fig. 1 circumscribed by circle A is shown in enlarged detail. Counterbore 26, which is at least partially defined by cylindrical wall 28, cooperates with an axially projecting, annularly extending lip 82 formed by central cylindrical portion 18 of body 12, lip 82 and surface 28 of counterbore 26 serving to form an axially facing, annularly extending recess 84. A resilient seat member, shown generally as 86 comprises a central, radially inwardly projecting, annularly extending portion 88, a first, axially projecting, annularly extending portion 90, and a second axially projecting, annularly extending portion 92, the axial projection of portions 90 and 92 being relative to that of central portion 88. Central portion 88 forms a seating surface 90 that, when valve 10 is in the closed position, is engaged by the peripheral surface 32 of disk 30 provides a seal to prevent flow through the flow passage of valve 10. Scat member 86 is further provided with a radially outwardly facing, annularly extending groove 94 in which is received a resilient O-ring 96, 0-ring 96 being compressed between cylindrical surface 28 and seat member 86 when seating surface 90 on seat member 86 is engaged by sealing surface 32 on disk 30. To partially form a scat pocket for seat member 86 and retain seat member 86 in valve body 12, there is provided an annular seat support, shown generally as 100.

Seat support 100 is a continuous annular body and has a first end 102 and a second axial end 104, ends 102 and 104 being axially spaced as shown. Seat support 100 is generally S-shaped when viewed in transverse cross-section and includes a first annularly extending run 106, a second annularly extending run 108, and a third annularly extending run 110, second annularly extending run 108 interconnecting first and second annular runs 106 and 110, respectively. As can be seen, first run 106 is displaced axially from third run 1 10 and is radially outwardly displaced from third run 1 10. Thus, run 106 extends generally in a first axial direction while run 1 10 extends in a second, opposite axial direction, run 108 extending generally radially relative to runs 106 and 1 10. When positioned in valve body 12, end 102 is received in an annular notch or groove 1 12 formed in peripheral, cylindrical wall 28. To this end, notch 112 is partially defined by a wall 114 that is engaged by end 102 of seat support 100. As can be seen, runs 108 and 1 10 cooperate with body 12 to form a seat pocket for seal member 86. Generally, the seal pocket is defined by wall 28, recess 84, the axial space between lip 28 and run 108, and the radial space between wall 28 and run 1 10. Thus, first axially extending portion 90 of seat member 86 is received in recess 84, while second axially projecting portion 92 of seat member 86 is received between the peripheral wall 28 and third run 110, central portion 88 of seat member 86 projecting radially inwardly between end 104 of seat support 100 and lip 82.

While seat support 100 will generally be made of a relatively thin metal, it is possible for it to be made of certain polymeric materials that provide sufficient strength, but yet have enough flexibility or deformability to be positioned in valve 10. In this regard, seat support 100 will be deformable to the extent that as it is moved axially inward of counterbore 26 in the direction of arrow A, it will compress radially inward until end 102 is in register with notch 112, at which point support ring 100 will expand radially outwardly sufficient to have end 102 engage wall 114 in notch 112. It should be noted that while wall 114 forms an abutment surface for end 102, which prevents seat support 100 from being axially displaced from valve 10, an abutment could also be formed by a series of radially inwardly projecting, circumferentially spaced formations formed on wall 28. Additionally, such a radially inwardly projecting abutment could take the form of an annular ridge or the like. Thus, the word "abutment" as used herein is intended to mean any formation in counterbore 20, whether formed radially inwardly or radially outwardly of peripheral wall 28, that provides a surface or surfaces that can be abutted by the first end 102 of seat support 100 after seat support 100 has been compressed radially inwardly and will, accordingly, prevent seat support 100 from being dislodged from counterbore 26.

It will be appreciated that seat support 100 is essentially tamper-proof in the sense that once positioned as described above, it cannot be removed simply by hand, albeit that with a special tool, seat support 100 can be removed if necessary. It will also be appreciated that scat support 100, in addition to acting as a retaining ring preventing seat member 86 from being dislodged under the influence of line pressure, also acts, as described above, to partially form a valve pocket for seat member 86. Thus, seat support 100 combines into a single member those functions that have heretofore been provided by two or more members, e.g., a ring or the like, to help, along with the valve body, to form a valve pocket and at least one additional member, e.g., a snap ring or the like, to hold the ring in place. Seat support 100 also provides a significant economic advantage over prior art assemblies since it is of one-piece construction and can be easily formed by stamping from metal sheeting.

The foregoing description and examples illustrate selected embodiments of the present invention. In light thereof, variations and modifications will be suggested to one skilled in the art, all of which are in the spirit and purview of this invention.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A valve assembly comprising: a valve body having a flow passage therethrough, said flow passage being partially defined by a counterbore formed by a peripheral wall, an abutment being formed by said peripheral wall; a valve element rotatably mounted in said valve body, said valve clement being rotatable between open and closed positions to control the flow offluid through said flow passage, said valve element having a scaling surface; and a valve seat assembly disposed in said valve body, said valve seat assembly comprising: an annular, resilient seat member disposed in surrounding relationship to said flow passage and having a seating surface engageable with said sealing surface on said valve element when said valve element is in the closed position; and an annular, deformable seat support received in said counterbore in surrounding relationship to said flow passage, said seat support having first and second axially spaced ends, said seat support including a first annularly extending ran extending from said first end, a second annularly extending run, and a third annularly extending run extending from said second end, said second run interconnecting said first and third runs, said first and third runs being axially displaced from one another, said first run being radially outwardly displaced from said third run, said first end of said seat support engaging said abutment, said first and second runs cooperating with said valve body to at least partially foπn a seat pocket, said seat member being received in said seat pocket.

2. The valve assembly of Claim 1 wherein said counterbore cooperates with an axially projecting, annularly extending lip formed by said valve body to form an axially facing annular recess.

3. The valve assembly of Claim 2 wherein said seal member has a central, radially inwardly projecting, annularly extending portion, a first axially projecting, annularly extending portion, and a second axially projecting, annularly extending portion, said first and second axially projecting portions being axially displaced from one another, at least a portion of said first axially projecting portion being received in said annular recess, said second axially projecting portion being at least partially received between said third run and said peripheral wall.

4. The valve assembly of Claim 3 wherein said scat member has a radially outwardly facing, annularly extending groove and there is an annular resilient biasing member received in said groove.

5. The valve assembly of Claim 1 wherein said scat support is generally S- shaped when viewed in transverse cross-section.

6. The valve assembly of Claim 1 wherein said abutment is formed by an annular notch in said peripheral wall.

7. The valve assembly of Claim 1 wherein said valve element is a disk.