WO2014041574A1

WO2014041574A1 - Device for discharging flowing fluids

Info

Publication number: WO2014041574A1
Application number: PCT/IT2013/000240
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marco Zangirolami
Original assignee: Ferplast S.R.L.
Priority date: 2012-09-14
Filing date: 2013-09-11
Publication date: 2014-03-20
Also published as: ITTO20120797A1

Abstract

A device (1) for discharging flowing fluids is described, comprising at least one supporting body (3) equipped with at least one discharge opening (5), such discharge opening (3) being equipped with at least one valve member (7) adapted to pass from an operating rest position in which it at least partially closes such discharge opening (5) to an operating opening position of such discharge opening (5) due to elastic strain under the action of the weight of the column of fluid passing by gravity through such opening (5), when such weight of column of fluid ceases, such valve member (7) spontaneously passing from such operating opening position to such operating rest position.

Description

DEVICE FOR DISCHARGING FLOWING FLUIDS

The present invention refers to a device for discharging flowing fluids.

Devices for discharging flowing fluids, such as for example water, are known in the art, and are also called "drains", arranged on floors and the like, used for draining in case of flooding or for cleaning rooms.

To avoid the rise of smells, the currently adopted art provides for the insertion of a liquid- type siphon in the discharge duct intercepting them, operating as plug for gases.

This system however has the following technical limits:

no protection from back-pressures: in fact, in case of back-pressure on the drain, water goes back and there is even the risk of being flooded by the pressurisation of the sewer possibly following a storm;

no protection from being infested by cockroaches or other undesired insects which can rise back in the drains;

in case of scarcely frequent use or hot climates, evaporation of the water plug with consequent rise back of smells.

Due to the above reasons, draining systems have been devised, which replace the siphon with a trapdoor that is closed by gravity due to a balancing counterweight.

Also these systems, however, have the following defects:

not perfect hydraulic seal, since it is not possible to obtain enough closing forces (in such case the water column necessary for opening would be too high) and consequently a smell blow-by occurs;

"heavy" insects like cockroaches can manage to open the trapdoor and intrude anyway;

vertical space occupation to allow opening the trapdoor, and vertical space is important since slabs have small thickness and an immediate height loss on the drain reduces the possible slanting on the ducts, increasing the risk of stagnation;

strong reduction of the discharge section with respect to the overall drain section; possible block of the mechanism due to fouling or the presence of sediments that make the trapdoor heavier.

Discharging systems are also known, which are equipped with a net-type filter to prevent the passage of animals: such filters however are subjected to get dirty (for example due to hair, dirt, etc.), reducing or even wholly preventing the passage of waste water.

Therefore, object of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems, by providing a device for discharging flowing fluids equipped with at least one valve member which is scarcely bulky but, at the same time, prevents smells and/or animals from rising back from the discharge duct.

Another object of the present invention is providing a device for discharging flowing fluids equipped with at least one valve member made of an elastomer which does not change in time due to chemical attacks and temperature variations.

Moreover, an object of the present invention is providing a device for discharging flowing fluids equipped with at least one valve member which guarantees a perfect seal in case of backpressure . Another object of the present invention is providing a device for discharging flowing fluids equipped with at least one valve member which can be easily interchanged.

Moreover, an object of the present invention is providing a device for discharging flowing fluids composed of a limited number of components, making it cheaper and simple to make with respect to what is proposed by the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is providing a device for discharging flowing fluids which does not suffer from clogging problems like the prior art systems.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are obtained with a device for discharging flowing fluids as claimed in claim 1. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

It is intended that all enclosed claims are an integral part of the present description.

It will be immediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example related to shape, sizes, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) can be made to what is described, without departing from the scope of the invention, as appears from the enclosed claims.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the device for discharging flowing fluids according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a partially sectioned and exploded perspective view of the device according to the present invention;

Figure 3 shows a partially sectioned and bottom perspective view of the device according to the present invention in an opening start step; and

Figure 4 shows a partially sectioned and bottom perspective view of the device according to the present invention in an advanced opening step.

With reference to the Figures, it is possible to note that the device 1 for discharging flowing fluids, for example water, according to the present invention comprises at least one supporting body 3 equipped with at least one discharge opening 5, typically connected to a discharge duct (not shown) , such discharge opening 3 being equipped with at least one valve member 7, preferably of the elastic type, adapted to pass from an operating rest position (like the one, for example, shown in Figure 2) in which it at least partially closes such discharge opening 5, to an operating opening position (like the one, for example, shown in Figures 3 and 4) of such discharge opening 5 due to an elastic strain under the action of the weight of the column of fluid passing by gravity through the opening 5 itself. Obviously, when the weight of the column of fluid ceases, the valve member 7 spontaneously passes from the operating opening position to the operating rest position, again closing the discharge opening 5.

Preferably, the valve member 7 is composed of at least one deformable elastic body 9 under the action of the weight of the column of fluid, such deformable elastic body 9 having, in the operating rest position, a substantially conical shape.

Still more preferably, the discharge opening 5 is equipped with at least one transverse rib 11 equipped with at least one seat 13 and such deformable elastic body 9 is equipped, next to its vertex, with at least one insertion pin 15 in such seat 13 in such a way as to connect the valve member 7 to the opening 5: preferably, the conical deformable elastic body 9 is arranged in order to have its own vertical axis of symmetry coaxial with the axis of symmetry of the discharge opening 5. Preferably, at least the deformable elastic body 9 of the valve member 7 is made of an elastomer, for example silicone.

The valve member 7 of the device 1 according to the present invention is therefore made so that, when there is no weight of the column of fluid, the elasticity of the deformable elastic body 9 takes it to assume, in its operating rest position, the conical shape, completely closing the discharge opening 5: such arrangement has the advantage, with respect to a normal membrane valve, to allow the material, once having recovered its initial shape, not to work any more under elastic strain conditions, but under a compressive load.

Moreover, advantageously, the deformable elastic body 9 is equipped with at least one deformable elastic lower perimeter edge 19 defining in such operating rest position at least one perimeter shape with continuous circular arc adapted to keep the deformable elastic body 9 in its operating rest position, such lower perimeter edge 19 being adapted to take back the deformable elastic body 9 from the operating opening position to the operating rest position, re-composing such perimeter shape with circular arc of the deformable elastic body 9 when the weight of the column of fluid ceases.

In practice, the valve member 7 is opened by the pressure created by the column of fluid (usually some millimeters of column so that the structure of the deformable elastic body 9 must be very yielding) and suddenly opens once the ideal conical shape of such deformable elastic body 9 is changed, passing to the operating opening position of the discharge opening 5 (Figures 3 and 4): in fact, the lower edge 19 of the deformable elastic body 9 behaves like such continuous arc, which keeps the deformable elastic body 9 in position without elastic strains, which in the long run would induce a permanent deformation, since elastomers are anyway subjected to the "creep" phenomenon, which generates a relaxation of the elastic strains.

In the same way, at the end of the stress due to the weight of the column of fluid, the deformable elastic body 9 again snaps to its operating rest position, closing the discharge opening 5 due to the re-constitution of the perimeter shape of the circular arc of the lower edge 19 of the deformable elastic body 9, Quickness adn hystheresis of this behaviour are obviously adjustable, by intervening on the terminal section of the lower edge 19 of the deformable elastic body 9.

Obviously, the supporting body 3 can be covered on its upper part with at least one grid or a drain well (not shown) : preferably, the supporting body 3 is equipped on its perimeter and on its upper part with at least one sealing lip 17, made of a suitable material, such as for example high-density polyethylene or polypropylene, which allows guaranteeing the necessary seal between the supporting body 3 and the grid of drain well overlapped thereto without requiring the use of any additional gasket.

In addition, the particular arrangement of the device 1 according to the present invention allows making a die for the plastic part without the help of carriages for extracting the undercuts, since they do not exist, this being impossible if hinges for the prior art trapdoor solution had to be made: this allows, in addition to high immediate savings on manufacturing the die, making different versions of the device 1, by simply replacing the external part of the small blocks, which obviously would not be possible with a die equipped with carriages or would at least be much more costly and delicate.

Claims

1. Device (1) for discharging flowing fluids comprising at least one supporting body (3) equipped with at least one discharge opening (5) , said discharge opening (3) being equipped with at least one valve member (7) adapted to pass from an operating rest position in which it at least partially closes said discharge opening (5) to an operating opening position of said discharge opening (5) due to elastic strain under the action of the weight of the column of said fluid passing by gravity through said opening (5) , when said weight of said column of fluid ceases, said valve member (7) spontaneously passing from said operating opening position to said operating rest position, said valve member (7) being composed of at least one deformable elastic body (9) under the action of said weight of said column of fluid, characterised in that said deformable elastic body (9) is equipped with at least one deformable elastic lower edge (19) defining in said operating rest position at least one perimeter shape with a deformable continuous circular elastic arc adapted to keep said deformable elastic body (9) in said operating rest position without elastic strains, said lower edge (19) being adapted to take back said deformable elastic body (9) from said operating opening position to said operating rest position, re-composing said perimeter shape of said deformable continuous circular elastic arc of said deformable elastic body (9) when said weight of said column of fluid ceases.

2. Device (1) according to the previous claim, characterised in that said deformable elastic body (9) has a substantially conical shape in said operating rest position.

3. Device (1) according to the previous claim, characterised in that said discharge opening (5) is equipped with at least one transverse rib (11) equipped with at least one seat (13) and said deformable elastic body (9) is equipped, next to its vertex, with at least one insertion pin (15) into said seat (13) to connect said valve member (7) to said opening (5).

4. Device (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that said conical deformable elastic body (9) is arranged with its own vertical axis of symmetry coaxial with an axis of symmetry of said discharge opening ( 5 ) .

5. Device (1) according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that at least said deformable elastic body (9) is made of an elastomer.

6. Device (1) according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that said supporting body (3) is equipped on its perimeter and its upper part with at least one sealing lip (17) against a grid or a draing well overlapped to said supporting body (3) .

7. Device (1) according to the previous claim, characterised in that said sealing lip (17) is made of high-density polyethylene or polypropylene.