Yoke for rotary valve

A valve and yoke assembly comprising:

• a valve body having an inlet, an outlet, and a flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet;
• a rotational valve stem at least partially disposed within the valve body and extending along a longitudinal axis, the valve stem operatively coupled to a control element disposed in the flow path and moveable between an open position and a closed position;
• a yoke attached to the valve body and including an aperture, the yoke arranged to operatively couple an actuator to the valve body;
• an actuator mounting bracket removably attached to the yoke and including an aperture;
• a bushing at least partially engaging the aperture of the yoke and at least partially engaging the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket, the bushing aligned with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem and arranged to operatively align the valve stem with an actuator shaft,
• the actuator comprising an actuator shaft operatively coupled to the valve stem, wherein the actuator shaft is disposed through the bushing, the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket, and the aperture of the yoke, the actuator shaft being coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem;
• and
• a thrust bearing attached to the actuator shaft.

A method of mounting a yoke to a valve, the method comprising:

• providing a valve body having an inlet, an outlet, and a flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet, a valve stem extending along a longitudinal axis and having a top portion protruding from the valve body and a bottom portion disposed within the valve body, the valve stem operatively coupled to a control element movably disposed in the flow path;
• providing a yoke including an aperture, a first arm, and a second arm;
• and
• placing a bushing at least partially disposed in the aperture of the yoke, the bushing arranged to align an actuator shaft of an actuator with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem;
• aligning the bushing of the yoke with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem by placing the first arm and the second arm adjacent to the valve body;
• fastening the first arm and the second arm of the yoke to the valve body such that the bushing remains in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem;
• and
• attaching an actuator mounting bracket to the yoke by aligning an aperture of the actuator mounting bracket with an outer diameter of the bushing and inserting a portion of the bushing into the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket, the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket coaxially aligned with the aperture of the yoke.