Bi-metal valve body casting and method of making same
AssigneeFisher Controls International LLC
InventorsSteven K. Hostetter, Thomas N. Gabriel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A valve body having a ring of dissimilar material and a method of forming the valve body are described. The valve body includes an inlet, an outlet and a ring of dissimilar material. The method includes forming a valve core, splitting the valve core, placing a metal ring of dissimilar material between two pieces of the valve core, casting a valve body around the valve core, and fusing the metal ring to the valve body.
Claims20
A method of forming a valve body having an area of dissimilar material fused therein, the method comprising:
- forming a valve core, the valve core having an inlet section and an outlet section that are connected by a port section;
- splitting the valve core into a first core part and a second core part;
- placing a metal ring between the first core part and the second core part;
- joining the first core part and the second core part together to form the valve core with the metal ring;
- placing the valve core in a casting pattern;
- filling the casting pattern with valve body material to form a valve body;
- fusing the metal ring with the valve body material during the filling of the casting pattern by partially melting the metal ring, thereby allowing the metal ring material to fuse with the valve body material;
- cooling the valve body material;
- and
- removing the valve core,
- wherein the first core part includes a first alignment structure and the second core part includes a second alignment structure that engages the first alignment structure when the first core part and the second core part are joined together,
- wherein the first alignment structure comprises a first post and a first hole disposed on the first core part, and
- wherein the second alignment structure comprises a second post and a second hole disposed on the second core part.
A method of forming a valve body having an area of dissimilar material fused therein, the method comprising:
- obtaining a valve core, the valve core having a first core part and a second core part split from the first core part, the first core part configured to define a fluid inlet of a valve body and the second core part configured to define a fluid outlet of the valve body;
- placing a ring made of a first material between the first core part and the second core part;
- joining the first core part and the second core part together to form the valve core with the ring;
- placing the valve core in a casting pattern;
- filling the casting pattern with a second material to form the valve body, the valve body comprising the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet;
- fusing the ring with the valve body during the filling of the casting pattern by partially melting the ring, thereby allowing the first material to fuse with the second material;
- cooling the second material;
- and
- removing the valve core,
- wherein the first core part includes a first alignment structure and the second core part includes a second alignment structure that engages the first alignment structure when the first core part and the second core part are joined together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.