Multi-functional valve travel stop
AssigneeBray International, Inc.
InventorsEvan Apostolou, Patrick O'Connell, Parthasarathy Chinnasamy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A valve having a valve body comprising a valve stem assembled to the valve body, the valve stem connected to a disc, a gland retainer connected to the valve body, wherein the valve body and the gland retainer define a packing chamber through which the valve stem is assembled, a travel stop connected to the valve stem and retained in the gland retainer, a first o-ring between the valve stem and the travel stop, a second o-ring between the travel stop and the gland retainer, and a third o-ring between the gland retainer and the valve body, and the valve configured for increasing prevention of blow out, increasing service life, increasing safe operation, and preventing overtravel of a valve disc.
Claims28
A travel stop apparatus for a valve comprising:
- a travel stop body, wherein the travel stop body comprises:
- a travel stop body interior surface, wherein the travel stop body interior surface defines a passage, and wherein the passage is configured to connect with a valve stem;
- a travel stop body exterior surface;
- a travel stop body top end, wherein the passage defined by the travel stop body interior surface meets the travel stop body exterior surface at a travel stop body top end opening and wherein the travel stop body top end opening is keyed to transfer rotational motion from the valve stem;
- and
- a travel stop body bottom end, wherein the passage defined by the travel stop body interior surface meets the travel stop body exterior surface at a travel stop body bottom end opening and wherein the travel stop body bottom end opening is a circular opening of a larger diameter than the travel stop body top end opening;
- a travel stop shoulder connected to the travel stop body, wherein the travel stop shoulder is semi annular and extends radially outward from the travel stop body;
- wherein travel stop body exterior surface defines a first annular recess for receiving a first o-ring;
- and
- wherein the travel stop body interior surface defines a second annular recess for receiving a second o-ring.
A valve having a valve body comprising:
- a valve stem assembled to the valve body;
- wherein the valve stem is connected to a disc, and further wherein the valve stem defines a stem shoulder between an upper portion of the valve stem and a lower portion of the valve stem;
- a gland retainer connected to the valve body, wherein the valve body and the gland retainer define a packing chamber through which the valve stem is assembled;
- a travel stop connected to the valve stem and retained in the gland retainer, wherein the travel stop defines a travel stop shoulder;
- and wherein the gland retainer retains the travel stop shoulder of the travel stop against the valve, and wherein the travel stop retains the stem shoulder against the valve.
A method of preventing over travel of a valve disk comprising the steps of:
- providing a travel stop apparatus, wherein the travel stop apparatus comprises a travel stop shoulder, about a stem of a valve;
- providing a gland retainer installed around the stem of the valve and connected to the travel stop apparatus about the stem of the valve;
- rotating the travel stop apparatus:
- preventing pass through of a stem shoulder through a top end opening of the travel stop apparatus;
- and
- preventing pass through of the travel stop shoulder through a gland retainer top end opening.
A method of preventing over travel of a valve obturator comprising the steps of:
- providing a travel stop apparatus, wherein the travel stop apparatus comprises a travel stop shoulder, about a stem of a valve;
- providing a gland retainer installed around the stem of the valve and connected to the travel stop apparatus about the stem of the valve;
- and
- rotating the travel stop apparatus;
- retaining a stem shoulder of the stem against the valve via the travel stop apparatus, wherein the stem shoulder is between an upper stem portion and a lower stem portion;
- retaining the travel stop shoulder against the valve via a travel stop recess portion defined in the gland retainer;
- sealing between the gland retainer and the travel stop apparatus;
- and
- sealing between the travel stop apparatus and the stem.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.