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US 2018/0171606 A1Published application
Hydrant shear valve and method
AssigneeKsj Valve Company, LLC
InventorsRichard T. Kitchen, Richard D. Traver
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method are disclosed for shutting off the flow of liquid to a hydrant. A break away frangible activator of a valve body becomes dislodged responsive to a hydrant receiving sufficient inadvertent impact. A valve member closes in response to the impact to close off the flow of fluid to the hydrant.
Claims20
A hydrant shear valve for a hydrant coupled in fluid communication with a hydrant water supply pipe having a pipe flange, comprising:
- a valve body having fastener receiving openings for mounting the valve in fluid communication between the hydrant and the water supply pipe;
- the valve body having a valve seat;
- a two-piece valve member including two separate valve member portions each separately and independently pivotally mounted in the valve body to move independently between open positions and closed positions;
- the separate valve member portions being disposed overlapping one another axially aligned within the valve body in the open position and being disposed in a co-planar configuration in engagement with the valve seat in the closed position;
- bias members for maintaining releaseably the valve member portions in the open position and for permitting the valve member portions to be moved toward the closed position under the force of fluid flowing from the supply pipe;
- wherein bias members are held down by the hydrant in the valve body recesses when the two-piece valve member is disposed in its open position and are permitted to move freely when the hydrant is at least partially dislodged from the valve body;
- at least one actuator for freeing the bias members to permit the valve member portions to move independently toward the closed position under the force of fluid under pressure from the supply pipe when the hydrant is hit with sufficient impact;
- and
- each valve member portion having an outer surface and an inner flat surface being disposed at an angle therebetween in cross section to divert fluid from the supply pipe around the valve member portions when disposed in its closed position, the angle being between about 3° and about 15°.
6 more elements
A hydrant shear valve for a hydrant coupled in fluid communication with a hydrant water supply pipe having a pipe flange, comprising:
- a valve body having fastener receiving openings for mounting the valve in fluid communication between the hydrant and the water supply pipe;
- the valve body having a valve seat;
- a two-piece valve member including two separate valve member portions each separately and independently pivotally mounted in the valve body to move independently between open positions and closed positions;
- the separate valve member portions being disposed overlapping one another axially aligned within the valve body in the open position and being disposed in a co-planar configuration in engagement with the valve seat in the closed position;
- bias members for maintaining releasably the valve member portions in the open position and for permitting the valve member portions to be moved toward the closed position under the force of fluid flowing from the supply pipe;
- wherein bias members are held down by the hydrant in the valve body recesses when the two-piece valve member is disposed in its open position and are permitted to move freely when the hydrant is at least partially dislodged from the valve body;
- at least one actuator for freeing the bias members to permit the valve member portions to move independently toward the closed position under the force of fluid under pressure from the supply pipe when the hydrant is hit with sufficient impact;
- and
- such valve member portion having an outer surface and an inner surface being disposed at an angle therebetween in cross section to direct fluid from the supply pipe around the valve member portions when disposed in its opened position, the radii of curvatures of the outer surface being between about 5 inches and about 100 inches.
6 more elements
A frangible actuator for helping attach a shear valve having a water pressure activated valve member in fluid communication between a water supply pipe and a hydrant, comprising:
- a thread receiver stud for helping fasten fixedly the valve to the water supply pipe;
- and
- a threaded shear stud for helping fasten releasably the valve to the hydrant;
- and
- the thread receiver stud having an enlarged head portion for receiving threadably an end portion of the shear stud, the shear stud having a frangible portion to release the hydrant from the valve when the hydrant is dislodged therefrom.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.