US 4,057,080 AGranted

Fluid flow control members

AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation

InventorsJames R. Baber, Ronald J. Dershem

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Abstract

A fluid operating device has separate flow control orifices which must be properly oriented and installed. They are so constructed that they cannot inadvertently be interchanged or installed in a reverse manner. These possibilities are obviated by making one orifice body with legs extending upwardly from the main body portion. The outer edges of the legs touch a circle of larger diameter than the diameter of the main body portion. The other orifice has the upper portion of its main body portion of larger diameter than the first orifice main body portion but of a smaller diameter than the circle touching the outside of the first orifice's legs. The lower portion of the second orifice main body is of smaller diameter than the diameter of the first orifice main body. The second orifice has legs extending from the top of the main body so that a circle touching the outside of these legs has the same diameter as the upper portion of the second orifice main body. The seats for the orifice bodies are shaped to receive the orifice bodies only in their proper orientations. An attempt to install either orifice body in the wrong position will cause the body to extend above its proper assembled position so that the body retainers cannot be installed and completion of the assembly operation cannot be accomplished. Neither orifice body can be installed in the seat provided for the other orifice body. When only one orifice body and seat unit is required, the arrangement prohibits reverse installation of the orifice body.

A fluid flow controlling orifice body and seat unit arranged to prevent inadvertent axially reversed mis-assembly of the orifice body into the seat;

said orifice body having a disc-like main body section with an upper portion and a lower portion and an orifice aperture extending axially therethrough, and a leg portion defined by at least three circumferentially spaced legs extending axially away from said upper portion on the side thereof away from said lower portion and parallel to the axis of said aperture, the space circumferentially and diametrically and chordally between said legs and axially beyond said main body section being open, said upper portion having a first outer diameter, said lower portion having a second outer diameter, and the radially outer edges of said leg portion lying on a circle having a third diameter, one of said diameters being equal to another of said diameters and the remaining diameter being substantially unequal to said one diameter, said second diameter being less than at least one of said first and third diameters;
said seat having a cylindrically formed bore including an orifice body receiving section and a bore side wall, said receiving section having first shoulder means defining an annular seat for abutting engagement with said orifice body lower portion, second shoulder means having at least portions thereof circumferentially spaced radially outwardly and axially spaced relative to said first shoulder means for abutting engagement with another of said orifice body portions, and an annular end surface adjacent to but axially spaced from said second shoulder means, said bore side wall circumferentially surrounding at least an axial portion of said open space between said legs of said orifice body when said orifice body is received by said seat to define a flow chamber fluid connected with said orifice aperture and positioned axially adjacent to said orifice body main body section;
the overall axial length of said orifice body being greater than the axial length of said seat bore orifice body-receiving section from said second shoulder means to said end surface whereby an axially reversed mis-assembly of the orifice body into the seat results in an overall axial length of said orifice body and seat greater than the overall axial length thereof when properly assembled.

Abstract

Claims4