Valve construction

A valve for controlling the flow rate of a fluid in an efficient and predetermined manner even with temperature variations comprising:

• fluid conductor means for defining a flow passageway for the fluid;
• a stem supported by the fluid conductor means and pivotal relative to the fluid conductor means on an axis having a transverse relationship with respect to the flow passageway and having a first rate of contraction and expansion in response to the temperature variations;
• a disc supported by the stem for pivotal movement with the stem, relative to the fluid conductor means, between a first position wherein the flow passageway is substantially closed and a second position wherein the flow passageway is substantially open, the disc having a second rate of contraction and expansion in response to the temperature variations where the second rate of expansion or contraction is different from the first rate of contraction and expansion;
• a first pin disposed in coupled relationship to the stem and the disc at a first position along the stem and providing a reference point for differences in the first rate of contraction and expansion of the stem to the changes in temperature and the second rate of contraction and expansion of the disc to the changes in temperature;
• portions of a particular one of the stem and disc defining a ramp having an angular relationship with the axis of the stem and having a displaced relationship along the stem from the first pin;
• and
• a second pin carried by the other of the stem and the disc in sliding engagement with the ramp and slidable along the ramp as a result of the differences between the first and second rates of contraction and expansion to compensate for such differences.

A valve providing an efficient and predetermined operation even with temperature variations, including:

• a housing defining a flow passageway and having an annular configuration in cross section;
• a shaft having an axis corresponding to the diameter of the annular configuration of the housing and pivotably mounted on the housing with the axis of the shaft defining a fulcrum for pivotable movement of the shaft;
• a disc pivotable with the shaft and forming with the shaft a pivotable valve element for controlling the flow of the fluid through the flow passageway defined by the housing;
• a pin coupling the shaft and the disc at the center of the disc in the axial direction of the stem to provide for pivotable movement of the disc with the shaft;
• a first portion of a particular one of the shaft and the disc defining a keyway with the other one of the ramp and the disc, the first portion having an inclined relationship with respect to the axis of the shaft and being displaced from the center of the housing in the direction of the axis of the shaft;
• the disc having a first rate of expansion or contraction with variations in temperature and the shaft having a second rate of expansion or contraction with variations of temperature and the first and second rates being different;
• and
• a key registered with the keyway and carried by the other one of the shaft and the disc and slidingly engaging the keyway to provide for an expansion or contraction of the shaft relative to the disc with such temperature variations, thereby to maintain the shaft and the disc in a substantially fixed angular relationship with such temperature variations so that the disc is substantially non-rotatable with respect to the shaft even with such temperature variations.

A valve for controlling the flow rate of a fluid even with temperature changes including:

• a housing;
• a stem having an axis and pivotal relative to the housing on the axis of the stem as a fulcrum and having a first rate of expansion or contraction in response to such temperature changes;
• a disc mounted on the stem interiorly of the housing, the disc being pivotable with the stem to open and close the valve and having a second rate of expansion or contraction in response to such temperature changes where the second rate is different from the first rate;
• first means interconnecting the stem and the disc at an intermediate position along the axial length of the stem in the housing and providing a reference for any difference between the first rate of expansion or contraction of the stem in response to the temperature changes and the second rate of expansion or contraction of the disc in response to the temperature changes;
• and
• second means interconnecting the disc and the stem at a position displaced from the first means and in a slidable relationship with the disc and the stem for facilitating radial and axial displacement of the disc with respect to the stem as a result of the differences between the first and second rates of expansion or contraction to inhibit angular displacement of the disc relative to the stem.

A valve for controlling the rate of flow of fluid even with temperature changes in the fluid to maintain such rate of flow independent of the temperature changes including:

• a hollow housing;
• a shaft disposed in the housing on a particular axis in a pivotal relationship with respect to the housing and having a first rate of expansion or contraction in response to such temperature changes;
• a disc mounted on the shaft interiorly of the housing, the disc being pivotable with the shaft to open and close the valve and having a second rate of expansion or contraction in response to such temperature changes where such second rate is different from the first rate;
• first means disposed in interconnecting relationship with the shaft and the disc at an intermediate position along the axial length of the shaft in the housing for pre-loading the disc and the shaft and for providing a pivotal movement of the disc with the shaft;
• and
• second means disposed in transverse relationship to the particular axis and in interconnecting relationship with the shaft and the disc at a position displaced from the first means along the axial length of the shaft in the housing for providing radial and axial placements between the disc and the shaft as a result of the differences between the first and second rates of expansion or contraction to maintain a particular pivotal relationship of the disc and the shaft relative to the housing even with such temperature changes.

A butterfly valve for controlling the rate of flow of a fluid having significant temperature transients to maintain the rate of flow independent of the temperature transients, the valve comprising:

• hollow housing through which the fluid is conducted;
• fulcrum means substantially longitudinal in configuration and disposed in the housing and supported by the housing pivotally with respect to the housing on a fulcrum extending along the length of the fulcrum means and having a first rate of expansion or contraction in response to such temperature transients;
• damper means disposed interiorly of the housing and adjacent the fulcrum means in a substantially fixed angular relationship with respect to the fulcrum means and having a second rate of expansion or contraction in response to such temperature transients where the second rate is different from the first rate, the damper means being pivotable with the fulcrum means to control the flow of the fluid through the housing;
• means attaching the fulcrum means and the damper means at a position intermediate the length of the fulcrum means in the housing and providing a reference for differences in the first rate of expansion or contraction of the fulcrum means in response to the temperature transients and the second rate of expansion or contraction of the damper means in response to the temperature transients;
• coupling means having a contiguous relationship with the fulcrum means and the damper means at a position displaced from the attaching means along the length of the fulcrum means and coupling the fulcrum means and the damper means to provide for displacements of the damper means with respect to the fulcrum means as a result of the differences between the first and second rates of expansion or contraction to maintain the adjacent and fixed angular relationship between the fulcrum means and the damper means,
• the fulcrum means including a shaft cylindrical in configuration and pivotal on the housing on the axis of the shaft as a fulcrum;
• the damper means including a disc mounted on the shaft;
• the attaching means including a first pin having a contiguous relationship with the disc and the shaft and extending at least partially through the disc in a direction transverse to the axis of the shaft;
• the coupling means including at least a second pin having a contiguous relationship with the disc and the shaft and extending at least partially through the disc in a direction transverse to the axis of the shaft to inhibit angular displacements between the disc and the shaft,
• a particular portion of the second pin defining a first inclined plane;
• a particular portion of the shaft defining a second plane having the same inclination as the first inclined plane;
• and
• the particular portion of the second pin being disposed on the particular portion of the shaft in slidable relationship with the shaft for sliding movement along the shaft in accordance with the temperature transients to provide for movement of the disc both radially and axially relative to the shaft in accordance with the temperature transients to inhibit angular motion between the disc and the shaft during such temperature transients.

A butterfly valve for controlling the rate of flow of a fluid having temperature changes to maintain the rate of flow independent of the temperature changes, the valve comprising:

• a housing through which the fluid is conducted;
• fulcrum means substantially longitudinal in configuration and having a longitudinal axis and disposed in the housing and supported by the housing and pivotal with respect to the housing about a fulcrum extending along the longitudinal axis of the fulcrum means and having a first rate of expansion or contraction in response to the temperature changes;
• damper means disposed interiorly of the housing in a substantially fixed angular relationship with the fulcrum means and having a second rate of expansion or contraction in response to the temperature changes where the second rate is different from the first rate, the damper means being pivotable with the fulcrum means to control the flow of fluid through the housing;
• means operatively coupled to the fulcrum means and the damper means at an intermediate position along the length of the longitudinal axis of the fulcrum means in the housing for providing a particular pre-loading of the fulcrum means and the damper means with respect to the pivotal disposition of the damper means and for providing a pivotal movement of the damper means with the fulcrum means;
• control means operatively coupled to the damper means and the fulcrum means at a position displaced from the pre-loading means along the length of the longitudinal axis of the fulcrum means in the housing for providing for changes in the relative dimensions of the fulcrum means and the damper means as a result of the differences in the first and second rates of expansion or contraction to maintain the particular pre-loading of the fulcrum means and the damper without deforming the fulcrum means and the damper means,
• the control means having properties for providing for a movement between the damper means and the fulcrum means in the axial and radial directions as a result of the differences in the first and second rates of expansion or contraction to maintain the particular pre-loading between the damper means and the fulcrum means, and
• the control means including a ramp on a particular one of the fulcrum means and the damper means and further including means retained by the other one of the fulcrum means and the damper means and slidable along the ramp in accordance with the relative movements between the damper means and the fulcrum means for maintaining the particular pre-loading between the damper means and the fulcrum means even with the temperature changes.