Valve seat construction having a resilient member around the perimeter of the seat member

A valve seat construction for a valve having a housing with a valve chamber therein, a bore through the housing intersecting the valve chamber and a valve member mounted in the valve chamber for movment between open and closed positions relative to said bore, comprising:

• an annular recess surrounding said bore and facing said valve member, said recess defining an end wall extending in a direction generally transverse to said bore, an annular wall coaxial with said bore and including a reduced diameter wall portion extending from said recess end wall and joining a larger diameter wall portion at a recess abutment located in a mid-portion of said recess end wall between the reduced diameter and larger diameter wall portions in a direction generally transverse to said bore;
• an annular seat member located in said recess having a face portion sealingly engagable with said valve member, said seat member having stepped peripheral wall surfaces complementary and in generally parallel relation to the adjacent wall portions of said recess, said wall surfaces being connected by a seat abutment extending in a direction generally transverse to said bore and facing said recess abutment, and a peripheral groove around said seat member at the juncture of said stepped peripheral wall surfaces;
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• an annular resilient member mounted in said peripheral groove and being deformed between said seat abutment and said recess abutment to provide for sealing between said seat member and said recess and to resiliently urge said seat member toward said valve member, said resilient member being deformed further between said abutments and into said groove upon movement of said seat member toward said end wall.

In a gate valve structure having a valve body defining a valve chamber with a bore therethrough, a gate valve member mounted in said valve chamber for movement between open and closed positions relative to said bore, an annular recess in said body facing the valve chamber and surrounding the bore, a seat ring member loosely mounted in said recess for floating back and forth movement relative to the body;

• said body recess being defined by stepped inner and outer peripheral wall surfaces extending in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bore and said outer peripheral wall surface being of a larger diameter than said inner peripheral wall surface, an annular recess abutment between said inner and outer peripheral wall surfaces;
• said seat ring member having stepped inner and outer peripheral surfaces complementary to the adjacent peripheral wall surfaces of said body recess, said peripheral surfaces being connected by a seat abutment extending in a direction generally transverse to said bore and facing said recess abutment, an annular groove in the seat ring member generally at the juncture of the inner and outer peripheral surfaces;
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• an annular resilient member mounted in said groove between the body and the seat ring member for sealing between the valve body and the seat ring member, said resilient member being deformed between said abutments upon movement of said seat ring member in a direction away from the gate valve member.

In a gate valve structure having a valve body defining a valve chamber with a bore therethrough, a gate member mounted in said valve chamber for movement between open and closed positions relative to said bore, a pair of opposed annular recesses in said body facing the valve chamber and surrounding the bore, and upstream and downstream seat ring members loosely mounted in said pair of recesses for floating back and forth movement relative to the body;

• each of said body recesses having stepped inner and outer peripheral wall surfaces extending in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bore and said outer peripheral wall surface being of a larger diameter than said inner peripheral wall surface, each body recess further having an annular abutment joining said inner and outer peripheral wall surfaces and an end wall adjacent said inner peripheral wall surface, both said end wall and said annular abutment extending in a direction generally transverse to said peripheral wall surfaces;
• each seat ring member having an end wall spaced from the opposed end wall of the associated recess on assembly and being exposed to and responsive to fluid pressure from both the bore and the valve chamber to provide fluid pressure actuated seat members, each of said seat ring members having stepped inner and outer peripheral surfaces complementary and in generally parallel facing relation to the adjacent peripheral wall surfaces of the associated body recesses, an annular groove at the juncture of the inner and outer peripheral surfaces defined by opposed sides adjacent the inner and outer peripheral surfaces extending in a direction generally transverse to said peripheral surfaces, one side of the groove being positioned close to said annular abutment forming the body recess and the other side of the groove being spaced longitudinally from and facing said annular abutment, said groove and the adjacent body recess adjacent said abutment forming a pocket between the valve body and the seat ring member;
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• an annular resilient member mounted in said groove between the body and the seat ring member adjacent said abutment and said other groove side, said resilient member being deformed between said abutment and said other groove side upon movement of said seat ring member relative to said body.