High pressure diaphragm valves

In a diaphragm type valve including a valve body, a flow passage defined in said body between an inlet and an outlet, a valve seat defined in said passage, a closure disc adapted to cooperate with said seat for opening and closing said passage to fluid flow, a bonnet secured to said body and a stem extending through a bore in said bonnet for operatively moving said closure disc relatively toward and away from said seat, diaphragm means for maintaining a seal-tight relation between said passage and said stem and comprising:

• (a) a multi-layer flexible stack of load bearing independent metal layers positioned in said body intervening between said closure disc and said stem effecting separation thereof with some of said layers being of a different thickness than others of said layers;
• and
• (b) support means securing said stack in seal-tight relation to said body.

In a diaphragm type valve of Y-pattern configuration including a valve body, an inlet and outlet arranged coaxially aligned on opposite ends of said body and defining a flow passage therebetween, an operating stem arranged with its axis obliquely extending to said inlet and outlet alignment, a diaphragm isolating said stem from the flow passage of said body, a valve seat defined in said passage coaxially aligned with said stem and a closure disc coaxially aligned with said stem and operable by said stem for cooperating with said seat for opening and closing said passage to fluid flow, auxiliary passage means defined in said body intervening in the flow path between said disc and said outlet effecting a relatively straight line flow path direction extending from about said disc to said outlet for that portion of flow passing inward through said seat in a direction approximately parallel to said stem axis to a location generally beyond the dimensional limits of said flow passage thereat and then about said disc in said open position as compared to a direction of flow path therefor it extending from about said disc at said location directly to said outlet.

In a diaphragm type valve including a valve body, a flow passage defined in said body between an inlet and an outlet, a valve seat defined in said passage, a closure disc adapted to cooperate with said seat for opening and closing said passage to fluid flow, a bonnet secured to said body and a stem extending through a bore in said bonnet for operatively moving said closure disc relatively toward and away from said seat, diaphragm means for maintaining a seal-tight relation between said passage and said stem and comprising:

• (a) a multi-layer flexible stack of load bearing independent metal layers positioned in said body intervening between said closure disc and said stem effecting separation thereof;
• and
• (b) support means securing said stack in seal-tight relation to said body and comprising clamping means securing said layers about their periphery, containment means juxtaposed radially inward from said clamping means containing said layers in an unclamped relation, a resilient base radially inboard of said containment means, and a first flexible annular flange cantilevered overlying said resilient base and adapted to fully engage the topside of said stack uniformly when said closure disc is in the open position of said passage and to partially engage the topside of said stack when said closure disc is in the closed position of said passage.