US 4,301,823 AGranted

Self-closing breakaway valve assembly including improved valve mounting with rotation limiting stop

OwnerDaniel T. Meisenheimer, Jr.inventor

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Abstract

Improved valve mountings with rotational limiting stops for self-closing breakaway valve assemblies comprising two frangibly connected valve housings each having a rotatable valve member and trigger means holding the valve members open until the valve housings separate. The rotatable valve members have slotted trunnion shafts respectively rotatably received in trunnion bearings mounted to the valve housings. A coil spring is deployed about each trunnion shaft and has one tang end received in the slot of the trunnion shaft to bias the rotatable valve member to its closed position. Indicator shafts keyed with the trunnion shafts are rotatably mounted in the trunnion bearings, the ends of the indicator shafts being exposed to indicate the positions of the valve members. In one embodiment, a key extends from each trunnion shaft or indicator shaft into an arcuate slot in the trunnion bearing, and the keys ground against stop surfaces of the arcuate slots to limit rotation of the valve members beyond their closed positions. In another embodiment, the tang ends of the springs adjacent the trunnion shafts are received in arcuate slots in the trunnion bearings, and the spring tang ends ground against stop surfaces of the arcuate slots to limit rotation of the valve members beyond their closed positions.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An improvement in self-closing breakaway valve assemblies of the type comprising:

(A) a first valve housing having a first rotatable valve member rotatably mounted therein, said first valve housing and first rotatable valve member each having a bore formed therethrough, said bores being aligned when said first rotatable valve member is in an open position to provide a passage through said first valve housing, and said first rotatable valve member spring biased to rotate to a closed position wherein the bores of said first rotatable valve member and said first valve housing are misaligned to block the passage through said first valve housing;
(B) a second housing having a bore formed therethrough;
(C) frangible means connecting said first valve housing and second housing with the bores formed therethrough in alignment;
and
(D) means holding the first rotatable valve member in its open position and releasing the first rotatable valve member upon separation of the first valve housing and second housing to permit the first rotatable valve member to rotate to its closed position,
wherein the first rotatable valve member has first and second trunnion shafts disposed along its desired pivot axis and wherein the improvement comprises valve member mountings with rotation limiting stops including:
(1) first and second trunnion bearings defining openings respectively rotatably receiving the first and second trunnion shafts of the first rotatable valve member, the trunnion bearings fixedly mounted in the first valve housing to mount the first rotatable valve member for rotation about the desired pivot axis, the first trunnion bearing defining an arcuate slot having a stop surface and the opening in the first trunnion bearing extending the length thereof;
(2) a key received in a slot defined by the first trunnion shaft of the first rotatable valve member and extending into the arcuate slot of the first trunnion bearing, whereby the key travels in the arcuate slot as the first rotatable valve member rotates from its open position toward its closed position and the key grounds against the stop surface of the arcuate slot to limit rotation of the first rotatable valve member beyond its closed position and hold it at its closed position;
and
(3) an indicator shaft received in the opening in the first trunnion bearing, one end of the indicator shaft being engaged with the key received in the slot of the first trunnion shaft of the first rotatable valve member whereby the indicator shaft rotates therewith, and the other end of the indicator shaft being exposed and having means thereon for indicating the position of the first rotatable valve member.

7 more elements

An improvement in self-closing breakaway valve assemblies of the type comprising:

(A) a first valve housing having a first rotatable valve member rotatably mounted therein, said first valve housing and first rotatable valve member each having a bore formed therethrough, said bores being aligned when said first rotatable valve member is in an open position to provide a passage through said first valve housing, and said first rotatable valve member spring biased to rotate to a closed position wherein the bores of said first rotatable valve member and said first valve housing are misaligned to block the passage through said first valve housing;
(B) a second housing having a bore formed therethrough;
(C) frangible means connecting said first valve housing and second housing with the bores formed therethrough in alignment;
and
(D) means holding the first rotatable valve member in its open position and releasing the first rotatable valve member upon separation of the first valve housing and second housing to permit the first rotatable valve member to rotate to its closed position,
wherein the first rotatable valve member has first and second trunnion shafts disposed along its desired pivot axis and wherein the improvement comprises valve member mountings with rotation limiting stops including:
(1) first and second trunnion bearings defining openings respectively rotatably receiving the first and second trunnion shafts of the first rotatable valve member, the trunnion bearings fixedly mounted in the first valve housing to mount the first rotatable valve member for rotation about the desired pivot axis, the first trunnion bearing defining an arcuate slot having a stop surface;
(2) a key engaged with the first trunnion shaft of the first rotatable valve member and extending into the arcuate slot of the first trunnion bearing, whereby the key travels in the arcuate slot as the first rotatable valve member rotates from its open position toward its closed position and the key grounds against the stop surface of the arcuate slot to limit rotation of the first rotatable valve member beyond its closed position and hold it at its closed position;
and
(3) a first coil spring for spring biasing said first rotatable valve member to rotate to its closed position, said first coil spring deployed about one of the trunnion shafts of the first valve member and having a first tang end secured to the first valve housing and a second tang end received in a opening in the trunnion shaft about which the first coil spring is deployed,
and wherein the trunnion bearings, key and coil spring are all mounted within and do not extend outwardly from the valve housing.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.