Nutation valving apparatus and method of operation

A method of operating a nutating valving apparatus with a fixed plate having an opening defined therein with said opening being located in the face of said fixed plate and having leading and trailing linearly extending wall portions, and an adjacent nutating plate having at least one opening defined therein, with said opening in said nutating plate being located in the face of the nutating plate and having leading and trailing linearly extending wall portions, the method comprising:

• opening the valving apparatus by moving each point of the nutating plate through a circle of nutation to move the opening in the nutating plate toward the opening in the fixed plate with the leading wall portions of said openings being maintained substantially parallel to one another so that the opening in the nutating plate at least partially overlaps the opening defined in the fixed plate;
• flowing a fluid substance through the overlapped openings;
• and
• closing the valving apparatus by continuing motion of the nutating plate with the trailing edges of the openings in the nutating plate and fixed plate being maintained substantially parallel to one another to position the opening in the nutating plate in a spaced, nonoverlapping relationship to the opening in the fixed plate, whereby fluid flow is terminated by the sealing relationship of the fixed plate and nutating plate.

A method of timing a nutating valving apparatus including a fixed plate having a rectilinear opening with leading and trailing edges defined therethrough and a nutating plate having at least one similar rectilinear opening defined therethrough, the nutating plate nutating through a circle of nutation of a given dimension, the method comprising:

• locating the trailing edge of the nutating plate opening along the line define by the opening and closing positions on a circle of nutation;
• positioning the leading edge of the nutating plate opening substantially parallel to the trailing edge and tangent to the circle of nutation;
• and
• positioning the opening in the fixed plate with one edge aligned with the leading edge of the opening in the nutating plate when the trailing edge is aligned with identified points on the circle of nutation and further positioned to fully overlap the nutating plate opening when the trailing edge of the opening of the nutating plate is positioned at the leading edge position at such time as the trailing edge passes through the identified points on the circle of nutation during continuous motion of the nutating plate.