US 4,650,152 AGranted

Automatic shut-off valve for welding electrode coolant systems

OwnerKingsley A. Douttinventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A valve for controlling the flow of a liquid coolant in a circuit interconnecting several hollow welding electrodes with a pressurized coolant source has dual ball check valves in the supply and return lines respectively and a spring and pressure responsive device for holding the ball check valve in the supply line open when the fluid pressure of the coolant in the cooling circuit is maintained. The device is responsive in operation to loss of pressure in the coolant supply line and the hollow electrodes to permit the dual ball check valves to close upon a loss of pressure as occasioned by the burn out of one of the electrodes or the removal of the electrode from the circuit. The device may also originate an appropriate signal which may be directed to a remote electrical switch controlling the welding current.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A shut-off valve responsive to variations in pressure in a coolant circulating system including a source of fluid coolant under pressure, said shut-off valve comprising a valve body having a bore therethrough and inlet and outlet ports communicating with said bore, a valve seat in said bore between said inlet and outlet ports and a valve element in said bore downstream of said valve seat and movable toward and away from said valve seat, a piston in said bore upstream of said valve seat and spring means urging said piston away from said valve seat, a shaft movably positioned axially of said bore and through said piston and means in said piston frictionally engaging said shaft, one end of said shaft positioned for movement through said valve seat against said valve element to move said valve element downstream away from said valve seat, an apertured cap on said valve body, an opposite end of said shaft extending out of said valve body and through said apertured cap, a passageway in said valve body communicating with said bore adjacent said outlet port and with said bore on the opposite side of said piston whereby fluid coolant in said bore and said outlet port engages said opposite side of said piston to move the same toward said valve seat against said spring means and whereby loss of fluid pressure in said bore and said outlet port allows said spring means to move said piston and said shaft away from said valve seat so that said valve element may engage said valve seat and shut off the flow of said fluid coolant through said shut-off valve.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.