Seismic valve
OwnerDonald B. Hunter, William J. Coxinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A seismic shut off valve includes a cripple column responsive to seismic movement. A toggle spring overlies the cripple column. Latch pins extend from the toggle spring into a valve body to hold a popper valve in an open position. During an earthquake, the cripple column buckles causing the toggle spring to bow upwardly under spring force exerted on the toggle spring through the latch pins from the popper valve. The latch pins release the poppet valve which shifts to seal against a valve seat in a valve body. A ball joint connecting the valve body and cripple column allow the cripple column to be vertically aligned despite use of the valve on a non-vertical pipe.
Claims15
A seismic valve comprising:
- a valve body;
- a valve within the valve body;
- a cripple column attached to the valve body;
- closing means for urging the valve to a closed position within the valve body;
- holding means for holding the valve in an open position against the urging of the closing means, the holding means releasable from the valve with buckling of the cripple column, and
- means for causing the cripple column to lengthen as it moves from an unbuckled to a buckled condition.
A seismic valve comprising:
- a valve body;
- a valve within the valve body;
- a cripple column attached to the valve body;
- closing means for urging the valve to a closed position within the valve body;
- holding means for holding the valve in an open position against the urging of the closing means, the holding means releasable from the valve with buckling of the cripple column wherein the holding means comprises a toggle spring overlying the cripple column and at least one pin positioned between the valve and the toggle spring.
A shutoff valve comprising:
- a cripple column responsive to seismic movement;
- a toggle spring overlying the cripple column and displaceable to a deformed condition from an undeformed condition by the cripple column;
- a valve body;
- attachment means for attaching the cripple column to the valve body;
- a valve supported within the valve body;
- biasing means for biasing the valve into a closed position with the body;
- and
- linkage means for linking the toggle spring to the valve with the toggle spring in the undeformed position holding the valve, through the linkage means, into an open position within the valve body against force of the biasing means and with the toggle spring in the deformed position releasing the linkage means from the valve, thereby allowing the valve to move into the closed position under force of the biasing means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.