US 5,470,046 AGranted

Gate valve structure

AssigneeMueller Co.

InventorsDonald F. Mack, Timothy M. Logman, Gary L. Bouc, Larry W. Greenlee

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Abstract

A resilient seat gate valve is provided with a housing having an opening for receiving the operating stem for the valve and a cover with a seal for the cover to the housing opening comprising a step peripheral surface and an angled surface located interiorly of the valve housing opening; the cover is provided with a locking mechanism for drawing the opening peripheral surface against the angled surface of the housing lip to compress the seal carried by the peripheral surface of the cover and to effect the attachment of the cover in place without bolts or screws; the valve disc is provided with side edges covered by an elastomer and protected with a fully enclosing, replaceable cap to prolong the life of the valve disc by protecting the elastomer coating from abrasion; a dumbbell dirt and fluid pressure seal O-ring arrangement is provided between the cover and lip of the housing to facilitate insertion and positioning of the seal during installation of the cover.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A flow control device comprising:

a housing having a longitudinal axis and, at one portion, a through passage, a valve member mounted for movement in said housing relative to said passage to control flow through said passage,
said housing having, at another portion, an opening receiving operating means for effecting movement of said valve member,
said housing having, adjacent said opening, an internal lip which surrounds said longitudinal axis and an internal sealing surface adjacent said lip also surrounding said longitudinal axis and extending at an angle relative to said longitudinal axis,
closing means for said opening, said closing means having a first peripheral surface for engaging said internal lip and a second peripheral portion supporting a resiliently compressible sealing member so as to sealingly engage said internal sealing surface when said closing means is positioned to close said opening;
and wherein said closing means has aperture means for receiving and supporting said operating means for rotation relative to said aperture means about said longitudinal axis when installed in said opening, said closing means including a shoulder portion extending at least partially about said aperture means and extending from adjacent said first peripheral surface through and beyond said opening of said housing, when said closing means is positioned to close said opening, said shoulder portion having a peripheral external surface provided with spaced apart, radially projecting lug members, said closing means including a retaining ring having spaced apart radially inwardly projecting lug members, each for engaging a said lug member of said shoulder portion upon relative rotation between said retaining ring and said shoulder portion to thereby restrain axial movement of said closing means toward said opening.

2 more elements

A flow control device comprising:

a housing having a longitudinal axis and, at one portion, a through passage, a valve member mounted for movement in said housing relative to said passage to control flow through said passage,
said housing having, at another portion, an opening receiving operating means for effecting movement of said valve member,
said housing having, adjacent said opening, an internal lip which surrounds said longitudinal axis and an internal sealing surface adjacent said lip also surrounding said longitudinal axis and extending at an angle relative to said longitudinal axis,
closing means for said opening, said closing means having a first peripheral surface for engaging said internal lip and a second peripheral portion supporting a resiliently compressible sealing member so as to sealingly engage said internal sealing surface when said closing means is positioned to close said opening;
wherein said operating means is a threaded stem and said valve member is a plate member having one portion facing said opening of said housing and an opposite portion with opposite sides extending from said one portion to said opposite portion, said plate member carrying a connection member having an internally threaded bore, said one portion including retaining means for retaining said connection member against movement relative to said plate, said stem threadly engaging said connection member so that rotation of said stem will effect movement of said plate relative to said flow path;
wherein said retaining means comprise a pair of arms and said pair of arms and said connection member including interengaging tabs and mating grooves, said tab being formed on one of said arms and a mating groove is formed in a surface of said connection member, the other of said arms being formed with a tab and another surface of said threaded member being also formed with a mating groove.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.