Pressure bypass accessory for a series progressive divider valve

A series progressive divider valve assembly comprising:

• an inlet block unit having a lubricant inlet;
• an end block unit;
• a plurality of valve units disposed between the inlet unit and the end block unit;
• each of the valve units comprising a base part and an associated feeder part, each base part having at least one lubricant outlet port and each feeder part having a hydraulically actuatable element therein for causing lubricant to be delivered to the outlet port of its associated base part, each feeder part and associated base part having respective faying surfaces abutting one another, each of the faying surfaces having a set of openings of non-communicating passages therein, with the openings in the base part and the associated feeder part being in registry;
• means, including the passages, forming hydraulic circuitry in the inlet block unit, the end block unit and the valve units for interconnecting the inlet, the hydraulically actuatable elements and the outlets for cyclic operation of the valve units, the hydraulic circuitry interconnecting each feeder part with its associated base part only through the faying surfaces;
• a manifold disposed in at least one of the valve units between the respective faying surfaces of the base part and the feeder part thereof, the manifold comprising a plurality of bores therein respectively disposed in registry with the openings including a first bore and a second bore, the manifold further comprising a relief valve disposed between the first bore the second bore, the manifold further comprising at least one further bore disposed between the relief valve and the second bore, the relief valve and further bore placing the first and second bores and the openings respectively in registry therewith in fluid communication when pressure in the first bore is sufficient to overcome the bias of the relief valve;
• first fastening means for fastening the inlet block unit, the end block and the base parts in a fixed assembly;
• and
• second fastening means for fastening each feeder part in fixed assembly only to its associated base part and in the at least one valve unit for fastening the feeder part and its associated base part in fixed assembly with the manifold therebetween.

A method for producing a selected flow pattern in a series progressive divider valve assembly comprising the steps of:

• assembling a plurality of valve units in succession adjacent each other, each valve unit having a plurality of non-communicating passages therein extending between a lower region of the valve unit and an upper region of the valve unit;
• providing a manifold having a plurality of bores therein including a first bore and a second bore;
• disposing the manifold between the lower region and the upper region of at least one valve unit so that the bores in the manifold are respectively disposed in registry with the passages in the at least one valve unit;
• and
• providing at least one relief valve biased toward a closed position between the first and the second bore and at least one further bore in the manifold between the relief valve and the second bore for placing the first and second bores in fluid communication and the passages in the at least one valve unit respectively in registry therewith in fluid communication when the pressure in the first bore is sufficient to overcome the bias of the relief valve.

A method for manufacturing a series progressive divider valve assembly comprising the steps of:

• providing an inlet block unit with a lubricant inlet;
• forming a plurality of valve units by combining a base part and an associated feeder part, each base part having at least one lubricant outlet port and each feeder part having a hydraulically actuatable element therein for causing lubricant to be delivered to the outlet port of its associated base part, each feeder part and associated base part having respective faying surfaces with each faying surface having a set of openings of non-communicating passages therein;
• forming each valve unit by abutting the faying surfaces of the base part and an associated feeder part with the openings in the base part and the associated feeder part in registry;
• arranging a plurality of valve units between the inlet unit and the end block unit;
• providing a manifold having a plurality of bores therein including a first bore and a second bore;
• disposing the manifold in at least one of the valve units between the respective faying surfaces of the base part and the feeder part thereof with the bores of the manifold disposed in registry with the openings in the faying surfaces;
• providing at least one relief valve in the manifold biased toward a closed position and disposed between the first and the second bore and at least one further bore in the manifold disposed between the relief valve and the second bore for placing the first and second bores in fluid communication and the passages in the at least one valve unit respectively in registry therewith in fluid communication when the pressure in the first bore is sufficient to overcome the bias of the relief valve;
• fastening the inlet block unit, the end block and the base parts in a fixed assembly;
• and
• fastening each feeder part in the fixed assembly only to its associated base part and in the at least one valve unit fastening the feeder part and its associated base part in the fixed assembly with the manifold therebetween.