Adjustable lockout device for knife gate valves

A valve assembly comprising:

• a valve that may be actuated from a select condition,
• said valve having a pair of spaced apart, generally opposed abutment surfaces, with at least one of the abutment surfaces being shiftable relative to the other in such a manner that the spacing between the abutment surfaces decreases when the valve is actuated;
• and
• a lockout device including a pair of generally oppositely facing engagement faces positionable between the pair of abutment surfaces,
• said device being operable to permit selective adjustment of the distance between the engagement faces so that the engagement faces are positively engageable with the pair of abutment surfaces to prevent the spacing between the abutment surfaces from decreasing, and thereby prevent actuation of the valve.

A gate valve configured to be prevented from actuation by a lockout device, said valve comprising:

• a valve casing defining a material passageway;
• a valve plate shiftable relative to the casing between a closed position, in which the valve plate extends across the passageway to block material flow therethrough, and an open position, in which the valve plate has shifted sufficiently out of the passageway to permit material flow therethrough;
• an actuator spaced from the valve casing,
• said actuator including a plate control member shiftable along a generally linear path and connected to the valve plate so that shifting of the control member effects shifting of the plate;
• and
• at least one yoke interconnecting the actuator and casing, with the control member shifting generally along the yoke as the valve plate is shifted between the open and closed positions,
• said at least one yoke having spaced apart first and second projections that extend generally toward the control member,
• said first and second projections cooperating with the control member to present respective first and second pairs of spaced apart, generally opposed abutment surfaces configured to receive the lockout device therebetween when the valve plate is in the open and closed positions,
• said abutment surfaces presented by the projections being substantially flat and oblique with respect to the path of the control member.

A gate valve assembly for association with a material flow path, said assembly comprising:

• a valve casing defining a material passageway communicateable with the path;
• a valve plate shiftable relative to the casing between a closed position, in which the valve plate extends across the passageway to block material flow therethrough, and an open position, in which the valve plate has shifted sufficiently out of the passageway to permit material flow therethrough;
• a remotely controlled actuator spaced from the valve casing,
• said actuator including a generally linearly shiftable plate control member connected to the valve plate so that shifting of the control member effects shifting of the plate;
• an elongated structural element interconnecting the actuator and casing, with the control member shifting generally along the length of the structural element as the valve plate is shifted between the open and closed positions,
• said structural element and said control member presenting a first pair of spaced apart, generally opposed abutment surfaces when the valve plate is in the open position, with the spacing between the first pair of abutment surfaces decreasing as the valve plate shifts from the open position to the closed position,
• said structural element and said control member further presenting a second pair of spaced apart, generally opposed abutment surfaces when the valve plate is in the closed position, with the spacing between the second pair of abutment surfaces decreasing as the valve plate shifts from the closed position to the open position;
• and
• a lockout device including a pair of generally oppositely facing engagement faces alternatively positionable between each pair of abutment surfaces,
• said lockout device being operable to permit selective adjustment of the distance between the engagement faces so that the engagement faces are positively engageable with each pair abutment surfaces for selectively preventing shifting of the valve plate out of the open or closed positions.