Regulating valve having an essentially horizontal stem and process for manufacturing the same

A process for manufacturing a regulating valve having a valve housing and an essentially horizontally arranged, linearly movable valve means for regulating a flow through the regulating valve, the valve means having a stem with a cylindrical portion and arranged with the cylindrical portion in a bearing path contained in the valve housing, the bearing path including a first surface in a base of the bearing path formed as a part of a cylindrical surface limited by a pair of generatrices and having in cross section a first radius which is equal to or slightly greater than a radius of the cylindrical portion and which is shorter than half of a diametrical dimension of the bearing path, and a second surface arranged above the first surface and bridging the first surface, wherein a center angle between the limiting generatrices of the first surface is between 45° and 160°, the process comprising the steps of

• making in the valve housing, in which the outer bearing surface is arranged, a cylindrical basic hole in a machine tool, said cylindrical basic hole defining the second surface;
• and
• translationally moving the valve housing in its fitting in the machine tool and making a part-cylindrical recess which extends from the basic hole into the base of the bearing path between the limiting generatrices to define the first surface.

A regulating valve with a bearing sleeve defining a non-cylindrical bearing path for accommodating a cylindrical portion of an essentially horizontally arranged, linearly movable valve stem, the bearing sleeve having an inner surface and comprising:

• a first surface, located in a base of the bearing path, formed as a part of a first cylindrical surface limited by a pair of generatrices and having in cross section a first radius which is equal to or slightly greater than a radius of the cylindrical portion and which has a length less than half of a diametrical dimension of the bearing path, said first surface forming a bed for said cylindrical portion;
• and
• a second cylindrical surface having a center point located above a center point of said first cylindrical surface and bridging the first surface, said second cylindrical surface extending over a major portion of said inner surface except in the base portion where the bed of said first surface forms a depression in said inner surface, such that a distance between an uppermost point on said inner surface and a lowermost point in said depression is greater than a greater width of said bearing path measured substantially perpendicular to said distance.

A regulating valve with a bearing sleeve defining a non-cylindrical bearing path for accommodating a cylindrical portion of an essentially horizontally arranged, linearly movable valve stem, the bearing sleeve having an inner surface and comprising:

• a first cylindrical surface larger than said cylindrical portion of said valve stem and extending over a major portion of said inner surface;
• and
• a second cylindrical surface in a minor portion of said inner surface which as a radius less than a radius of said first surface and which substantially corresponds to said cylindrical portion of said valve stem, said second cylindrical surface forming a depression in said inner surface such that the bearing path is non-cylindrical.