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US 6,598,853 B1Granted
Plug valve with cam actuated seal means
AssigneeAlpha Thames Ltd.
InventorsDavid Eric Appleford, Brian William Lane
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeAlpha Thames Ltd.
InventorsDavid Eric Appleford, Brian William Lane
Estimating the term…
A rotary valve for blocking opposed apertures of a valve body includes a central assembly comprising laterally offset hemi-cylindrical first camming surfaces on an exterior of a rotatable spool and substantially hemi-cylindrical seal plates with hemi-cylindrical first cam following surfaces which engage the first camming surfaces. Stop pins fixed to the valve body run in rebates in the seal plates to limit rotation of the seal plates to 90°. Each of four clearance members is supported by a wedging block loosely located in a recess in the spool, slidingly extends through a radial slot in one of the seal plates and prevents the spool jamming the seal plate against an inner face of the valve body during closing of the valve until a projecting end of the clearance member enters a recess in the valve body.
A valve (2) comprising a valve body (4) with through flow apertures (8) defining a throughflow direction, two seal means (10) which are urgeable away from each other against complementary sealing surfaces (9) to prevent flow through the throughflow apertures (8) and actuating means (20, 32, 58) which is rotatable in an opening direction about a rotation axis (26) substantially perpendicular to the throughflow direction to rotate each seal means (10) away from its associated throughflow aperture (8) to allow fluid flow therethrough wherein the valve (2) includes restraining means (52, 78, 82) for arresting rotation of each seal means (10) by the actuating means (20, 32, 58) in a closing direction opposite to the opening direction when each seal means (10) is aligned with its associated complementary sealing surface (9), the actuating means (20, 32, 58) including a first camming surface (22) for each seal means (10) which is urged against a first cam following surface (42) of the associated seal means (10) to urge it sealingly against its complementary sealing surface (9) in a direction away from the rotation axis (26) after rotation of the seal means (10) has been arrested and upon further rotation of the actuating means (20, 32, 58) in the closing direction and wherein the actuating means (20, 32, 58) includes a second camming surface (70) for each seal means (10) against which a second cam following surface (72) bears which is urged towards the rotation axis (26) upon initial rotation of the actuating means (20, 32, 58) in the opening direction drawing the seal means (10) away from its associated complementary sealing surface (9).
The valve (200) according to clam 1 wherein the restraining means comprises a stop member (226) fixed relative to either one of the seal means (106) or the valve body (4) and a stop member path (224) with stop member end stops (232,234) which path (224) is fixed relative to or defined in the other of the seal means (106) or the valve body (4).
A valve (2) comprising a valve body (4) with through flow aperture (8) defining a throughflow direction, two seal means (10) which are urgeable away from each other against complementary sealing surfaces (9) to prevent flow through the throughflow apertures (8) and actuating means (20, 32, 58) which is rotatable in an opening direction about a rotation axis (26) substantially perpendicular to the throughflow direction to rotate each seal means (10) away from its associated throughflow aperture (8) to allow fluid flow therethrough, wherein the valve (2) includes restraining means (52, 78, 82) for arresting rotation of each seal means (10) by the actuating means (20, 32, 58) in a closing direction opposite to the opening direction when each seal means (10) is aligned with its associated complementary sealing surface (9), the actuating means (20, 32, 58) including a first camming surface (22) for each seal means (10) which is urged against a first cam following surface (42) of the associated seal means (10) to urge it sealingly against its complementary sealing surface (9) in a direction away from the rotation axis (26) after rotation of the seal means (10) has been arrested and upon further rotation of the actuating means (20, 32, 58) in the closing direction wherein the restraining means (78, 82) includes at least one displaceable latch member (78) which is engageable for arresting rotation of each seal means (10) and the or each latch member (78) includes guide means (82) which engages a third camming surface (84).
A valve (2) comprising a valve body (4) with through flow apertures (8) defining a throughflow direction, two seal means (10) which are urgeable away from each other against complementary sealing surfaces (9) to prevent flow through the throughflow apertures (8) and actuating means (20, 32, 58) which is rotatable in an opening direction about a rotation axis (26) substantially perpendicular to the throughflow direction to rotate each seal means (10) away from its associated throughflow aperture (8) to allow fluid flow therethrough, wherein the valve (2) includes restraining means (52, 78, 82) for arresting rotation of each seal means (10) by the actuating means (20, 32, 58) in a closing direction opposite to the opening direction when each seal means (10) is aligned with its associated complementary sealing surface (9), the actuating means (20, 32, 58) including a first camming, surface (22) for each seal means (10) which is urged against a first cam following surface (42) of the associated seal means (10) to urge it sealingly against its complementary sealing surface (9) in a direction away from the rotation axis (26) after rotation of the seal means (10) has been arrested and upon further rotation of the actuating means (20, 32, 58) in the closing direction and wherein the actuating means includes a jam prevention mechanism (206, 218) for preventing rotational jamming of the seal means (106) as the actuating means (102) is rotated in the closing direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.