Valve and assembly for axially movable members
First Claim
1. A valve, comprising:
- a valve body defining a fluid passageway, with a valve seat in the fluid passageway;
a valve disk support assembly mounted within the valve body;
a front flexure plate mounted on the valve disk support assembly;
a valve disk secured to the front flexure plate and disposed within the valve body, the valve disk having a front side and a back side, the valve disk being movable axially within the valve body, the valve being closed when the front side of the valve disk contacts the valve seat; and
the front flexure plate being axially extendable to accommodate axial valve disk movement while limiting lateral valve disk movement.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The fluid flow check valve uses a flexure plate or plates to accommodate the valve disk'"'"'s axial motion required to open and close the valve. The flexure plate also limits the disk'"'"'s motion in any lateral direction, so the valve disk will align properly with the valve seat and seal when it closes. The flexure plate is a flat, axial spring, made by cutting or otherwise manufacturing spiral cuts in a round, sheet metal disk. Valve qualities such as closing force, size and rigidity to lateral disk motion can be modified by varying the number and configuration of the plates, and by modifying plate characteristics. The compactness of the flexural plate design allows for a shorter valve length and cost as well as increased opportunity for flow optimisation.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A valve, comprising:
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a valve body defining a fluid passageway, with a valve seat in the fluid passageway;
a valve disk support assembly mounted within the valve body;
a front flexure plate mounted on the valve disk support assembly;
a valve disk secured to the front flexure plate and disposed within the valve body, the valve disk having a front side and a back side, the valve disk being movable axially within the valve body, the valve being closed when the front side of the valve disk contacts the valve seat; and
the front flexure plate being axially extendable to accommodate axial valve disk movement while limiting lateral valve disk movement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 13, 15)
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- 3. The valve of claim 3 further comprising a back flexure plate mounted on the valve disk support assembly parallel to the front flexure plate, and spaced by spacers from the front flexure plate, the back flexure plate being axially extendable and cooperating with the front flexure plate to accommodate axial valve disk movement while limiting lateral valve disk movement.
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16. An assembly for supporting an axially movable member, the assembly comprising:
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a housing defining a passageway;
a support assembly mounted within the housing;
a front flexure plate mounted on the support assembly;
a back flexure plate mounted on the support parallel to and spaced from the front flexure plate by spacer members;
an axially movable member secured to the front flexure plate and disposed within the disk support housing;
each of the front flexure plate and back flexure plate being axially extendable to accommodate axial movement of the axially movable member while limiting lateral movement of the axially movable member; and
the front and back flexure plates being spaced such that each is axially extended when the other is flat.
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19. An assembly for supporting an axially movable member, the assembly comprising:
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a housing defining a passageway;
a support mounted within the housing;
a flexure plate mounted on the support;
an axially movable member secured to the front flexure plate and disposed within the housing;
a compression spring mounted between the support and the axially movable member to bias the axially movable member in one axial direction; and
the flexure plate being axially extendable to accommodate axial movement of the axially movable member while limiting lateral movement of the axially movable member.
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Specification