Pendulum and slide gate vacuum valve

• US 20070138426A1
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Original Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Inventors: Geiser, Friedrich
• Granted Patent: US 7,802,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 251/301
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/10 with special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 51/02 specially adapted for high-vacuum installations

Abstract

The invention relates to a valve, in particular a pendulum or slide gate valve, for essentially gastight closing of a flow path (F). The valve includes a valve housing (1) having a first wall (2) which has a first opening (3) and a first valve seat (4), a valve plate (5) having a closing side (6) with a first sealing ring (7) and at least one drive (8). By action of the drive (8), the valve plate (5) is pivotable or displaceable from an opened position (A) essentially parallel to the first valve seat (4), and the perpendicular distance between the valve plate (5), and the first valve seat (4) can be reduced so that, in the closed position (C), the flow path (F) is closed essentially gastight by an axially sealing contact between the first sealing ring (7) and the first valve seat (4). The valve plate (5) includes support part (9), which is connected to the drive (8) and fixes the first sealing ring (7) in the perpendicular direction to the first valve seat (4), and a sealing part (10) which has an inner circumferential area (11) and which is mounted so as to be movable relative to the support part (9) in a direction (Z) essentially perpendicular to the first valve seat (4). The inner circumferential area (11) encloses the first sealing ring (7) in an essentially gastight way with an inner seal. Thus, in the closed position (C), a pressure difference at the valve plate (5) acts essentially on the sealing part (10) so that sealing part (10), decoupled from the support part (9), is supported perpendicularly on a section of the valve housing (1), in particular the first valve seat (4) or a lateral groove (27).

Claims

1. A valve for essentially gastight closing of a flow path (F), comprising

a valve housing (1) having a first wall (2), which has a first opening (3) for the flow path (F) and a first valve seat (4) surrounding the first opening (3),

a valve plate (5) having a closing side (6) on which a first sealing ring (7) corresponding with the first valve seat (4) is arranged, and

at least one drive (8), by means of which

the valve plate (5) is pivotable or displaceable from an opened position (A) in which the flow path (F) is essentially unobstructed to an intermediate position (B) essentially parallel to the first valve seat (4) over the cross-section of the first opening (3) and

the perpendicular distance between the valve plate (5) and the first valve seat (4) can be reduced from the intermediate position (B) to a closed position (C) in such a way that the flow path (F) is closed essentially gastight by an axially sealing contact between the first sealing ring (7) and the first valve seat (4),

wherein the valve plate (5) has

a support part (9) which

is connected to the drive (8) and

fixes the first sealing ring (7) in the perpendicular direction to the first valve seat (4), and

a sealing part (10),

being movably mounted on the support part (9) so as to be movable relative to the support part (9) in a direction (Z) essentially perpendicular to the first valve seat (4),

being connected in an essentially gastight way to the support part (9) in a central region (M), and

having an inner circumferential area (11) in an outer region (O) which encloses the first sealing ring (7) of the support part (9) in an essentially gastight way by a radially sealing contact,

so that the support part (9) and the sealing part (10) together form the essentially gastight valve plate (5),

so that in the closed position (C), a pressure difference at the valve plate (5) acts essentially on the sealing part (10), and the sealing part (10) is supported perpendicularly and in a manner essentially decoupled from the support part (9) on the valve housing (1).

2. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support part (9) has, on the closing side (6) in an edge region being enclosed by the inner circumferential area (11) of the sealing part (10), a recess (13) which runs around the outside, holds the first sealing ring (7) and has an undercut (14) fixing the first sealing ring (7) in the perpendicular direction to the first valve seat (4).

3. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first sealing ring (7) is fixed to an edge region of the closing side (6) of the support part (9) by adhesive force.

4. The valve as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first sealing ring (7) is fixed to the edge region of the closing side (6) of the support part (9) by means of vulcanization.

5. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first sealing ring (7) is in the form of an O-ring.

6. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the case of a relative reduced pressure (25) on the closing side (6) of the valve plate (5), the sealing part (10) is supported on the first valve seat (4) of the valve housing (1).

7. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the valve housing (1) has, in an essentially parallel position opposite to the first wall (2) and to the first opening (3) and a distance away, a second wall (19) having a second opening (20) for the flow path (F) and a second valve seat (21) surrounding the second opening (20),

in the intermediate position (B) and in the closed position (C), the valve plate (5) is pivoted or displaced between the first opening (3) and the second opening (20), and

the sealing part (10) is formed in such a way that, in the closed position (C) with a relative excess pressure (26) on the closing side (6) of the valve plate (5), the sealing part (10) is supported perpendicularly, essentially decoupled from the support part (9), on the second valve seat (21).

8. The valve as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sealing part (10) has an outer annular section (22) and an inner plate-like section (30),

the outer annular section (22)

at least partially enclosing the support part (9), the first sealing ring (7) and the inner plate-like section (30), and

extending perpendicularly between the first valve seat (4) and the second valve seat (21),

the inner plate-like section (30)

extending radially and in an essentially gastight way between the outer annular section (22) and the central region (M) of the support part (9), and

being connected in an essentially gastight way to the support part (9) in the central region (M)

wherein by means of the outer annular section (22) support on the second valve seat (21) is provided in the case of the relative excess pressure (26) on the closing side (6).

9. The valve as claimed in claim 8, wherein the outer annular section (22) is hollow-cylindrical.

10. The valve as claimed in claim 1, comprising an inner lateral groove (27) in the valve housing (1a), which lateral groove (27) is formed and arranged in such a way that

at least a partial section of the sealing part (10) projects, in the intermediate position (B) and in the closed position (C), into the lateral groove (27), and

in the closed position (C) and in case of the pressure difference at the valve plate (5), the sealing part (10) is supported on the valve housing (1a), on a lateral area (28;

29) of the lateral groove (27).

11. The valve as claimed in claim 10, wherein the partial section of the sealing part (10) is formed as an outer lateral collar (22a) arranged on the sealing part (10).

12. The valve as claimed in claim 1, comprising resilient means, which are arranged in such a way—

acting between the support part (9) and the sealing part (10)—

that the sealing part (10) in the closed position (C), with relative pressure equality at the valve, rests on the valve housing (1;

1a) in direction of the closing side (6).

13. The valve as claimed in claim 12, wherein the resilient means are in the form of least one spring (15).

14. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing part (10) being connected in an essentially gastight way to the support part (9) in the central region (M) by means of a second sealing ring (32).

15. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing part (10) being connected in an essentially gastight way to the support part (9) in the central region (M) by means of a bellows (31).

16. The valve as claimed in claim 14, wherein

the support part (9) has, on the side (17) opposite to the closing side (6) in a central region located close to the central axis (18) of the first opening (3) in the closed position (C), a shaft (33) connecting the support part (9) to an arm (23), which is connected to the drive (8), and

the second sealing ring enclosing the shaft (33) in an essentially gastight way by a radially sealing contact.

17. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the valve is in the form of a pendulum valve and

the drive (8) is formed in such a way that the valve plate (5) is pivotable essentially parallel over the cross-section of the first opening (3).

18. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the valve is in the form of a slide gate valve and

the drive (8) is formed in such a way that the valve plate (5) is displaceable essentially parallel over the cross-section of the first opening (3).