VACUUM VALVE

• US 20110140019A1
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Original Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Inventors: Weiss, Martin, Meseli, Tamer, Mähr, Oliver
• Granted Patent: US 8,505,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 251/157
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 27/044 slide valves with flat obturating members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/0227 Packings
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 51/02 specially adapted for high-vacuum installations

Abstract

For a vacuum valve comprising a valve housing (1) with a valve opening, a valve seat surrounding the valve opening, a closing element (9), and at least one peripherally closed seal (10, 11) that is arranged on the closing element (9) and has first and second seal main sections (14, 15) and first and second seal connecting sections (16, 17) allocated to first and second seat main sections arranged offset relative to each other in a direction of the axis (3) of the valve opening (2) and first and second seat connecting sections, is provided, with the seal extending in a groove that is defined, when viewed in cross section, by two side walls and a base wall. The first seal main section (14) is arranged on a front end face (18) of the closing element (9) with respect to the closing direction (8) of the closing element and has a middle part (19) in which the seal (10, 11) extends in a straight line. The seal (10, 11) is clamped by a clamping bar (23) at least across a first sub-region (22) of its longitudinal extent lying in the middle part (19) of the first seal main section, with the clamping bar being fixed on the closing element (9) and forming one of the two side walls of the groove. Through at least one second sub-region of the longitudinal extent of the seal (10, 11), the two side walls and the base wall defining the groove are formed by the closing element (9).

Claims

1. Vacuum valve comprising:

a valve housing (1) with a valve opening (2) that has an axis (3), a valve seat that surrounds the valve opening (2) and has a first seat main section (4) and a second seat main section (5), with the seat main sections being arranged offset relative to each other in a direction of the axis (3) of the valve opening (2) and being connected to each other by first and second seat connecting sections (6, 7),

a closing element (9) that can be moved in a straight line in a closing direction (8) extending at an angle to the axis (3) of the valve opening (2) from an open position in which the valve opening (2) is exposed into a closed position in which the valve opening is sealed and against the closing direction (8) from the closed position into the open position,

at least one peripherally closed seal (10, 11) that is arranged on the closing element (9) and has first and second seal main sections (14, 15) and first and second seal connecting sections (16, 17) allocated to the first and second seat main sections (4, 5) and the first and second seat connecting sections (6, 7) and extends in a groove (12, 13) that is bounded, viewed in cross section, by two side walls (24, 24′

;

25) and one base wall (26),

wherein the first seal main section (14) is arranged on a front end face (18) of the closing element (9) with respect to the closing direction (8) and has a middle part (19) in which the seal (10, 11) extends in a straight line,

the seal (10, 11) is clamped by a clamping bar (23) at least across a first sub-region (22) of a longitudinal extent thereof lying in the middle part (19) of the first seal main section, wherein the clamping bar is fixed on the closing element (9) and forms one of the two side walls (24′

) of the groove (12, 13),

and the two side walls (24, 25) and the base wall (26) defining the groove (12, 13) are formed by the closing element (9) across at least a second sub-region of the longitudinal extent of the seal (10, 11).

2. Vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein the middle part (19) of the first seal main section (14) runs in a direction of a width extent of the valve opening (2) that is more than three times greater than a height extent of the valve opening (2) extending at a right angle to the width extent.

3. Vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein the first sub-region (22) of the longitudinal extent of the seal (10, 11) in which the seal (10, 11) is clamped by the clamping bar (23) extends across more than two thirds of the longitudinal extent of the middle part (19) of the first seal main section (14).

4. Vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein the seal (10, 11) is clamped by the clamping bar (23) only in the first sub-region (22) of the longitudinal extent lying in the middle part (19) of the first seal main section (14).

5. Vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional surface area of the groove (12, 13) in the first sub-region (22) is greater than in the second sub-region.

6. Vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein the at least one peripherally closed seal includes first and second peripherally closed seals (10, 11) that are arranged on the closing element (9) and each have first and second ones of the seal main sections (14, 15) and first and second ones of the seal connecting sections (16, 17) allocated to the first and second seat main sections (4, 5) and the seat connecting sections (6, 7) and each extend in a respective one of the grooves (12, 13) that are each defined by two of the side walls (24, 24′

;

25) and one of the base walls (26) when viewed in cross section, wherein the first seal main sections (14) are arranged on the front end face of the closing element (9) with respect to the closing direction (8) and each have respective middle parts (19) in which each of the seals (10, 11) extends in a straight line, and the first and the second seal (10, 11) are each clamped by the clamping bar (23) across at least a first sub-region (22) of the longitudinal extent lying in the middle part (19) of the first seal main section (14), wherein the clamping bar is fixed on the closing element (9) and forms one of the two side walls (24′

) of the corresponding groove (12, 13), and the two side walls (24, 25) and the base wall (26) defining the corresponding groove (12, 13) are formed by the closing element (9) across a second region of the longitudinal extent of each seal (10, 11).

7. Vacuum valve according to claim 6, wherein the first and second seals (10, 11) are each clamped in the first sub-region (22) of the longitudinal extent (22) thereof lying in the corresponding middle part (19) of the first seal main section (14) by the clamping bar which is a common clamping bar (23) that is arranged between the two seals (10, 11) and forms the adjacent side walls (24′

) of the two grooves (12, 13) in the first sub-regions (22) of the longitudinal extents of the first and second seals (10, 11).

8. Vacuum valve according to claim 7, wherein the clamping bar (23) clamping the at least one seal (10, 11) is screwed to the closing element (9).

9. Vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein a peripherally closed seat seal (28, 29) is arranged on the valve seat for each of the peripherally closed seals (10, 11) arranged on the closing element (9), wherein the seal is pressed onto the associated seal (10, 11) on the closing element (9) across an entire longitudinal extent in the closed position of the closing element (9) without a belt (38) guided through the valve opening (2) and extends in a seat-seal groove (30, 31) that has two side walls (32, 32′

;

33) and one base wall (34).

10. Vacuum valve according to claim 9, wherein the corresponding seat seal (28, 29) is clamped by a seat-seal clamping bar (36) at least across a part of a first sub-region (35) of a longitudinal extent in which it is pressed onto the first sub-region (22) of the associated seal (10, 11) on the closing element (9) in the closed position of the closing element (9) without a belt (38) guided through the valve opening (2), wherein the clamping bar is fixed on the valve housing (1) and forms one of the two side walls (32′

) of the seat-seal groove (30, 31), and the two side walls (32, 33) and the base wall (34) that define the seat-seal groove (30, 31) are formed by the valve housing (1) or a seat part (54) connected rigidly to the housing across a second sub-region of the longitudinal extent of the corresponding seat seal (28, 29).

11. Vacuum valve according to claim 10, wherein the peripherally closed seat seal includes first and second seat seals (28, 29) that are provided that are each clamped in the first sub-region (35) of a longitudinal extent by the seat seal clamping bar which is a common seat-seal clamping bar (36) that is arranged between the two seat seals (28, 29) and forms the adjacent side walls (32′

) of the two seat-seal grooves (30, 31) in the first sub-regions (35) of the longitudinal extents of the first and second seat seals (28, 29).

12. Vacuum valve according to claim 11, wherein the at least one peripherally closed seal includes first and second peripherally closed seals (10, 11) that are arranged on the closing element (9) and each have first and second ones of the seal main sections (14, 15) and first and second ones of the seal connecting sections (16, 17) allocated to the first and second seat main sections (4, 5) and the seat connecting sections (6, 7) and each extend in a respective one of the grooves (12, 13) that are each defined by two of the side walls (24, 24′

;

25) and one of the base walls (26) when viewed in cross section, wherein the first seal main sections (14) are arranged on the front end face of the closing element (9) with respect to the closing direction (8) and each have respective middle parts (19) in which each of the seals (10, 11) extends in a straight line, and the first and the second seal (10, 11) are each clamped by the clamping bar (23) across at least a first sub-region (22) of the longitudinal extent lying in the middle part (19) of the first seal main section (14), wherein the clamping bar is fixed on the closing element (9) and forms one of the two side walls (24′

) of the corresponding groove (12, 13), and the two side walls (24, 25) and the base wall (26) defining the corresponding groove (12, 13) are formed by the closing element (9) across a second region of the longitudinal extent of each seal (10, 11), at least a suction channel (41) is provided through which an intermediate space lying between the two seals (10, 11) or seat seals (28, 29) can be evacuated.