THERMOSTATIC VALVE

• US 3,554,440 A
• Filed: 04/28/1969
• Issued: 01/12/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Irving G. Austin, Max V. Greeven, Steven A. Shaw
• Original Assignee: Irving G. Austin, Max V. Greeven, Steven A. Shaw
• Inventors: Austin, Irving G., Greeven, Max V., Shaw, Steven A.
• Application Number:
  US04/819,583
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• US Class Current: 236/34.5
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0413 Controlled cooling or heating of lubricant; Temperature control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/134 measuring the temperature of mixed fluid

Abstract

A thermostatic valve having a bimetallic member controlling the flow of fluid between two chambers of the valve. When the flow of fluid is prevented between the valve chambers, it is passed through a heat dissipating means.

Claims

1. A thermostat for use in a valve having fluid guide structure defining a pair of distinct fluid paths and a bypass passage interconnecting said paths including a valve seat therein, comprising:

a valve member;

means mounting said valve member in one of said fluid paths for movement toward and from seating engagement with said valve seat;

means resiliently biasing said valve member away from said valve seat;

thermally responsive means disposed in said one fluid path and operably connected to said valve member to engage said valve seat when the fluid temperature in said one path exceeds a preselected magnitude; and

means to substantially pressure balance said thermally responsive means, said pressure balancing means having an effective pressure responsive area less than the area of said valve member exposed to the fluid pressure in said other fluid path when said valve member is engaged with said valve seat and including partially compressed resilient means, whereby, when the fluid pressure in said other path exceeds a preselected magnitude substantially independent of fluid temperature, said valve member is unseated to relieve the pressure in said other path.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said fluid guide structure is formed with a through opening in the wall of said one path opposite to and in alignment with said valve seat and wherein said thermostat further comprises a support member extending through and fixed in fluidtight relation within said through opening, each of the other thermostat components being mounted on and supported by said support member.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said support member comprises a bearing mounted on said support member at the side of said one path opposite said valve seat and a valve stem axially reciprocably mounted in said bearing, extending transversely of said one path and supporting said valve member at the side of said one path opposite said valve seat.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said fluid guide structure includes bearing means to support the thermostat adjacent said valve member.

5. The combination defined in claim 4 wherein said valve member includes a plurality of spaced support webs slidable within said guide structure bearing means.

6. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said pressure balancing means comprises a fluid chamber in said support member enveloping the end of said valve stem remote from said valve member, a piston slidable within said chamber affixed to said valve stem, a fluid passage extending through said valve stem from said chamber at the side of said piston remote from said valve member to the side of said valve member remote from said piston, and a partially compressed resilient member interposed between said valve member and said thermally responsive means.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein said thermally responsive means comprises a plurality of annular bimetallic members arranged in a Belleville-type stack and interposed in surrounding relation to said valve stem between said bearing and said partially compressed resilient member.

8. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said support member is threadedly engaged with said through opening and has an enlarged head of noncircular cross section.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 wherein a gasket is interposed between said support member head and said fluid guide structure.

10. A thermostatic valve for a fluid system for having a primary and a secondary fluid circuit comprising:

a valve housing open at one end and divided by an inwardly extending annular flange into inlet and outlet chamber porTions, said inlet and outlet chamber portions being in open communication with said primary and secondary circuits, said outlet chamber portion containing the open end of said valve housing;

an end cap adapted to close said open end of said valve housing and having an inwardly facing recess;

a piston slidably mounted in said recess and having a hollow piston rod extending into said inlet chamber, said hollow piston rod providing fluid communication between said inlet chamber and said end cap recess;

a piston rod support fixedly mounted at the open end of said inwardly facing recess, said piston rod slidably through said support;

a valve poppet mounted on said piston rod and adapted to sealingly engage said inwardly extending annular flange thereby interrupting fluid communication between said inlet and outlet chamber portions;

temperature responsive means mounted around said piston rod adjacent sd piston rod support;

first resilient means interposed between said piston rod support and said piston to bias said valve poppet away from said inwardly extending annular flange, whereby in response to the fluid temperature reaching a preselected value, said temperature responsive means overcomes the biasing force of said first resilient means and moves said valve poppet into sealing engagement with said inwardly extending annular flange and in response to a reduction of fluid temperature below the preselected value, said first resilient means urges said piston away from said support thereby releasing said valve poppet from sealing engagement with said inwardly extending annular flange; and

a second resilient means compressed between said temperature responsive means and said valve poppet whereby in response to the fluid pressure in said inlet chamber reaching a preselected value substantially independent of fluid temperature, and said second resilient means is further compressed by said pressure to permit said valve poppet to be released from sealing engagement with said inwardly extending annular flange, said second resilient means having a stiffness greater than the stiffness of said first resilient means.

11. The thermostatic valve of claim 10 wherein said valve housing includes support means for the valve poppet end of said hollow piston rod.

12. The thermostatic valve of claim 11 wherein said valve poppet includes a plurality of spaced support webs slidable within said support means.

13. The thermostatic valve of claim 10 wherein said first and second resilient means are coil springs.

14. The thermostatic valve of claim 10 wherein said temperature responsive means are a plurality of annular bimetallic discs.