VALVE ASSEMBLY WITH AUTOMATIC DRAINING FEATURE

• US 3,770,016 A
• Filed: 11/26/1971
• Issued: 11/06/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kodandraman Balasubramanian, Robert F. Johnstone
• Original Assignee: Kodandraman Balasubramanian, Robert F. Johnstone
• Inventors: Johnstone, Robert F., Balasubramanian, Kodandraman
• Primary Examiner(s): Klinsiek, Henry T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US05/202,405
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 137/625.22,625.21,637.3,637.5,614.12,614.13,616.7,596.13,596 251/368,314,315
• US Class Current: 137/625.22
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 5/0605 with particular plug arrangements, e.g. particular shape or built-in means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86646 Plug type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87169 Supply and exhaust

Abstract

A rotatable valve with a self draining feature which allows water to drain from one side of the valve when the rotatable valve element is in the closed position. The valve has a housing with an element therein rotatably mounted about a central vertical axis and a subsidiary valve cooperating with the trunnion portion of the element which opens a drain passage when the element is in the closed position. Both the rotatable and subsidiary valves are operated from the same handle.

Claims

1. A valve assembly with an automatic draining feature comprising:

an integral valve housing having a passage extending therethrough;

a ball shaped valve element located within the valve housing having a cylindrical opening through said element adpated for alignment with the passage extending through the valve housing, the valve element disposed rotatably about a central vertical axis between an open position and a closed position;

annular resilient sealing means in the passage extending through the valvehousing, said sealing means located between the valve element and the valve housing adapted to provide a fluid type seal between the valve element and the valve housing;

a drain passage from one side of the passage in the valve housing to a drain outlet at the bottom exterior of the valve housing;

a subsidiary valve means in the drain passage located on the central vertical axis below the valve element adapted to open and close in conjunction with rotation of the valve element, the subsidiary valve means being open when the valve element is in the closed position and closed when the valve element is in the open position.

2. A valve assembly with an automatic draining feature comprising:

an integral valve housing having a passage extending therethrough;

a valve element located within the valve housing having an opening through valve element adapted for alignment with the passage extending through the valve housing;

the valve element disposed rotatably about a central vertical axis between an open position and a closed position;

annular resilient sealing means in the passage extending through the valve housing, said sealing means located betwen the valve element and the valve housing adapted to provide a fluid type seal between the valve element and the valve housing;

a drain passage from one side of the passage in the valve housing to a drain outlet at the bottom exterior of the valve housing;

a subsidiary valve means in the drain passage located on the central vertical axis below the valve element adapted to open and close in conjunction with rotation of the valve element, said valve element having a top slot and a bottom slot, the top slot adapted to mate with the first key to rotate the valve element to the bottom slot adapted to mate with a second key connecting the valve element with the subsidiary valve means, the suBsidiary valve means being open when the valve element is in the closed position and closed when the valve element is in the open position.

3. The valve assembly according to claim 2, wherein the valve element is disposed rotatably between an open position and a closed position and is restricted to approximately 90* rotation.

4. The valve assembly according to claim 3, wherein the drain passage passes through the integral valve housing to the subsidiary valve means.

5. The valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the subsidiary valve means includes a cylindrical plug connected to the base of the valve element, the plug disposed rotatably and having the same axis of rotation as the valve element, a cylindrical housing surrounding the plug forming part of the valve housing, an O-ring seal between the plug and the cylindrical housing, a drain outlet in the side of the cylindrical housing, a connecting passage in the plug adapted for alignment between the drain passage from the outlet portion of the passage in the valve housing and the drain outlet in the side of the cylindrical housing when the valve element is in the closed position, and a wedge of resilient material in one side of the plug adapted to seal the drain outlet when the valve element is in the open position.

6. The valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the materials of construction are bronze, the seals are of nitrile butadiene synthetic rubber and the ball shaped valve element is coated with polytetrafluorethylene.

7. A valve assembly including:

a valve housing having a passage therethrough, a valve element located within said housing having an opening through the valve element adapted for alignment with the passage extending through said housing, said element separating the downstream from the upstream sides of said housing, trunnion means supporting said valve element for rotation about a central vertical axis;

annular resilient sealing means in the passage extending through the valve housing, said sealing means located between the valve element and the valve housing adapted to provide a fluid type seal therebetween, a drain passage in the downstream side of said valve housing extending to an outlet at the bottom of said housing, a subsidiary valve means positioned in said passage, said subsidiary valve means including a passage in one of said trunnion means adapted to communicate with said drain passage when said valve element is in a closed position.