Self-regulating vane type valve for controlling fluid flow

• US 3,895,646 A
• Filed: 11/30/1973
• Issued: 07/22/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Manuel G. Howat
• Original Assignee: Manuel G. Howat
• Inventors: Howat, Manuel G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cline, William R.
• Application Number:
  US05/420,552
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 137/525,525.1,525.3,525.5,525.7,527,512.1,517,550,512.4,357,468 138/45,46 236/93,101 251/212
• US Class Current: 137/468
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 17/38 of excessive temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7737 Thermal responsive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7869 Biased open
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7885 Multiple slit

Abstract

A conically shaped metallic vane type valve is used to control flow of fluid through an opening wherein the valve is placed. In a preferred form the valve is mounted in an opening of a building wall to control air flow into and out of the building and the vanes of the valve are made from a material having a tensile force such as to effect automatic opening and closing of the valve in response to changes in pressure acting on the valve. The vanes of the valve may also be coupled to bimetallic elements or, in one embodiment, made of laminated sheets of metals of different coefficients of expansion, thus being themselves bimetallic strips so as to open or close the valve in response to a temperature change. Adjacent edges of the leaves of the vanes have formations thereon to maintain alignment of adjacent leaves during opening and closing of the valve. The cone type valve is pointed against the direction from which increases in pressure are to be intercepted and a baffle circumscribes the valve on the outer face of the wall to deflect moving currents of air in a direction to facilitate effecting closing of the valve. In another embodiment, the cone type valve is pointed in the direction from which increases in pressure are to be intercepted and a baffle is positioned centrally of the vanes to deflect moving currents of air against them so as to urge the vanes to a closed condition.

Claims

1. A fluid flow control system comprising:

a. means defining a fluid flow passage through a wall and having an inlet and outlet respectively on opposite sides of the wall;

b. a baffle circumscribing said inlet of the passage and having a concave inner surface extending outwardly in a direction away from the wall from immediately adjacent the inlet for direCting fluid flow inwardly in a direction toward the axis of the inlet;

c. a fluid flow control device mounted in said inlet consisting of a generally conically shaped segmental valve comprising a plurality of resiliently flexible triangular shaped segmental vanes secured along one edge thereof to said fluid flow passage defining means in contiguous relation around the periphery of the inlet adjacent the juncture of the baffle means and the inlet, said vanes each projecting outwardly from the wall and tapering to provide free terminal ends normally spaced apart from one another allowing fluid flow through said passage; and

d. means retaining edges of segments in continuous rolling contact during flexing of the segments wherein the free ends thereof move in directions toward and away from one another, said baffle directing a portion of fluid flow toward the valve against outer faces of vanes and thereby varying the valve opening in response to changes in velocity of the fluid flow.

2. A valve as defined in claim 1 wherein said means maintaining adjacent edges in rolling contact comprises a groove in one edge of a vane and a rib in an opposite edge, the rib and groove being disposed in mating relation on adjacent vane elements.

3. A valve as defined in claim 1 including a longitudinally extending annular sleeve on the base of the valve and at least one air filter detachably mounted in said sleeve.

4. A fluid flow control device as defined in claim 1 including means controlling opening and closing of the valve in response to changes in temperature.

5. A valve as defined in claim 4 wherein said vanes each consist of bimetallic laminated strips of metal and thereby providing said means opening and closing of valve in response to changes in temperature.