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Valves

  • US 4,210,311 A
  • Filed: 11/02/1977
  • Issued: 07/01/1980
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1976
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A valve including:

  • a housing having a valve chamber therein;

    an annular valve seat within the chamber and surrounding a valve orifice;

    a valve member mounted within said chamber for movement towards and away from said valve seat;

    a flexible annular diaphragm connected between the valve member and the housing within the valve chamber so as to divide that chamber into a first compartment containing said valve orfice and a second compartment remote from said valve orifice;

    a fluid inlet passage connecting with said first compartment;

    a fluid outlet passage capable of communication with said first compartment through said orifice when the valve is in an open condition;

    said valve member being engagable with said valve seat in a closed condition of the valve to block said communication between said first compartment and the outlet passage through said orifice;

    actuating means for moving said valve member from closed to open position and for holding said valve member in open position;

    said valve member and the diaphragm having opposed surfaces exposed to the pressure of fluid within said inlet passage and said first compartment such that the influence of inlet pressure on said surface of the diaphragm produces a force on the valve member in a direction away from the valve seat and the influence of inlet pressure on said surface of the valve member produces a force on the valve member in a direction toward the valve seat, the effective area of said diaphragm surface being slightly less than the effective area of said valve member surface whereby said forces are substantially counterbalanced but for a small biasing force urging the valve member toward said valve seat;

    said valve member and said valve seat having facing surfaces, the facing surface of said valve member having an annular recess formed therein which slopes conically away from the facing surface of said valve seat in the radially inward direction to provide therebetween an annular passage which diverges radially inwardly of the valve seat such that, when the valve is open, fluid flowing from said first compartment to said outlet passage between said facing surfaces creates a low pressure region between those surfaces, whereby movement of said valve member toward the valve seat is facilitated during closing of the valve; and

    passage means allowing communication between said outlet passage and said second compartment, said valve member and the flexible diaphragm having surfaces within the second compartment exposed to outlet pressure, the effective areas of said last named surfaces being such that the influence of outlet pressure thereon counterbalances the influence of the outlet pressure on the valve member at the valve seat.

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