Pendulum gate valve

• US 4,328,947 A
• Filed: 05/21/1979
• Issued: 05/11/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Leybold Aktiengesellschaft
• Original Assignee: Leybold-Heraeus GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Reimpell, Uwe, Grein, Lutz, Stark, Friedrich, Reiter, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Weakley, Harold W.
• Application Number:
  US06/041,214
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 251/302, 251/228, 251/167, 251/197, 251/169, 251/80, 251/198, 251/200, 251/335
• US Class Current: 251/80
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/10 with special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together

Abstract

A pendulum gate valve with a pressure tight housing and inlet and outlet openings arranged on opposite sides of the housing. The drive rod for the pendulum frame is guided throughout its total path by a joint connected to the pendulum frame which can swivel about the shaft of the pendulum frame but can in addition also move independently of the swiveling motion of the pendulum frame. A guide mechanism is provided for the further movement of the joint outside the swiveling range, which forces the joint onto a path that runs substantially parallel to the drive rod. The guide mechanism consists of a thrust rod forming part of the pressing device which urges the gate valve plate against the sealing bearing surface and which is connected to the drive rod. The thrust rod is mounted in a longitudinally movable manner in the pendulum frame and runs parallel to the drive rod in the closed position of the gate valve plate.

Claims

1. Pendulum gate valve with a pressure-tight housing and inlet and outlet openings arranged on opposite sides of said housing, with at least one seal bearing surface, a unitary pendulum frame pivotable transverse to the axis of the inlet and outlet openings about a single pivot axis which is stationary relative to the housing, stop means for limiting the pivoting movement of the pendulum frame, at least one gate valve plate mounted opposite the pendulum frame for movement parallel to the axis of the inlet and outlet openings, a drive rod passing in a pressure tight and essentially linear manner through the housing, a pressure device in the pendulum frame mounted for longitudinal movement with respect to the pendulum frame when actuated for urging the gate valve plate against the seal bearing surface and means pivotally joining the drive rod to the pendulum frame and the pressing device about a pivot joint which is movable with the pendulum frame about the stationary axis and movable with respect to the pendulum frame such that during the closure movement, the pendulum frame is first pivoted with the pivot joint moving therewith to align the gate valve plate with the seal bearing surface, and then the pivot joint moves with respect to the pendulum frame to actuate the pressing device and wherein the movement of the pendulum frame and thereafter the pressing device guides the drive rod and the joint in an essentially linear direction throughout the total path by the joint.

2. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 1, wherein the pressing device comprises a thrust rod connected to the drive rod and the longitudinal movement of the thrust rod is limited so that the pivot joint at the drive rod/thrust rod connection point executes an arcuate path with the pendulum frame about the shaft stationary pivot axis, and on a linear path within the stationary pendulum in the direction of the drive rod (6).

3. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 1, wherein the pressing device comprises a thrust rod and, wherein the pivotal joining means comprises a lever pivotable about a pivot axis in the pendulum frame and on which lever the drive rod is engaged and the thrust rod, the pivot axis being arranged transverse to the drive rod and at a distance from the stationary first axis for the pendulum frame, and the median line of the pivoting range of the lever referred to the closed position of the gate valve plate is substantially vertical to the direction of movement of the drive rod, and wherein the pivoting range of the lever is limited so that the pivot joint located at the drive rod/lever connection point executes an arcuate path with respect the pendulum frame to define a closure movement about the stationary pivot axis, and a linear path within the stationary pendulum frame, and a further pivoting movement about the pivot axis.

4. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 3, wherein the thrust rod on the lever engages at a point which lies outside the pivot joint and substantially on a straight line which passes through the joint and the pivot axis.

5. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 1, further comprising a locking device which arrests the pressing device on the arcuate path in the non-pressing position, and the pendulum frame in the pressing position.

6. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 5, wherein the locking device comprises a curved track, concentric with respect to the stationary pivot axis of the pendulum frame, whose arc length corresponds to the swivel angle of the pendulum frame, a bar arranged on the thrust rod, the curved track and bar being matched with respect to one another so that relative movement between the pendulum frame and thrust rod is prevented during the pivoting movement by the bar sliding on the said curved track, and wherein the thrust rod on reaching the stop means is released by the pendulum frame, and that conversely the pendulum frame is only released for the swivelling movement when the thrust rod has been retracted to the non-pressing position.

7. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 5, wherein the locking device comprises a curved track concentric to the stationary pivot axis of the pendulum frame and whose arc length corresponds to the swivel angle of the pendulum frame, a bar arranged on the lever, the curved track and bar being adjusted with respect to one another so that relative movement between the pendulum frame and lever is prevented during the pivoting movement, and wherein the lever on reaching the stop means on the pendulum frame is released and the pendulum frame is only released for the pivoting movement when the lever and with it the thrust rod has been retracted to the non-pressing position.

8. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 1, wherein the pressing device is provided with restraints acting in both directions.

9. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 8, wherein the restraint comprises a toggle lever system.

10. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic intermediate member arranged in the drive rod, which is compressed during the tensioning in the linear path.

11. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 9, wherein the toggle lever system comprises toggle levers holdable under the action of the elastic intermediate member in a position substantially different from the extended situation.

12. Pendulum gate valve according to claim 1, wherein the housing and drive rod are provided with devices for locking in different positions relative to one another.