Valve for regulating the pressurized flow of abrasives, in particular blast media
First Claim
1. A valve for controlling flow from an outlet of a pressurized tank containing abrasive media to a remote point of discharge, comprising:
- (a) a pinch tube housing of tubular formation defining a pinch tube chamber therein, said housing being formed open at both ends and having intermediate its ends transversely aligned portions having diametrically opposed side openings communicating with the chamber, said housing having one end adapted for connection to said outlet, the other end of the housing being adapted for discharge into a conduit that has a connection to a source of pressure fluid and leads to said discharge point;
(b) a pinch tube within said chamber adapted to be constricted radially so as to at times regulate the media flow and at other times stop said flow completely, said side openings opening upon opposite sides of the pinch tube, each of said opposite sides being deformable radially inwardly of the tube independently of the other side;
(c) first and second tube-constricting means within the housing disposed at opposite sides of the tube, said means being disposed within the pinch tube chamber between the side openings and the respective, opposite sides of the pinch tube in direct contact with said opposite sides of the pinch tube, each of said means being movable inside the pinch tube chamber independently of the other means in a direction transversely of the tube for constricting it radially;
(d) plunger means extending into the housing through one of said side openings and engaging one of said tube-constricting means for shifting it in said direction; and
(e) means extending through the other side opening engageable with the other tube-constricting means and operable from outside the housing for adjusting the position of said other means relative to said one means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A valve for controlling flow of abrasive media from a blast tank to a nozzle, utilizes rollers for constricting a straight-through tube. In this way the valve meters the flow of the abrasive media into a blast hose through which air is directed under pressure as a carrier for the media. Contact with the media within the valve is limited to a radially constrictable tube adapted for ready replacement as the only component subject to the destructive characteristics of media such as mineral grit, sand, or the like. In association with the pinch tube housing, means is provided permitting ready interchange of manual and automatic tube-constricting assemblies. In the automatic configuration, the size of the valve orifice through which the media passes can be accurately and swiftly regulated by varying the pressure on a diaphragm. The control air pressure exerted on the diaphragm determines the extent to which the pinch tube may open under pressure directed through the blast hose, against the force of a spring mounted within the diaphragm housing. Fine adjustments, including selective pre-adjustment of the spring tension and tube constriction, aid in precise regulation of the media flow.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A valve for controlling flow from an outlet of a pressurized tank containing abrasive media to a remote point of discharge, comprising:
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(a) a pinch tube housing of tubular formation defining a pinch tube chamber therein, said housing being formed open at both ends and having intermediate its ends transversely aligned portions having diametrically opposed side openings communicating with the chamber, said housing having one end adapted for connection to said outlet, the other end of the housing being adapted for discharge into a conduit that has a connection to a source of pressure fluid and leads to said discharge point; (b) a pinch tube within said chamber adapted to be constricted radially so as to at times regulate the media flow and at other times stop said flow completely, said side openings opening upon opposite sides of the pinch tube, each of said opposite sides being deformable radially inwardly of the tube independently of the other side; (c) first and second tube-constricting means within the housing disposed at opposite sides of the tube, said means being disposed within the pinch tube chamber between the side openings and the respective, opposite sides of the pinch tube in direct contact with said opposite sides of the pinch tube, each of said means being movable inside the pinch tube chamber independently of the other means in a direction transversely of the tube for constricting it radially; (d) plunger means extending into the housing through one of said side openings and engaging one of said tube-constricting means for shifting it in said direction; and (e) means extending through the other side opening engageable with the other tube-constricting means and operable from outside the housing for adjusting the position of said other means relative to said one means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A valve for controlling flow from an outlet of a pressurized tank containing abrasive media to a remote point of discharge, comprising:
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(a) a pinch tube housing of tubular formation defining a pinch tube chamber therein, said housing being formed open at both ends and having intermediate its ends transversely aligned portions having diametrically opposed side openings communicating with the chamber, said housing having one end adapted for connection to said outlet, the other end of the housing being adapted for discharge into a conduit that has a connection to a source of pressure fluid and leads to said discharge point; (b) a pinch tube within said chamber adapted to be constricted radially so as to at times regulate the media flow and at other times stop said flow completely, said side openings opening upon opposite sides of the pinch tube, each of said opposite sides being deformable radially inwardly of the tube independently of the other side; (c) first and second tube-constricting means within the housing disposed at opposite sides of the tube, said means being disposed within the pinch tube chamber between the side openings and the respective, opposite sides of the pinch tube in direct contact with said opposite sides of the pinch tube, each of said means being movable inside the pinch tube chamber independently of the other means in a direction transversely of the tube for constricting it radially; (d) plunger means extending into the housing through one of said side openings and engaging one of said tube-constricting means for shifting it in said direction; (e) plunger-actuating means engageable with the plunger means and disposed exteriorly of the housing; and (f) means mounting said plunger means and plunger-actuating means on the housing adapted to permit swift conversion between a manual plunger-actuating means and a plunger-actuating means of the automatic type. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A valve for controlling flow from an outlet of a pressurized tank containing abrasive media to a remote point of discharge, comprising:
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(a) a pinch tube housing formed open at both ends and having one end adapted for discharge into a conduit that has a connection to a source of pressure fluid and leads to said discharge point; (b) a pinch tube within the housing adapted to be constricted radially so as to at times regulate the media flow and at other times stop said flow completely; (c) means within the housing disposed at opposite sides of the tube and relatively movable in a direction transversely of the tube for constricting it radially; (d) plunger means extending into the housing and engaging one of said tube-constricting means for shifting it in said direction; (e) plunger-actuating means engageable with the plunger means and disposed exteriorly of the housing; and (f) means mounting said plunger means and plunger-actuating means on the housing adapted to permit swift conversion between a manual plunger-actuating means and a plunger-actuating means of the automatic type, the mounting means of the plunger means and plunger-actuating means comprising a boss on the housing having an opening in which the plunger means is axially shiftable, the manual plunger-actuating means including a sleeve threaded onto said boss, said plunger being axially shitable within the sleeve, the plunger-actuating means being the form of a head secured to the plunger means and adapted to be gripped for axially shifting the plunger means, the opening of the boss being smooth-walled, the plunger-actuating assembly including a diaphragm assembly comprising a diaphragm housing and a diaphragm mounted therein adapted to bias the plunger element in a direction to close the pinch tube responsive to said pressure changes, said diaphragm housing having a connection to fluid under pressure controllable from a remote location to selectively control from said location the extent to which the pinch tube can expand, the diaphragm assembly further comprising a second plunger element bearing against the first named plunger element in axial alignment therewith and secured to said diaphragm for biasing the first-named plunger element. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification