Diaphragm control valve

• US 5,383,646 A
• Filed: 01/21/1994
• Issued: 01/24/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meyer Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Bermad
• Inventors: Weingarten, Zvi
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwadron, Martin P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Kevin L.
• Application Number:
  US08/183,933
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 251/61.1, 251/331, 251/30.02, 251/61.2, 251/61.4, 251/63.5, 251/63.6, 251/46
• US Class Current: 251/61.1
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 7/17 the diaphragm being actuated by fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 16/163 using membranes within the main valve

Abstract

A diaphragm control valve includes a diaphragm valve member having an outer peripheral section for securing the diaphragm within the valve housing, a valve-closer section displaceable with respect to the valve seat for controlling the flow, an intermediate flexible section permitting the displacement of the valve-closer section, and a cylindrical guiding section between the valve-closer section and the intermediate flexible section. The housing includes a cylindrical guiding surface engageable with the cylindrical guiding section of the diaphragm and with the valve-closer section for guiding the movement of the valve-closer section.

Claims

1. A diaphragm control valve, comprising:

a housing having an inlet, an outlet, and a passageway circumscribed by a valve seat for the flow of fluid from the inlet to the outlet;

and a valve member including a diaphragm within said housing and displaceable towards or away from said valve seat to control the flow therethrough;

said diaphragm including an outer peripheral section secured over an opening in the housing in alignment with said valve seat, a valve-closer section displaceable with respect to the valve seat for controlling the flow therethrough, an intermediate flexible section permitting the displacement of said valve-closer section, and a cylindrical guiding section between the valve-closer section and the intermediate flexible section;

said housing including a wall defining a control chamber between it and the diaphragm, and means for pressurizing said control chamber to thereby displace said valve-closer section of the diaphragm towards said valve seat;

said housing further including a cylindrical guiding surface between said opening in the housing and said valve seat, and engageable with said cylindrical guiding section of the diaphragm for guiding the movement of said valve-closer section of the diaphragm;

said cylindrical guiding section of the diaphragm being sufficiently resilient such that when the control chamber is pressurized to displace the valve-closure section towards the valve seat, the differential pressure between that in the control chamber and said valve outlet displaces said resilient guiding section outwardly to cause it to be firmly pressed against the cylindrical guiding section of the housing and thereby to restrain the valve-closure section from vibrating or from slamming to a closed position.

2. The valve according to claim 1, wherein said diaphragm is a single unit of elastomeric material integrally formed with said outer peripheral section, valve-closer section, intermediate flexible section, and cylindrical guiding section.

3. The valve according to claim 2, wherein said valve seat is of circular configuration and is of a smaller diameter than that of said cylindrical guiding section of the diaphragm.

4. The valve according to claim 1, wherein said housing wall defining said control chamber is a cover removably attached to the remainder of said housing.

5. The valve according to claim 1, further including a rotatable stem passing through a wall of said housing and bearing against said valve member for moving same towards or away from its valve seat.

6. The valve according to claim 1, wherein said diaphragm valve-closer section is thicker than its other sections so as to be substantially rigid and to provide a sealing surface with respect to said valve seat.

7. The valve according to claim 1, wherein said valve member further includes a rigid insert having a cylindrical side wall engaging the inner surface of said cylindrical guiding section of the diaphragm, and a circular end wall engaging the inner surface of said valve-closer section of the diaphgram.

8. The valve according to claim 7, wherein said inner surface of the valve-closer section of the diaphragm is formed with a central projection, and said end wall of the rigid insert is formed with a hole receiving said central projection.

9. The valve according to claim 8, wherein said central projection is of frusto-conical configuration.

10. The valve according to claim 1, wherein said valve-closer section of the diaphragm is of elastomeric material and is bevelled on its lower outer surface such that during closing movements of the valve-closer section, the pressure within said control chamber pressing said valve-closer section against the valve seat produces a concentration of forces at the juncture of said bevelled surface with respect to the remainder of the lower outer surface of said valve-closer section to produce an effective annular projection which engages the valve seat.

11. The valve according to claim 1, wherein said outer peripheral section of the diaphragm is secured between a flange formed in the valve housing and defining said opening therein, and a cover attached to said flange, said cover being formed with internal ribs for limiting the displacement of the diaphragm.

12. The valve according to claim 1, wherein said housing is formed with a converging throat section immediately upstream of the passageway, and with a diffuser section immediately downstream of said passageway.

13. The valve according to claim 12, wherein said housing inlet and outlet are on a common axis, and the axis of said throat section is 35°

-45°

with respect to said common axis.

14. The valve according to claim 13, wherein the axis of said inlet throat section is approximately 40°

with respect to said common axis.