Flow control valve having differently configured labyrinths to select closing speed
First Claim
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1. A fluid flow control valve, which comprises:
- (a) a valve housing having an inlet, an outlet, a flow passageway between the inlet and outlet, a valve seat in the flow passageway, and a valve member which closes the valve by moving into engagement with the valve seat for blocking flow between the inlet and the outlet and which opens the valve by moving out of engagement with the valve seat for permitting flow between the inlet and the outlet;
(b) a pressure chamber in the valve housing, wherein one side of the valve member is exposed to inlet fluid pressure tending to move the valve member away from the valve seat and the other side of the valve member is exposed to fluid pressure in the pressure chamber tending to move the valve member towards the valve seat;
(c) a metering path to meter water into the pressure chamber from upstream of the valve seat to close the valve; and
(d) at least two water flow labyrinths with the labyrinths being differently configured relative to one another such that water flows through the labyrinths at different rates, and wherein one or the other of the labyrinths is selectively installed in the metering path to select a desired closing speed for the valve depending upon which labyrinth is in the metering path.
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Abstract
A flow control valve having a valve member engageable with a valve seat. The valve opens when the valve member disengages the valve seat as fluid pressure is bled from a pressure chamber on one side of the valve member. The valve closes after the pressure bleed ends when fluid pressure is metered back into the pressure chamber through a metering path. The speed at which the valve member closes is selectable depending upon the degree to which the metering path is tortuous. Two different tortuous configurations of the metering path are provided by two differently shaped labyrinths. The user can select one closing speed or the other by choosing which labyrinth is in the metering path.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A fluid flow control valve, which comprises:
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(a) a valve housing having an inlet, an outlet, a flow passageway between the inlet and outlet, a valve seat in the flow passageway, and a valve member which closes the valve by moving into engagement with the valve seat for blocking flow between the inlet and the outlet and which opens the valve by moving out of engagement with the valve seat for permitting flow between the inlet and the outlet;
(b) a pressure chamber in the valve housing, wherein one side of the valve member is exposed to inlet fluid pressure tending to move the valve member away from the valve seat and the other side of the valve member is exposed to fluid pressure in the pressure chamber tending to move the valve member towards the valve seat;
(c) a metering path to meter water into the pressure chamber from upstream of the valve seat to close the valve; and
(d) at least two water flow labyrinths with the labyrinths being differently configured relative to one another such that water flows through the labyrinths at different rates, and wherein one or the other of the labyrinths is selectively installed in the metering path to select a desired closing speed for the valve depending upon which labyrinth is in the metering path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A flow control valve, which comprises:
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(a) a valve member engageable with a valve seat, wherein the valve opens when the valve member disengages the valve seat as fluid pressure is bled from a pressure chamber on one side of the valve member, and wherein the valve closes after the fluid pressure bleed ends when fluid pressure is metered back into the pressure chamber through a metering path;
(b) wherein the metering path is tortuous, and wherein at least two tortuous configurations of the metering path are provided for the metering path with one or the other of the tortuous configurations being selectively used at any one time to provide at least two different closing speeds for the valve member. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A flow control valve, which comprises:
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(a) a valve housing having a valve seat, the valve housing comprising a valve bonnet secured to a valve body;
(b) a valve member for engaging and disengaging the valve seat to close and open the valve, respectively;
(c) a pressure chamber on one side of the valve member and (d) a metering assembly mounted in the valve housing for metering fluid pressure to the pressure chamber to close the valve, the metering assembly including;
(i) a plug which is selectively insertable into or removable from a bore in the valve housing without disassembling the valve bonnet from the valve body, the plug having a flow passageway therethrough; and
(ii) a labyrinth carried on the plug in fluid communication with the flow passageway in the plug, the labyrinth defining a tortuous water flow path with the valve member having a closing speed that is dependent upon the degree the flow path in the labyrinth is tortuous. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification