The Nupro Company

Carl R Bork, Jr

William C Steiss

Earl D Shufflebarger

William P Tobbe

Terrence J Kolenc

Oliver L Danko

Thomas J Gardner

Stephen Matousek

Donald A Levengood

A bellows valve has inlet and outlet passages in fluid communication with a valve chamber on opposite sides of a valve seat. An elongated valve stem has a first end adapted for selective sealing engagement with the valve seat, and a second end of the stem is operatively connected with an actuator assembly. An expansible bellows has a first end secured to the valve stem and a second end sealingly connected to a closing member so that a portion of the valve stem is surrounded thereby. The closing member engages an open end of the valve body and includes an arcuate or rounded sealing protrusion or bead adapted for mating, sealing contact with a generally planar surface on the valve body. The sealing bead facilitates a reduction in or complete elimination of the use of lubricant between the valve body and a bonnet nut, and this, in turn, promotes clean valve operation by removing a potential contaminant. A tapered surface on the closing member faciitates alignment with the valve body, and clearances between the closing member, valve bonnet, and bonnet nut also facilitate alignment of the assembled valve components.

Inverted bellows valve

A valve including indicating means for indicating overtravel of an operating member beyond its normally closed position for warning that replacement of a seal is necessary. A diaphragm valve has a diaphragm of a material which withstands repeated flexing and is clamped in a unique manner.

Valve

An inverted bellows valve has a two-piece stem interconnecting the valve and actuator for reciprocating axial movement of the stem tip. Tapered surfaces are advantageously utilized between cooperating elements for self-centering the valve assembly. An annular gland disposed along the exterior of the valve stem has concentric inner and outer O-rings which permit the stem to float and compensate for misalignment. A wobble collar is also disposed in abutting engagement with the stem to compensate for uneven spring forces which could otherwise cock the stem. The bellows subassembly is removable in one piece to facilitate maintenance and replacement.

High pressure inverted bellows valve

A pressure relief valve includes a valve body having an axial inlet port and a lateral outlet port, with an enlarged bore extending between such ports. A valve bonnet attached to the valve body slidably guides a poppet for movement between closed and open positions for closing and opening the inlet port. A seal ring positioned in the bore adjacent the inlet port sealingly surrounds the poppet in its closed position. The seal ring is axially compressed between a retainer ring and a backup surface, and a ring nut threaded in the bore compressively engages the retainer ring. The ring nut is located entirely on the inlet port side of the outlet port so it does not inhibit flow to the outlet port when the poppet is open. A poppet guide bore in the bonnet extends inwardly from a bonnet end surface, and a pair of concentric recesses of different diameters also extend into the bonnet from the end surface. One recess receives a seal ring positioned in surrounding sealing relationship with the poppet, and the other recess receives a push-in retainer for retaining the seal ring in its recess. A small diameter stem on the poppet extends into a bonnet spring receiving bore and has a rounded end received by a conical recess in a guide disc. Close fitting cylindrical locating surfaces are used for providing accurate concentricity between the bonnet and body, and between the retainer ring and the bore.

Growing community of inventors

Euclid, OH, United States of America

Carl R Bork, Jr