American Cast Iron Pipe Company

Jerry Thomas Mann

Henry B Gibson

Roland L Larkin

Terry L Dougherty

Self-centering alignment ring

An adjustable-height extension stem and valve box assembly is provided for use with buried valves that is lightweight, readily adjustable to a large range of heights, and is capable of absorbing loads and impacts such that the loads and impacts are substantially not transmitted to the buried valve or surrounding pipeline. The valve box is made up of a valve box base, a valve box lower section, a valve box upper section that telescopes within the lower section, and a valve box top. An upper section of the extension stem extends from the interior of the valve box top through a bottom opening, and an extension stem lower section extends downwardly from the upper section, with the two sections being made from square hollow metal tubing such that the upper section telescopes within the lower section. A grit washer having grooves cut in a bearing surface is attached to the extension stem upper section and supports the upper section in place within the valve box top. The valve box upper and lower sections are quickly secured at a desired height or extension by a reducer coupling and a reducer cap which operate to compress an O-ring against an outer surface of the valve box upper section to seal and support the upper section in the desired position.

Adjustable height extension stem and valve box assembly

A boltless bonnet assembly is provided for use with a valve, particularly a gate valve having a valve body comprising an upper housing, a lower fluid passageway, a gate, and a valve stem having a thrust washer. The bonnet assembly has a bonnet with a lower plate adapted to sealingly engage an underside of a lip of the upper housing, the lip defining an opening in the upper housing, and a cylindrical neck having inner and outer sets of threads at an upper portion. A bonnet clamp or alternatively a lock ring and clamp ring are provided to engage the outer threads of the bonnet to clamp the plate tightly against the underside of the lip, and a bonnet cover is provided for retaining the thrust collar of the valve stem in a recess in the bonnet, the bonnet cover being threaded into the set of inner threads of the bonnet. The bonnet cover is further provided with a seal flange and associated gasket which is compressed between the flange and an upper surface of the bonnet neck to seal the threaded connections from an outside environment.

Growing community of inventors

Birmingham, AL, United States of America

Jerry Thomas Mann