Teledyne Industries, Inc.

Joseph A Hochadel

David C Jacobs

A piezoceramic valve includes a valve actuator sandwich assembly including a piezoceramic bending element flexibly bonded between two metal sheets. Flexible elastomeric sheets are bonded to outer surfaces of the metal sheets, respectively, to form the sandwich assembly. The valve includes a first supporting member which sealingly engages an outer surface of the first elastomeric sheet and a second supporting member which sealingly engages an outer surface of the second elastomeric sheet to flexibly support the valve actuator sandwich assembly between the two supporting members. The valve actuator is engageable with a valve seat to prevent flow through the valve and is deflectable away from the valve seat to allow flow through the valve. The piezoceramic bending element is isolated in the valve actuator sandwich assembly from the flow stream to prevent diffusion of low molecular weight gases through the porous ceramic and to isolate electrically active elements of the bending element from the flow stream.

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Yorktown, VA, United States of America

Joseph A Hochadel