Whitey Co.

The Nupro Company

Swagelok Marketing Co.

Whitney Research Tool Company

Ulrich H Koch

Peter C Williams

Gilbert F Lutz

Edward M Yusko, Jr

Thomas M Mannion

Gerald A Babuder

Gregory S Kalata

Robert V Perusek

Brian K Sprafka

Stephen Matousek

Timothy J Francis

Andrew M Dougherty

A manually actuated valve comprising a valve casing having an inlet and an outlet, and an actuator having an open position wherein the inlet and outlet are connected and a closed position wherein the inlet and the outlet are isolated. The valve has a handle movable between a first position and a second position, the handle controlling operation of the actuator. The valve further includes a member on the valve casing for receiving a locking member that maintains the handle in at least one of the first position and second position.

Manually actuated diaphragm valve with lockout feature for open and

A poppet type excess flow valve comprises a body forming a valve chamber having a first portion of a first diameter adjacent a first end and a second portion of a second smaller diameter adjacent second end. A valve seat is located between the first and second portions of the valve chamber. A poppet element is mounted in the valve chamber and includes a first section in the form of a hollow cylindrical body extending into the second portion of the valve chamber and terminating therein in an open end. The outer diameter of the hollow cylindrical body section is only slightly less than the diameter of the second portion of the valve chamber for guided sliding movement therein. The poppet element further includes a second section located in the first portion of the valve chamber and including an end wall carrying a valving surface extending radially outward for cooperation with the valve seat. A compression coil spring maintains the poppet element continually biased under a predetermined force toward the inlet port, and flow passages are formed through the hollow cylindrical body portion of the poppet element at a location closely adjacent the valving surface.

Excess flow valve

An improved, soft-seated fire-safe ball valve is disclosed. The ball valve includes a body having a central passageway, a ball member positioned in the passageway, and a pair of radially inwardly extending shoulders in the passageway disposed circumferentially thereof on opposite sides of the ball member. The ball member includes a fluid flow opening therethrough and is mounted for selective rotation between valve open and closed positions to control fluid flow through the valve. An improved seat assembly is provided comprising a rigid reinforcing ring, an elastic seat ring supported by the reinforcing ring and configured for fluid sealing engagement to the ball member, and a deformable, heat resistant secondary seat ring interposed between the elastic seat ring and an associated one of the pair of shoulders. Also, a weir ring may be advantageously received in the seat ring. Upon fire damage to the elastic seat ring, the secondary seat ring engages the ball member to seal the valve. The weir ring inhibits extrusion of a substantial portion of the seat ring such that the seat assembly operates to maintain a fluid-tight seal upon partial destruction of the elastic seat ring.

Fire-safe ball valve

A ball valve having an improved relationship between the ball and associated seat rings and an improved seat ring design. The ball is mounted for selective rotation and limited axial movement in a valve body passageway. Seat rings disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the ball about valve inlet and outlet openings each include a ball engaging surface having an arcuate contour. At a relaxed preassembly reference position, the radius of curvature of the ball engaging surface is greater than the radius of curvature of the ball. Frusto-conical disc springs interposed between each seat ring and an associated valve body shoulder additionally urge the seat rings into engagement with the ball. A reinforcing ring disposed at the forward end of each seat ring acts as a rigid bearing surface. Component sizing is such that in the assembled valve, the seat rings are slightly rotatably flexed in response to the engaging surfaces thereof engaging the ball such that the surfaces are distorted to have a mating relationship with the ball. At the same time, the disc springs are compressed while continuously urging the seat ring ball engaging surfaces into ball engagement.

Ball valve and seat assembly

A ball valve designed for high pressure shut-off at fluid pressures approaching the ultimate compressive stress of plastic annular seat rings which are employed. The ball member is trunnion mounted in order to carry the total force of the shut-off pressure and the seat rings are disposed in seat ring carriers. Each seat ring includes a spherical ball engaging surface having a radius slightly smaller than the radius of the ball. Each carrier is continuously urged toward the ball by a plurality of disc springs in order that the seat ring engaging surfaces will be in continuous sealing engagement with the ball surface. The seat ring engaging surfaces are configured so that at least the areas thereof located adjacent the outer diameters will be first to sealingly engage the ball. The valve components are configured and dimensioned to limit the effective area on which fluid pressure may act in urging the seat rings into ball contact for thus controlling compressive stresses which may be exerted on the plastic seat ring material. Also, fluid pressure urges the seat rings toward the ball to enhance sealing engagement with the ball regardless of the position of each seat ring upstream or downstream of the ball from the source of fluid pressure and also with the valve in the open position. The inventive concept involved may advantageously be employed in a variety of valve bodies to accommodate a plurality of fluid shut-off applications.

High pressure ball valve

A valve body has a stem passage rotatably receiving a valve stem. A packing surrounds the stem in the passage and a packing nut threaded on the stem applies axial force to radially expand the packing into sealing engagement with the stem and passage wall. The packing comprises cooperating first and second packing members engaging at an angularly disposed slippage surface for translation of compressive axial forces into radial expansion and sealing engagement with the stem and passage wall. A packing support ring engages the end face of the packing adjacent the packing nut. A gland engages the support ring and a pair of reversely positioned spring washers are interposed between the gland and packing nut. A handle is attached to the stem by a handle nut, and a spring washer interposed between the handle and handle nut prevents loosening of the handle nut. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, opposed packing support rings engage the opposed end faces of the first and second packing members. The support rings include chevron surfaces for radially expanding the packing members and the support ring adjacent the packing nut includes notches in the chevron surface for gripping the packing member to prevent relative sliding movement therebetween.

Valve stem packing assembly

A valve body has a stem passage rotatably receiving a valve stem. A packing surrounds the stem in the passage and a packing nut threaded on the stem applies axial force to radially expand the packing into sealing engagement with the stem and passage wall. Controlled slippage components interposed between the packing and packing nut allow rotation of the stem and packing nut without any rotational sliding movement against an end face of the packing. A packing support ring engages the end face of the packing adjacent the packing nut and includes a chevron surface for radially expanding the packing. A gland engages the support ring and a pair of reversely positioned spring washers are interposed between the gland and packing nut. During rotation of the stem, packing nut and spring washers, the gland rotates against the packing support ring. The chevron surface of the support ring includes notches for gripping the packing to prevent relative sliding movement therebetween. A handle is attached to the stem by a handle nut, and a spring washer interposed between the handle and handle nut prevents loosening of the handle nut.

An end cap assembly for a diaphragm type air actuator used selectively to open and close an associated shut-off valve. The assembly includes a cup-shaped nut threadedly received on the outer end of an actuator body. A cap member is received in the nut and includes a central stub extending outwardly therefrom through a central aperture in the nut bottom wall. A conical disc spring is operatively interposed between the nut bottom wall and the cap member so that when the assembly is installed on the actuator body, the disc spring is moved toward a flattened condition and continuously urges the cap member into retaining engagement with the actuator diaphragm. This then provides automatic clamping compensation for the cap member as to variations in the diaphragm thickness due to temperature or other environmental conditions. Both the nut and cap member stub include tool receiving means to facilitate threaded installation of the nut on the actuator body while preventing cap member rotation.

End cap assembly

A rotary actuator wherein linear movement of a piston and rack assembly disposed in a unitary housing is converted to precise rotational movement of an operating member mounted to a pinion which operably engages the rack. The operating member extends outwardly from opposite sides of the housing and is adapted for coupling with either a single or a pair of mechanisms for purposes of selectively controlling operation of the mechanisms. The actuator includes new means for locating and supporting the rack, for locating and sealing a pinion assembly in the housing, for precisely controlling rotational movement of the operating member, and for precisely and positively locating mechanism mounting brackets to the housing. The actuator may be either single or double acting.

Growing community of inventors

Bainbridge Township, OH, United States of America

Ulrich H Koch