Pinch valve

Abstract

A double acting pinch valve with floating pinch mechanism. Two opposed rectilinear rigid members extend transversely to a flexible deformable resilient sleeve and on opposite sides of the sleeve; the flow of fluid to be controlled is through the sleeve from one end to the other. A floating piston is provided in a container, i.e. in a cylinder, which container or cylinder also has a floating mounting and suspension. The piston rod is rigidly connected to one of the rigid members, and the floating container is rigidly connected to the other rigid member. The two rigid members and the container with integral piston all have, as a feature of the invention, a floating mounting and suspension on a frame on which the sleeve is mounted, so that these elements are freely displaceable relative to the frame and towards or away from the sleeve. When a fluid is passed into the container between its outer closed end and the piston head, the closed end, and for that matter the entire container, and the piston head, are both concomitantly displaceable in opposite directions away from each other, so that both rigid members are concomitantly displaceable towards each other in a convergence which pinches the sleeve and curtails or terminates fluid flow through the sleeve. The sleeve is concomitantly pinched on both sides, by both of the opposed rigid members.