Gate valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10436331-B2
Application number	US-201515511945-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2015
Priority date	Sep 16, 2014
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

A seal with a wedging element for adjustably compressing the seal. The seal abuts a surface, such as a gate of a gate valve, to seal against the surface with a sealing force that prevents fluid flow therebetween. The sealing force of the seal may be increasing or decreasing compression by adjusting the wedging mechanism. For example, as the seal wears away due to friction between the seal and a sliding gate, the compression may be increased in the wedging mechanism to increase the sealing force to a low threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gate valve assembly comprising:
a valve body having an inlet and an outlet;
a gate disposed within the valve body and slidably connected to the valve body such that the gate slides along a normal axis between an open position to a closed position, wherein in the closed position the inlet is fluidly disconnected from the outlet;
a seal having a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the normal axis and extending along the gate such that the gate slides against a first seal surface of the seal when the gate slides between the open position and the closed position; and
a wedging element abutting a second seal surface of the seal opposite the first seal surface;
wherein the wedging element comprises a front side for engaging the second seal surface and a backside for engaging an opposite wedge surface such that movement of the wedging element along the longitudinal axis causes the wedging element to exert a force against the seal in a first lateral direction along a lateral axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis;
wherein the second seal surface of the seal faces laterally in a second lateral direction, opposite the first lateral direction, and the lateral axis from the second seal surface in the second lateral direction does not intersect any other part of the seal; and
wherein the seal further comprises:
a first leg portion that extends longitudinally and in the second lateral direction away from the second seal surface, wherein the first leg portion engages the valve body to seal against the valve body, and whereby the first leg portion extends past at least part of the wedging element in the second lateral direction.

2. The gate valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the front side of the wedging element is planar and parallel with the second seal surface of the seal, or the back side of the wedging element is planar and parallel with the opposite wedge surface.

3. The gate valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the wedging element is a plurality of wedging elements longitudinally aligned along the seal.

4. The gate valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seal comprises:
an inlet seal portion abutting an inlet portion of the gate;
an outlet seal portion abutting an outlet portion of the gate; and
two side seal portions abutting a respective side portion of the gate,
wherein the seal is one-piece and surrounds a portion of the gate.

5. The gate valve of claim 1 , wherein the back side of the wedging element is planar and inclined longitudinally to allow the wedging element to slide laterally as the wedging element moves longitudinally along the opposite wedge surface.

6. The gate valve assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second wedging element forming the opposite wedge surface, wherein the second wedging element is disposed between the valve body and the back side of the wedging element.

7. The gate valve assembly of claim 6 , wherein the back side of the wedging element is planar and inclined longitudinally to allow the wedging element to slide laterally as the wedging element moves longitudinally along the second wedging element.

8. The gate valve assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fastener for driving the wedging element longitudinally.

9. The gate valve gate of claim 8 , wherein the fastener is self-adjusting to provide longitudinal force against the wedging element as the wedging element moves longitudinally relative to the fastener.

10. The gate valve of claim 1 , wherein the wedging element comprises:
a first cam component that engages with the seal; and
a second cam component that engages with the first cam component, wherein one of the first cam component or the second cam component is moveable relative to the seal in a first longitudinal direction along the longitudinal axis, and
wherein when the one of the first or second cam moves relative to the seal in the first longitudinal direction along the longitudinal axis, either the first or second cam compresses the seal in the first lateral direction along the lateral axis.

11. The gate valve of claim 10 , wherein the first cam component includes the front side and a cam surface opposite the front side, the first cam component engaging with the seal along the front side and engaging with the second cam component along the cam surface, and the first cam component moves relative the second cam component.

12. The gate valve of claim 1 , wherein the seal is a low drag seal comprising a main body portion defining the second seal surface and first leg portion extending from the main body portion away from the second seal surface, wherein the first leg portion has a concave portion, facing in the second lateral direction, at an end of the first leg portion and opposite the second seal surface.

13. The gate valve of claim 12 , wherein the seal has a second leg portion extending from the main body portion, the second leg portion having a concave portion, facing in the second lateral direction, at an end of the second leg portion and opposite the second seal surface.

14. A seal assembly comprising:
a seal having a longitudinal axis, a normal axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a lateral axis that is perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis and the normal axis, wherein the seal has a first seal surface extending along the longitudinal axis and facing in a first lateral direction along the lateral axis; and
a wedging element abutting a second seal surface of the seal opposite the first seal surface, whereby the second seal surface faces in a second lateral direction that is opposite the first lateral direction;
wherein the seal further comprises:
a first leg portion that extends longitudinally and in the second lateral direction away from the second seal surface along the lateral axis; and
a second leg portion that extends longitudinally and in the second lateral direction away from the second seal surface along the lateral axis, wherein the second leg portion is offset from the first leg portion along the normal axis such that the second seal surface is disposed between the first leg portion and the second leg portion;

wherein the wedging element comprises a front side for engaging the second seal surface and a backside for engaging an opposite wedge surface such that movement of the wedging element along the longitudinal axis causes the wedging element to exert a force against the seal in the first lateral direction along the lateral axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, whereby the wedging element is disposed between the first leg portion and the second leg portion; and
wherein the second seal surface of the seal faces laterally in the second lateral direction, opposite the first lateral direction, and the lateral axis from the second seal surface in the second lateral direction does not intersect any other part of the seal.

15. The seal assembly of claim 14 , wherein the first seal surface extends straight along the longitudinal axis parallel with the first leg portion and the second leg portion, thereby allowing the first seal surface to seal against a planar gate surface.

16. The seal assembly of claim 14 , further including a third seal surface that faces laterally toward the first seal surface and that is laterally spaced from the first seal surface to allow a gate to move therebetween along the normal axis.

17. The seal assembly of claim 14 , wherein the seal further comprises:
an inlet seal portion that forms the first seal surface;
an outlet seal portion that forms a third seal surface that faces laterally toward the first sea

Assignees

• Parker Hannifin Corp
• Weir Slurry Group Inc

Inventors

• Frye Matthew Richard
• Fecho Richard J

Classifications

• F16J15/028 Primary

  the packing being mechanically expanded against the sealing surface · CPC title

• F16K3/0227

  Packings · CPC title

• F16K3/16

  with special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together (F16K3/10, F16K3/14 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16K3/0281

  Guillotine or blade-type valves, e.g. no passage through the valve member · CPC title

• F16K3/0245

  Curtain gate valves · CPC title