Yoke for rotary valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10539241-B2
Application number	US-201715726654-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2017
Priority date	Oct 17, 2016
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

A valve apparatus may include a control valve including valve body having an inlet, an outlet, and a flow path. A rotational valve stem may extend along a longitudinal axis, the valve stem having a top portion and a bottom portion, the valve stem operatively coupled to a control element movably disposed in the flow path. A yoke may be attached to the valve body and arranged to operatively couple the valve body to an actuator, the yoke including a first bracket having an aperture and a second bracket having an aperture. A bushing may be arranged to align an actuator shaft of the actuator to the longitudinal axis of the valve stem, the bushing having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion engaging within the aperture of the first bracket and the second portion engaging the aperture of the second bracket.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve apparatus comprising:
a control valve including valve body having an inlet, an outlet, and a flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet;
a rotational valve stem extending along a longitudinal axis, the valve stem having a top portion and a bottom portion, the bottom portion disposed within the valve body, the valve stem operatively coupled to a control element movably disposed in the flow path;
a yoke attached to the valve body and arranged to operatively couple the valve body to an actuator, the yoke including a first bracket having an aperture and a second bracket having an aperture;
a bushing arranged to align an actuator shaft of the actuator to the longitudinal axis of the valve stem, the bushing having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion engaging within the aperture of the first bracket and the second portion engaging the aperture of the second bracket; and
a dowel at least partially disposed within a bore formed in the valve body and at least partially disposed within a bore formed in the first bracket of the yoke, wherein the bore of the valve body is sized to receive the dowel to allow the yoke to detach from the valve body.

2. The valve apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bushing is affixed within at least one of the aperture of the first bracket and the aperture of the second bracket.

3. The valve apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first bracket of the yoke is fixedly attached to the valve body and removably attached to the second bracket.

4. The valve apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the aperture of the first bracket is coaxially aligned with the aperture of the second bracket, the apertures of the first and second brackets being coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem.

5. The valve apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first bracket is adjacent to the second bracket when the first bracket is attached to the second bracket, the aperture of the first bracket being parallel to the aperture of the second bracket.

6. A valve and yoke assembly comprising:
a valve body having an inlet, an outlet, and a flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet;
a rotational valve stem at least partially disposed within the valve body and extending along a longitudinal axis, the valve stem operatively coupled to a control element disposed in the flow path and moveable between an open position and a closed position;
a yoke attached to the valve body and including an aperture, the yoke arranged to operatively couple an actuator to the valve body;
an actuator mounting bracket removably attached to the yoke and including an aperture;
a bushing at least partially engaging the aperture of the yoke and at least partially engaging the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket, the bushing aligned with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem and arranged to operatively align the valve stem with an actuator shaft,
the actuator comprising an actuator shaft operatively coupled to the valve stem, wherein the actuator shaft is disposed through the bushing, the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket, and the aperture of the yoke, the actuator shaft being coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem; and
a thrust bearing attached to the actuator shaft.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein a portion of the bushing is disposed outside of the yoke, the portion of the bushing being sized for insertion into the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket and sized to receive the actuator shaft of the actuator.

8. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the yoke includes a first parallel arm, a second parallel arm, and a bridge portion connecting the first and second parallel arms, the first and second parallel arms and the bridge portion forming a U-shaped bracket.

9. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the bushing extends along the longitudinal axis of the valve stem, the bushing having an outer diameter sized for insertion into the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket and an inner diameter sized to receive the actuator shaft.

10. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the aperture of the yoke includes a diameter and the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket includes a different diameter, wherein the diameter of the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket is greater than the diameter of the aperture of the yoke.

11. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the bushing includes an inner diameter and an outer diameter, the inner diameter sized to provide a clearance fit with the actuator shaft of an actuator, and the outer diameter sized to provide a rigid connection fit with the yoke and an alignment fit with an aperture of the actuator mounting bracket.

12. A method of mounting a yoke to a valve, the method comprising:
providing a valve body having an inlet, an outlet, and a flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet, a valve stem extending along a longitudinal axis and having a top portion protruding from the valve body and a bottom portion disposed within the valve body, the valve stem operatively coupled to a control element movably disposed in the flow path;
providing a yoke including an aperture, a first arm, and a second arm; and
placing a bushing at least partially disposed in the aperture of the yoke, the bushing arranged to align an actuator shaft of an actuator with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem;
aligning the bushing of the yoke with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem by placing the first arm and the second arm adjacent to the valve body;
fastening the first arm and the second arm of the yoke to the valve body such that the bushing remains in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the valve stem; and
attaching an actuator mounting bracket to the yoke by aligning an aperture of the actuator mounting bracket with an outer diameter of the bushing and inserting a portion of the bushing into the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket, the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket coaxially aligned with the aperture of the yoke.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising fixedly arranging the bushing within the aperture of the yoke.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising inserting a dowel through a bore formed in the valve body and a bore formed in the yoke, the bore formed in the yoke being coaxially aligned with the bore of the valve body, the dowel partially disposed within the bore of the valve body and partially disposed within the bore of the yoke.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising determining an occurrence of a tampering event to the valve body and the yoke by inspecting a location of the dowel relative to the bore of the yoke, and further identifying the occurrence of the tampering event when the dowel is completely disposed within the bore of the valve body.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising inserting an actuator shaft of an actuator through the bushing partially disposed within the aperture of the yoke and partially disposed within the aperture of the actuator mounting bracket, and operatively coupling the actuator shaft of the actuator to the top portion of the valve stem.

Assignees

• Fisher Controls Int Llc

Inventors

• Jackson Trenton F
• Meloy Robert M

Classifications

• F16K27/08

  Guiding yokes for spindles; Means for closing housings; Dust caps, e.g. for tyre valves · CPC title

• F16K5/0442

  Spindles and actuating means · CPC title

• F16K5/0647 Primary

  Spindles or actuating means · CPC title

• F16K5/08

  Details · CPC title

• F16K5/0242

  Spindles and actuating means · CPC title