Welded check valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11313482-B2
Application number	US-201916683491-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2019
Priority date	Nov 14, 2019
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

Welded check valves include a poppet assembly, a spring, and a disc that contacts the spring. The disc may be held at a position away from a weld when forming the welded check valve. Embodiments may include retention features configured to allow one or more of the poppet assembly and disc to pass the retention features in an assembly orientation, and to retain those elements when they are in an operational orientation. Methods include inserting the poppet assembly, contacting the poppet assembly with a spring, inserting a disc, retaining the disc away from a weld side, and welding the check valve together. The poppet assembly and/or disc may pass one or more retaining features when inserted, and be retained by the retaining features when the check valve is operated. The weld may be a thermal weld.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A check valve including an internal passage, the check valve configured to control a fluid flow through the internal passage, the check valve comprising:
(a) an internal assembly having,
(i) a poppet assembly;
(ii) a spring, contracting the poppet assembly at a first end; and
(iii) a disc including one or more through holes, the disc contacting the spring;

(b) a first outer piece having a first aperture and first opening opposite the first aperture;
(c) a second outer piece having a second aperture and a second opening opposite the second aperture, wherein the first outer piece and the second outer piece are connected by a weld at the first opening and the second opening to define an internal space for retaining the internal assembly; and
(d) a disc retaining feature located within the internal space, the retaining feature configured to selectively retain the disc in a position within the internal space away from the weld,
wherein the internal assembly is configured to obstruct a fluid flow through the internal passage in one direction and permit flow through the internal passage in an opposite direction, and
wherein the disc retaining feature comprises a plurality of retaining ribs extending from the first outer piece into the internal space, wherein the retaining ribs of the plurality of retaining ribs are separated from one another by a plurality of gaps, and each of the plurality of gaps is longer than a thickness of an outermost edge of the poppet assembly and a thickness of the disc.

2. The check valve of claim 1 , comprising a poppet assembly retaining feature, wherein the poppet assembly retaining feature comprises:
a plurality of second retaining ribs extending from the first outer piece into the internal space, wherein the retaining ribs of the plurality of second retaining ribs are separated from one another by a plurality of second gaps, and
each of the plurality of second gaps is larger than a thickness of an outermost edge of the poppet assembly.

3. The check valve of claim 2 , wherein the outermost edge of the poppet assembly defines a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the internal space and larger than a distance between opposing retaining features of the plurality of retaining ribs.

4. The check valve of claim 2 , wherein the poppet assembly comprises a poppet and a poppet assembly disc, the poppet assembly disc includes one or more through holes, and the poppet assembly disc includes the outer edge of the poppet assembly.

5. The check value of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of retaining ribs is an even number of retaining ribs and the plurality of gaps is an even number of gaps.

6. The check valve of claim 1 , wherein the disc retaining feature comprises one or more detents formed on an inner surface of the first outer piece.

7. The check valve of claim 6 , wherein the detents do not allow the disc to pass when an outer surface of the first outer piece is compressed and allow the disc to pass when the outer surface of the first outer piece is not compressed.

8. The check valve of claim 1 , wherein the first outer piece, second outer piece, poppet assembly, and spring each comprise one or more fluoropolymers.

9. A method of assembling a check valve, comprising:
inserting a poppet assembly into a first outer piece of the check valve, the first outer piece including an inlet to the check valve;
placing a spring against the poppet assembly;
inserting a disc, such that the disc contacts the spring; and
welding the first outer piece to a second outer piece at a weld joint,
wherein the disc is retained in a position away from the weld joint during the welding by a retaining feature of the first outer piece of the check valve, and
wherein the disc is retained by the retaining feature including a plurality of retaining ribs on an inner surface of the first outer piece, wherein during the inserting the disc, the disc is rotated such that the outer edge passes through gaps between ribs of the plurality of retaining ribs, and the method further comprises rotating the disc such that the disc contacts the plurality of retaining ribs.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein during the inserting of the poppet assembly, the poppet assembly is rotated such that the outer edges of the poppet assembly pass through gaps between ribs of the plurality of retaining ribs.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein during the inserting of the poppet assembly, the poppet assembly passes a second retaining feature, the second retaining feature comprising a plurality of second retaining ribs, and the method further includes rotating the poppet assembly such that when the poppet assembly moves along the axis of the first outer piece away from the inlet of the check valve, the poppet assembly is capable of contacting the plurality of second retaining ribs.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising moving the disc such that it is retained by the plurality of retaining ribs proximal to the weld, after the welding of the first outer piece to the second outer piece.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein welding the first outer piece to the second outer piece comprises thermal welding.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the thermal welding comprises:
heating a welding surface of the first outer piece using a first side of a heating paddle;
heating a welding surface of the second outer piece using a second side of the heating paddle; and
pressing the welding surface of the first outer piece and the welding surface of the second outer piece together.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising testing flow through the first outer piece in a first direction and testing flow through the first outer piece in a second direction, opposite the first, after inserting the disc and prior to the welding.

16. A check valve including an internal passage, the check valve configured to control a fluid flow through the internal passage, the check valve comprising:
(a) an internal assembly having,
(i) a poppet assembly;
(ii) a spring, contacting the poppet assembly at a first end; and
(iii) a disc including one or more through holes, the disc contacting the spring;

(b) a first outer piece having a first aperture and first opening opposite the first aperture;
(c) a second outer piece having a second aperture and a second opening opposite the second aperture, wherein the first outer piece and the second outer piece are connected by a weld at the first opening and the second opening to define an internal space for retaining the internal assembly; and
(d) a disc retaining feature located within the internal space, the retaining feature configured to selectively retain the disc in a position within the internal space away from the weld,
wherein the disc retaining feature comprises one or more detents formed on an inner surface of the first outer piece, and
wherein the detents do not allow the disc to pass when an outer surface of the first outer piece is compressed and allow the disc to pass when the outer surface of the first outer piece is not compressed.

Assignees

• Entegris Inc

Inventors

• Leys John A

Classifications

• F16K27/102

  for lift-valves · CPC title

• F16K27/0209

  Check valves or pivoted valves · CPC title

• B29C65/08

  using ultrasonic vibrations {(non-plastics element to plastics elements B29C65/645)} · CPC title

• B29C65/02

  by heating, with or without pressure · CPC title

• B23P15/002

  poppet valves · CPC title