Fluid handling – Inflatable article
Patent
1986-10-15
1987-06-02
Weakley, Harold W.
Fluid handling
Inflatable article
13751615, 137860, F16K 1520
Patent
active
046694986
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a controllable air valve for an inflatable body, comprising a valve socket adapted to be airtight secured in the wall of the body and having an air flow duct leading to the interior of the body, means for connecting an outer air source to the air flow duct of the socket and an air pressure sensitive sealing member allowing air flow from the outside into the interior of the body, but which in an operative state prevents air flow in the opposite direction, means being provided for releasing the sealing member with a view to evacuation of said body.
Without being restricted thereto it is an object of the invention to provide a simple and easily operable air valve for use in connection with floating bodies of the kind used inter alia when laying submarine cables.
With respect to such floating bodies it is in particular desired that a comparatively easily controllable air evacuation may be effected upon complete inflation with a view to controlled gradual submersion of the cable, but this is, however, difficult to obtain by prior valves for that purpose.
With a view to the above the air valve according to the invention is characterized in that the air duct of the valve socket comprises a duct section facing the interior of the body and being connected with the outer surface of the valve socket only through a number of comparatively narrow ducts discharging into the bottom face of a countersunk annular groove on the outer surface of the valve socket, said annular groove being connected with a central depression in the outer surface of the valve socket through a number of radial ducts discharging opposite respective ones of said narrow ducts, said sealing member being constituted by a resilient annular located against the inner edge of the annular groove within the discharge openings of said narrow ducts, and a cap having a bore located opposite the central depression of the socket and fitted for external threaded connection with the valve socket includes an annular surface surrounding said bore and adapted to abut airtight against said sealing member.
When inflating the body with the valve socket and the cap tightly secured the pressure provided by the air source through the radial ducts will press the sealing member in the annular groove of the valve socket out on a larger diameter so that the air is made to flow through the duct system of the valve socket into the interior of the body.
As soon as the pressure action has ceased the annular resilient sealing member will return to its initial position at the internal edge of the annular groove where it blocks the air flow from the narrow ducts of the valve socket into the radial ducts on the outer surface of the socket.
Upon complete inflation an easily controllable gas discharge is effected from the body by gradually loosening the threaded connection between the cap and the valve socket, thereby releasing the abutment between the sealing member and the annular surface of the cap. The discharge of gas may at any time be stopped by tightening the threaded connection in order to restore the airtight abutment between the sealing member and the annular surface of the cap.
The two main components of the valve, i.e. the valve socket and the cap, may be separately manufactured from a moulded plastic blank, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs.
With a view to simple mounting in the inflatable body a preferred embodiment of the valve is characterized in that a securing device for the valve socket comprises two annular members provided with mutually engaging snap fasteners and adapted to be mounted on the outer surface and the inner surface of the body wall, said internal annular member having a threaded bore to be connected with an external thread on an insertion portion of the valve socket, an abutting surface on the valve socket adapted to abut by pressure against the external annular member being provided with an annular groove for receiving a resilient sealing member.
The invention is explained below in closer detail with reference to the
REFERENCES:
patent: 222344 (1879-12-01), Braun
patent: 3293081 (1966-12-01), Daley
patent: 3320097 (1967-05-01), Sugalski
patent: 4000857 (1977-01-01), Moen
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