Hydraulic and earth engineering – Fluid control – treatment – or containment – Flow control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-14
2001-09-11
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3673)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Fluid control, treatment, or containment
Flow control
C405S105000, C405S106000, C405S087000, C405S090000, C405S080000, C405S052000, C251S326000, C251S193000, C277S609000, C277S630000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287051
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to sluice gates or valves which have an outlet and/or inlet into a usually large container such as a reservoir, holding space or processing container in contrast to an in-line valve in a pipe or other tubular conveyance.
RELATION TO PRIOR ART
Currently, most known sluice gates employ brass plates that are forced against brass flanges with oppositely-tapered wedge extensions. These are so prone to leakage from imperfect fitting that regulatory structural standards permit relatively high levels of leakage with undesirable results. Various soft, rubberlike and fibrous seals and washers have not been successful because they have not been made removably fixable reliably and because particles in fluids for which sluice gates usually are used embed in them. Embedded particles often prevent sealing contact and increase instead of decrease leakage. In addition, there has not been an adequate valving vise to position sealing members of sluice gates in tightly sealing contact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to provide a fixable-seal sluice gate which:
has a resilient seal that is fixable removably without being dislodged by harsh environments of rapid and turbulent flow of fluids that often contain sharp particles or abrasive sludge and yet can withstand constantly or changing high-pressure and low-pressure usage;
can be produced, installed, maintained and replaced quickly at low cost; and
provides accurate and tight sealing contact of sealing members for sluice gates.
This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with a fixable-seal sluice gate having a valve vise that forces a valve plate uniformly and tightly in sealing-surface contact with a domed seal ring that is fixable conveniently and removably intermediate a sluice-valve plate and a sluice-gate wall of a sluice-gate flange that encompasses a valve end of a sluice-gate aperture. A plate locator on the valve vice sets the valve plate in predetermined sealing-contact position for select structure of the fixable-seal sluice gate. The domed seal ring is a plastic material such as Hypalon® having predetermined toughness to resist particle embedment in combination with having predetermined softness for select uses and objectives. A dome flange on one or both sides of a base of the domed seal ring is bracketed removably to either the sluice-gate wall or the sluice-gate plate for rigid, reliable, long-enduring and yet quick and convenient attachment and detachment of the domed seal ring. Sealing grooves and ridges on the sluice-gate wall or optionally on the sluice-gate plate are provided in relation to removable bracket attachment of the domed seal ring.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3784158 (1974-01-01), Cave
patent: 3907250 (1975-09-01), Kane
patent: 4028896 (1977-06-01), Whipps
patent: 4070863 (1978-01-01), Brown
patent: 4220420 (1980-09-01), Aston et al.
patent: 4265564 (1981-05-01), Watelet
patent: 4524950 (1985-06-01), Vitas et al.
patent: 5141361 (1992-08-01), Fontaine
patent: 5246308 (1993-09-01), Brothers
patent: 5613806 (1997-03-01), House et al.
patent: 6176493 (2001-01-01), Whipps
patent: 2140487-A (1983-05-01), None
patent: 357021612-A (1982-02-01), None
patent: 357044014-A (1982-03-01), None
Bennett Colin W.
Wood Jeffrey A.
Johnson Merrill N.
Pechhold Alexandra K.
Pezzuto Robert E.
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