Fluid handling – Removable valve head and seat unit – Retained by bonnet or closure
Patent
1988-12-22
1990-09-18
Rivell, John
Fluid handling
Removable valve head and seat unit
Retained by bonnet or closure
13762517, 1376254, 251172, 251174, 251363, F16K 11078, F16K 2500
Patent
active
049571354
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention deals with a mixing valve consisting of a faucet body, a cartridge assembly inserted within the faucet body, a control mechanism, a support seat for fixing a valve plate of hard material thereto, a seal placed between the fixed valve plate and the support seat, and a movable valve plate connected to the control mechanism for relative sliding movement with the fixed valve plate so as to regulate the flow rate and the mixing proportions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve an effective closing, a fixed valve element commonly referred to as a fixed valve plate, and a movable valve plate of the mixing valve must be pressed against each other with a compressive force greater than the force exerted by the pressure of the flowing water because, otherwise, the water pressure would separate the movable valve plate from the fixed valve element preventing them to be closed, and similarly a compressive force must be applied between the fixed valve plate and its own support surface so as to compress a seal therebetween either to assure proper function of the seal or to prevent an ejection of the seal itself or its deformation in case excessive pressures should occur.
In most cases, the minimum compressive force necessary to compress the seal and to hold it tightly in its correct position is much higher than the minimum compressive force necessary to keep the fixed valve plate and the movable valve plate in operative contact. In known cartridge valve structures, the fixed valve plate is simply resting on a support seat in a bottom portion of a replaceable cartridge inside the faucet body and a compressive force is exerted between the movable valve plate and support seat which pushes the support seat toward the movable valve plate or vice versa.
As a consequence, the exerted compressive force must be at least equal to or greater than the higher one of the two minimum compressive forces needed for the specified purposes. In other words, the applied compressive force is equal to the compressive force necessary to compress the seal and hold it tightly in its correct position. The compressive force is thus unnecessarily high for the purpose of keeping the movable valve plate in contact with the fixed valve plate. Because of such excessively high force applied between the movable plate and fixed plate, the faucet is harder to operate and needless mechanical stresses of the parts are introduced. A cartridge valve in which its bottom portion is hydraulically biased to produce a compressive force between the fixed valve plate and movable valve plate are particularly disadvantaged by the above mentioned excessively high compressive forces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, a mixing valve is constructed such that a compressive force greater than the compressive force between the fixed valve element and movable valve plate can be exerted onto the seal placed between the fixed valve element and its own support seat. The construction is achieved, according to the invention, with a certain attachment mechanism which connects the fixed valve element to its own support seat with the seal compressed between them and by keeping these parts under a compressive force.
Due to this construction, the compression of the seal beneath the fixed valve element is determined by the elastic and geometrical characteristics of the seal itself, the attachment mechanism and the connected parts. The compressive force is continuously applied on the attachment mechanism, the fixed valve element, its support seat, and the seals, independent of the forces applied from outside onto the fixed valve element and onto the support element.
Any external applied compressive forces can then have its magnitude determined exclusively to produce the necessary operating sealing contact between the fixed valve element and the movable valve plate. The compressive force between the fixed valve element and movable valve plate can be chosen by considering only the needs of contact between the fix
REFERENCES:
patent: 3590837 (1971-07-01), Jeanise
patent: 3807455 (1974-04-01), Farrell
patent: 4250912 (1981-02-01), Knapp
patent: 4325403 (1982-04-01), Uhlmann
patent: 4610268 (1986-09-01), Knapp
Masco Corporation
Rivell John
Sutherland Malcolm L.
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