Anti-flutter metering valve

Claim 1

AN ANTI-FLUTTER METERING VALVE, COMPRISING A CASING HAVING A THROUGH PASSAGEWAY INCLUDING SPACED OPENINGS DEFINING VALVE SEATS, A VALVE MEMBER MOVABLE AXIALLY IN THE CASING, SAID VALVE MEMBER HAVING ONE ENE SEATABLE ON ONE OF SAID SEATS AND HAVING A GENERALLY FLAT OTHER END SEATABLE ON THE OTHER OF SAID SEATS, A SPRING BETWEEN THE CASING AND VALVE MEMBER TO BIAS THE FLAT END OF THE VALVE MEMBER AGAINST THE CASING OVER THE OTHER CASING OPENING TO CLOSE THE METERING VALVE, SAID VALVE MEMBER HAVING FLOW CALIBRATED PASSAGE MEANS EXTENDING FROM AN EXTERIOR SURFACE THEREOF INTERMEDIATE ITS WNDS TO SAID ONE END, THE DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE ACROSS THE METERING VALVE BEING OPERABLE TO MOVE THE VALVE MEMBER AGAINST THE BIAS OF THE SPRING AXIALLY WITHIN THE CASING FOR METERING THE FLOW THROUGH THE VALVE, SPACED ANNULAR ABUTMENT SURFACES ON THE VALVE MEMBER EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THEREOF, AND AA RING SHAPED DAMPENING MEMBER SUPPORTED SOLELY BY THE VALVE MEMBER LOOSELY COUPLED BETWEEN THE SPACED ANNULAR ABUTMENT SURFACES, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SPACED ANNULAR ABUTMENT SURFACES AND THE THICKNESS OF SAID RING SHAPED MEMBER BEING SUCH THAT SAID RING SHAPED MEMBER IS FREELY MOVABLE INDEPENDENTLY OF THE VALVE MEMBER BETWEEN THE SPACED ANNULAR ABUTMENT SURFACES A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE DISTANCE OF VALVE MEMBER MOVEMENT AND IS OPERABLE UPON IMPACT AGAINST THE ABUTMENT SURFACES TO DAMPEN FLUTTER OF THE VALVE MEMBER WHEN THE LATTER IS UNSEATED FROM BOTH CASING OPENINGS.