Valve and operating mechanism therefor

Claim 1

A VALVE STRUCTURE FOR CONTROLLING FLUID FLOW THROUGH A FLUID CONFINING PASSAGE COMPRISING: A SHOULDER MEMBER HAVING A THROAT THERETHROUGH, SAID MEMBER INCLUDING A TRANSVERSE ELEMENT EXTENDING ACROSS SAID THROAD AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE MIDPORTION THEREOF; A PAIR OF DISKS IN SAID THROAT; MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID DISKS TO SAID TRANSVERSE ELEMENT FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSE POSITIONS TO PERMIT AND INTERRUPT, RESPECTIVELY, THE FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH SAID THROAT; SAID TRANSVERSE ELEMENTS AND DISKS BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED SO THAT THE DISKS LIE IN JUXTAPOSITION ALONG THE FLOW AXIS OF THE FLOW PASSAGE WHEN THE ARE FULLY OPENED; A SUPPORT PIER POSITIONED IN SAID FLUID CONFINING PASSAGE, SAID PIER BEING SPACED FROM SAID TRANSVERSE ELEMENT A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE PIVOT RADIUS OF SAID DISK AND HAVING A THICKNESS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE COMBINED THICKNESS OF SAID DISKS WHEN THE DISKS ARE FULLY OPENED; A VALVE OPERATOR MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT PIER IN SUBSTANTIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID TRANSVERSE ELEMENT AND INCLUDING A MEMBER CAPABLE OF MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID DISKS; AND A PAIR OF LINKS EACH HAVING A CORRESPONDING END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO A VALVE DISK AND THE OTHER ENDS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID MEMBER TO CAUSE SAID DISKS TO OPEN AND CLOSE AS SAID MEMBER IS MOVED, THE ENDS OF SAID VALVE DISKS ADJACENT SAID SUPPORT PIER AND SAID SUPPORT PIER BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO FORM A SMOOTH SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS SURFACE WHEN SAID DISKS ARE IN THE OPEN POSITION TO LESSEN TURBULENCE IN THE FLUID FLOWING THEREBY.