Valve housing and method of making the same

Claim 1

A valve housing, comprising an upper and a lower elongated shell each having two opposite end portions and a wider intermediate portion, said intermediate portion of said upper shell being provided with an opening; lateral edge faces provided on the respective shells extending between the respective end portions thereof and abutting and welded to one another in a plane of separation; a first transverse rib interiorly of said lower shell intermediate said opening and one of said end portions and being arcuately curved towards the former, said first rib having an upwardly directed surface located in said plane of separation and merging with the respective edge faces of said lower shell; a second transverse rib interiorly of said upper shell intermediate said opening and the opposite end portion and being arcuately curved from the region of said first rib towards said opposite end portion and around said opening, said second rib having a downwardly directed face which merges with the respective lateral edge faces of said upper shell; and a support ring embraced by and welded to said ribs and having an other downwardly directed face partly overlying and welded to said upwardly directed surface, both of said faces having general planes which are inclined upwardly from the region of said upper surface and said plane of separation to a level above the latter, the transverse width of said edge faces being at least substantially uniform over the elongation of said shells and respective inner margins of said edge faces being exposed and offset with reference to said support ring below said general planes so as to facilitate free access and passage of a welding beam to said edge faces and to the interface defined by said upwardly directed surface of said first rib and said other downwardly directed face of said support ring.