Seat insert for butterfly-type valves

Claim 2

A valve assembly comprising a rigid annular body having means for rotatably mounting a valve passage closure member, and means mounting a resilient seat annulus within said body for peripheral engagement with said closure member comprising means defining an annular recess extending around the inner periphery of said body, an integral annular peripheral rib on said annulus fitting within said recess, and means providing for axial insertion of said resilient seat annulus within said body comprising means on said body for sUbstantially uniformly radially contracting at least the rib portion of said resilient annulus during insertion and permitting reexpansion of said rib portion into said recess.

Claim 3

The valve assembly defined in claim 1, wherein said means for contracting said annulus comprises an annular surface sloping radially and axially inwardly from at least one edge of said body.

Claim 4

The valve assembly defined in claim 2, wherein said recess comprises opposite annular side shoulders, and said sloping surface is disposed adjacent one of said shoulders.

Claim 5

The valve assembly defined in claim 1, wherein at least said rib portion of the annulus is surface bonded to said body within the recess.

Claim 6

The valve assembly defined in claim 4, wherein bonding is effected by a layer of epoxy-type cement between the annulus and body.

Claim 7

The valve assembly defined in claim 1, wherein said body recess is a relatively wide shallow recess having a cylindrical bottom surface intersecting parallel annular side shoulder surfaces, said shoulders extending radially inwardly to intersect cylindrical body surfaces disposed at opposite sides of the recess and having diameters smaller than that of the recess bottom wall, said annulus rib being correspondingly shaped, and said means for contracting the resilient annulus comprising a generally conical surface around at least one side edge of the body sloping radially and axially inwardly from an outer edge that has a diameter at least as large as that of said annulus rib to intersect said cylindrical body surface at that side of the body.

Claim 8

The valve assembly defined in claim 6, wherein said body is laterally symmetrical with annular surfaces similarly sloping radially and axially inwardly from both edges of the body, and said resilient annulus being laterally symmetrical and reversible end for end whereby said annulus may be randomly inserted from either side of said body.

Claim 9

A valve assembly comprising a rigid annular body having opposite parallel side surfaces, a cylindrical recess extending around the inner periphery of said body axially inwardly of both side surfaces and having opposite axially inwardly facing parallel side shoulders, an integral seat annulus of elastomeric material mounted within the body having an external cylindrical rib portion projecting within said recess for axial retention therein, said rib portion having parallel ends axially engaging said shoulders and said annulus having cylindrical sides of smaller external diameter than said rib portion projecting axially beyond both of said body side surfaces, a circumferentially extending metal reenforcement insert imbedded in said annulus radially inwardly of said rib portion, the projecting cylindrical sides of said annulus being disposed radially adjacent the opposite sides of said insert, and means for rotatably mounting a valve closure disk on said body.

Claim 10

A valve assembly comprising a rigid annular body having opposite parallel side surfaces, a cylindrical recess extending around the inner periphery of said body axially inwardly of both side surfaces and having opposite axially inwardly facing parallel side shoulders, an integral seat annulus of elastomeric material mounted within the body having an external cylindrical rib portion projecting within said recess for axial retention therein, said rib portion having parallel ends axially engaging said shoulders and said annulus having cylindrical sides of smaller external diameter than said rib portion projecting axially beyond both of said body side surfaces, a circumferentially extending metal reenforcement insert imbedded in said annulus radially inwardly of said rib portion, the projecting cylindrical sides of said annulus being disposed radially adjacent the opposite sides of said insert, and means for rotatably mounting a valve closure disk on said body.

Claim 11

In the valve assembly defined in claim 8, means comprising a layer of epoxy-type adhesive providing full surface bonding between the external periphery of said seat annulus and the recessed internal periphery of said body.

Claim 12

A valve assembly comprising a rigid annular body having opposite parallel side surfaces, an annular recess extending around the inner periphery of said body axially inwardly of both side surfaces and having opposite axially inwardly facing side shoulders, a resilient seat annulus mounted within the body having an external rib portion projecting within said recess for axial retention therein and having annular sides projecting axially beyond both of said body side surfaces, and means for rotatably mounting a valve closure disk on said body, said rib portion of the annulus being cylindrical with a diameter substantially the same as that of said recess which is also cylindrical, and at least one side of said body being formed with an inclined generally conical surface sloping radially and axially inwardly from an outer edge that has a diameter at least as large as said rib portion to an inner region wherein the diameter is less than that of said rib portion.

Claim 13

A valve assembly comprising a rigid annular body having opposite parallel side surfaces, an annular recess extending around the inner periphery of said body axially inwardly of both side surfaces and having opposite axially inwardly facing side shoulders, a resilient seat annulus mounted within the body having an external rib portion projecting within said recess for axial retention therein and having annular sides projecting axially beyond both of said body side surfaces, and means for rotatably mounting a valve closure disk on said body, said rib portion of the annulus being cylindrical with a diameter substantially the same as that of said recess which is also cylindrical, and at least one side of said body being formed with an inclined generally conical surface sloping radially and axially inwardly from an outer edge that has a diameter at least as large as said rib portion to an inner region wherein the diameter is less than that of said rib portion.

Claim 14

The valve assembly defined in claim 10, wherein a similar inclined conical surface is formed around the other side of said body.

Claim 15

The valve assembly defined in claim 10, wherein said resilient annulus has cylindrical surfaces of the same diameter at opposite sides of said rib fitting with cylindrical surfaces of corresponding diameter at opposite sides of said body recess.

Claim 16

A valve assembly comprising a rigid annular body having opposite parallel side surfaces, a cylindrical recess extending around the inner periphery of said body axially inwardly of both side surfaces and having opposite axially inwardly facing parallel side shoulders, a resilient seat annulus mounted within the body having an external cylindrical rib portion projecting within said recess for axial retention therein, said rib portion having parallel ends engaging said shoulders and said annulus having cylindrical sides of smaller external diameter than said rib portion projecting axially beyond both of said body side surfaces, a circumferentially extending metal insert imbedded in said annulus radially inwardly of said rib portion, said annulus being formed with diametrically opposite valve stem receiving through bores each having portions radially inwardly of said insert dimensioned to sealingly surround a valve stem and each having an enlarged diameter portion radially outwardly of said insert with said insert being provided with valve stem surrounding openings in registry with said bores, said enlarged diameter bore portions opening outwardly through said rib portion, resilient valve stem seal rings seated in said enlarged bore portions, and means for rotatably mounting a valve closure member on said body comprising a valve stem rotatably mounted on the body and extending through said bores.

Claim 17

A valve assembly comprising a rigid annular body having opposite parallel side surfaces, a cylindrical recess extending around the inner periphery of said body axially inwardly of both side surfaces and having opposite axially inwardly facing parallel side shoulders, a resilient seat annulus mounted within the body having an external cylindrical rib portion projecting within said recess for axial retention therein, said rib portion having parallel ends engaging said shoulders and said annulus having cylindrical sides of smaller external diameter than said rib portion projecting axially beyond both of said body side surfaces, a circumferentially extending metal insert imbedded in said annulus radially inwardly of said rib portion, said annulus being formed with diametrically opposite valve stem receiving through bores each having portions radially inwardly of said insert dimensioned to sealingly surround a valve stem and each having an enlarged diameter portion radially outwardly of said insert with said insert being provided with valve stem surrounding openings in registry with said bores, said enlarged diameter bore portions opening outwardly through said rib portion, resilient valve stem seal rings seated in said enlarged bore portions, and means for rotatably mounting a valve closure member on said body comprising a valve stem rotatably mounted on the body and extending through said bores.

Claim 18

A valve assembly comprising a rigid annular body having opposite parallel side surfaces, an annular recess extending around the inner periphery of said body axially inwardly of both side surfaces and having opposite axially inwardly facing side shoulders, a resilient seat annulus mounted within the body having an external rib portion projecting within said recess for axial retention therein and having annular sides of smaller external diameter than said rib portion projecting axially beyond both of said body side surfaces, a circumferentially extending metal insert imbedded in said annulus radially inwardly of said rib portion, said annulus being formed with diametrically opposite valve stem receiving through bores each having portions radially inwardly of said insert dimensioned to sealingly surround a valve stem and each having an enlarged diameter portion radially outwardly of said insert with said insert being provided with valve stem surrounding openings in registry with said bores, said enlarged diameter bore portions opening outwardly through said rib portion, resilient valve stem seal rings seated in said enlarged bore portions, and means for rotatably mounting a valve closure member on said body comprising a valve stem rotatably mounted on the body and extending through said bores, said body recess providing annular body ribs at opposite sides thereof and minor circumferential lengths of one of said ribs being eliminated to provide laterally open gaps located adjacent the valve stem and corresponding in length to the diameters of said seal rings.

Claim 19

A valve assembly comprising a rigid annular body having opposite parallel side surfaces, an annular recess extending around the inner periphery of said body axially inwardly of both side surfaces and having opposite axially inwardly facing side shoulders, a resilient seat annulus mounted within the body having an external rib portion projecting within said recess for axial retention therein and having annular sides of smaller external diameter than said rib portion projecting axially beyond both of said body side surfaces, a circumferentially extending metal insert imbedded in said annulus radially inwardly of said rib portion, said annulus being formed with diametrically opposite valve stem receiving through bores each having portions radially inwardly of said insert dimensioned to sealingly surround a valve stem and each having an enlarged diameter portion radially outwardly of said insert with said insert being provided with valve stem surrounding openings in registry with said bores, said enlarged diameter bore portions opening outwardly through said rib portion, resilient valve stem seal rings seated in said enlarged bore portions, and means for rotatably mounting a valve closure member on said body comprising a valve stem rotatably mounted on the body and extending through said bores, said body recess providing annular body ribs at opposite sides thereof and minor circumferential lengths of one of said ribs being eliminated to provide laterally open gaps located adjacent the valve stem and corresponding in length to the diameters of said seal rings.