Pressure limiting valve

Claim 1

In a pressure limiting valve assembly comprising, in combination, a valve housing defining a chamber, an inlet and an outlet in communication with said chamber, and a ball-check member with spring means biasing said ball-check into contact with a seat adjacent said inlet; cage means disposed within said housing and having a check member confining chamber for operatively retaining said check member therewithin; said housing including: a. first and second generally cylindrical tubular members, each having opposed inner and outer ends, and with the inner ends thereof being telescopically engaged, one with the other, and with a bore extending through said tubular members; b. an inlet with a certain diameter formed at the outer end of said first cylindrical tubular member, and a counterbore extending toward said inlet from the opposed inner end thereof and terminating at an annular surface; c. an outlet formed at the outer end of said second cylindrical tubular member, and with a counterbore extending toward said outlet from the inner end thereof terminating at a step abutment; d. clamping means for adjustably retaining said first and second tubular members in telescopically engaged relationship for an adjustably selected axial length along the common inner ends thereof; e. cage means threadedly received within said counterbore of said first cylindrical tubular member and having a generally cup-shaped body comprising a base having side walls extending therefrom and with a generally open top and with a bore extending through the bAse thereof, said bore having a diameter which does not exceed the diameter of said inlet and terminating in a valve seat at the inner end thereof, at least one metering bore formed in the walls of said cup-shaped body and being disposed at a predetermined distance from said valve seat; f. a ball-check disposed within said cup-shaped body and having a radius which is less than said predetermined distance; and g. resilient bias means having one end disposed against said step abutment and normally applying a force urging said check member into contact with said seat with the magnitude of said force being controlled by the axial length of said housing.