Valve

Claim 1

An annular valve member having an annular, peripheral recess therein defining an axially facing shoulder at the periphery of the valve member and a reduced diameter axially projecting boss at the center of the valve member, and a seating member secured in said recess in engagement with said shoulder for cooperation with a valve seat, said seating member comprising a plurality of thin, annular, flat metallic rings all having the same inside diameter and having different outside diameters, the inside diameter of the rings being substantially the same as the inside diameter of the shoulder, said outside diameters of adjacent rings decreasing as the axial distance of the rings from the shoulder increases, the annular peripheries of at least those rings closest the shoulder projecting radially outwardly beyond the periphery of the valve member, a plurality of circumferentially spaced rivets extended axially through said rings fixing the rings in assembled relationship for assembly of the rings as a unit to the valve member, an annular retaining ring having an inner diameter the same as the inner diameter of the rings and an outer diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the shoulder and disposed in said recess axially outwardly of said rings and in clamping relationship with said rings, and a plurality of removable fastening means extended through said retaining ring and through aligned openings in said rings into the valve member to removably secure the retaining ring and metallic rings in operative position in said recess.