Pressure balancing valve

Claim 2

A valving device to be included in hot and cold water lines for maintaining a hot and cold water flow ratio established at a point of use, despite subsequent variations in the relative hot and cold water supply pressure; comprisiNg a body providing a central valving bore, an inlet and outlet for hot water opening to one half of the bore length at axially spaced locations, an inlet and outlet for cold water opening to the other half of the bore length and similarly spaced axially, and a respective similarly located circumferential inward lip or flange constriction between each inlet and outlet providing a fixed flow resistance therebetween; flexible operatively unstressed elastomeric means at bore midlength isolating the two halves of the bore into hot and cold water valving chambers; the said inlets opening radially to said bore at axial locations between said flexible means and a respective said constriction; a shuttle type valving device axially shiftable in the bore extending through and secured to said flexible means and providing a respective bore-guided valving member in each chamber and cooperating with a respective formation in the bore at a location between the respective constriction and outlet to form a valved flow area varied by axial shifting of the valve member under change of a differential in inlet hydrostatic pressures applied to the flexible means until nulling of total forces of pressure on the flexible means and dynamic flow pressures and hydrostatic pressures on the valving members, with each valving flow area decreased as the other is increased by axial shift of said valving device.

Claim 3

A device as described in claim 1, with said flexible means comprising elastomeric diaphragm means providing axially spaced coaxially apertured central areas attached to the valving device and outer peripheral attachment of the diaphragm means sealed at the bore wall, and providing at least one concentric annular fold located between said valving device and the bore wall; said valving device including valving members with aligned stems connected at adjacent ends by means through and sealingly clamping the respective apertured central areas of said diaphragm means, the stems extending in coaxially spaced relation to the bore and to and through the respective constrictions, the stem ends beyond the constrictions having bone-wall-guided valving heads varying the respective flow areas by variation of axial position relative to the respective said flanges.

Claim 4

A device as described in claim 2, with said diaphragm means taking the form of a bellows like-sleeve coaxially disposed between, and with circumferential corrugations or folds thereof having operating clearance relative to, the shuttle and bore wall, respective apertured end walls on the sleeve as said apertured central areas, and an external circumferential disk-like flange at the mid-length of the sleeve having a beaded periphery engaged in a bore wall groove formation defined between a body shoulder, and a clamping ring surrounding a central bore region.

Claim 5

A device as described in claim 2, with said diaphragm means taking the form of a pair of separate spaced centrally apertured disk-like diaphragm members providing a respective clamped apertured central area with a said annular fold thereabout, and a circumferentially beaded periphery; and a spacer ring between the said peripheries for clamping the peripheries between a body shoulder about the bore and a sleeve threaded into the body and defining a part of the bore length to one side of the diaphragm means.

Claim 6

A device as described in claim 1, wherein said body is a composite structure comprising a hollow housing having a main bore at one end open and having a bottom wall at the other end, an outlet opening to the main bore through a bore bottom wall central recess, an inlet paired with said outlet and opening radially to the main bore at a location spaced from the bore bottom, a second outlet opening radially to the main bore at an axial location near the open end, and a second inlet paired with the second outlet and opening radially to the main bore betWeen the second outlet and first said inlet; a generally cylindrical hollow shell threaded into said main bore in the housing and having a bore portion through one end and a counterbore at the other end; diaphragm means in the shell as said flexible means; a sleeve having a through-bore equalling in diameter the bore portion of the shell and threaded into the counterbore thereof, and cooperating with abutment shoulder means in said shell to peripherally clamp said diaphragm means, said bore portion of the shell and sleeve through-bore forming a valving bore, respective inward circumferential lips near the outer ends of said bore portion and through-bore forming the fixed flow constrictions in the respective valving sections formed in the valving bore by said diaphragm means; a plug threaded into the shell counterbore end as a closure therefore and having in its inner end a central recess opening to the outer end of the sleeve bore, and on its outer end a flange forming a closure for the open end of the said housing bore; said shell, sleeve and cap having flow passages putting the said inlets of the housing in communication with locations of respective said valving sections between the diaphragm means and respective constrictions, and putting the second said outlet in communication with the cap recess and thereby with the adjacent end of said valving bore; the other end of the valving bore being similarly in communication with the first said outlet through the housing main bore bottom wall recess; and seal ring means carried externally by said shell for circumferentially sealing on the housing interior between the successive locations of said inlets and outlets, and by the flange of said cap for sealing on the adjacent housing end.

Claim 7

A device as described in claim 5, wherein said plug has an outer end face formation adapted to tool engagement for screwing operations, and means received through apertures of sleeve and cap to restrain rotation of cap relative to the sleeve and thereby ensuring unscrewing of the cartridge as a unit from the housing bore.