Pump system for high pressure abrasive liquids

Claim 1

In a high pressure, high velocity diaphragm pump having a housing, a cavity within the housing, a flexible diaphragm dividing said cavity into two separate chambers, said diaphragm being sealingly secured and supported in the housing along a peripheral portion of the diaphragm, one of said chambers being a pumping chamber having an inlet and an outlet for the fluid being pumped, the other of said chambers being a dry diaphragm actuation chamber, said diaphragm being adapted to be rapidly flexedly reciprocated to create a suction in the pumping chamber when flexed away from the pumping chamber and to create a high discharge pressure in the pumping chamber when flexed toward the pumping chamber, means connected to the pumping chamber to permit fluid flow thereinto when the suction is created, means connected to the pumping chamber to permit fluid flow therefrom when the discharge pressure is created, the improvement comprising means connected to and associated with said diaphragm within the dry actuation chamber, said means connected and associated including: a driving reciprocating member being adapted to flex a central flexible portion of the diaphragm, said reciprocating member being connected to said flexible central portion so as to support said portion at the connection, pivotal ring members being adapted to be pivoted by said reciprocating member and to support the flexible portion of the diaphragm between its peripheral portion and said connection, and one or more thin washers extending between the diaphragm and the pivotal members to distribute the load on the pivotal members to the diaphragm in support of the diaphragm.