Damped fluid pressure valve operator with selective back seat

Claim 1

In a fluid pressure-powered actuator for operating a valve or the like by a push-pull motion, apparatus comprising: a housing enclosing a chamber, and including means defining a bore communicating through the housing with the chamber; a piston slidably received in the chamber; means for admitting pressurized fluid to the chamber on one side of the piston for urging the piston to slide along in one direction therein; compression coil spring means received in the chamber and reacting against the housing and the opposite side of the piston for urging the piston to slide along in the opposite direction therein from said one direction; an actuator stem received in said chamber and passing out thereof through said bore; fluid-filled dashpot-type shock absorber means between the actuator stem and the housing for damping attempted rapid axial movement of the actuator stem; a packing annulus sealing between the actuator stem and the housing contiguous with said bore; means defining a coaxially annular seat on said housing circumferentially of where the actuator stem emerges from said bore; means defining a coaxially annular shoulder on said actuator stem, for engagement with said annular seat upon movement of said piston in said opposite direction until said shoulder abuts said seat, to provide a seal between the actuator stem and the housing independently of said packing annulus; a spacer element removably interposed wholly within the housing between the piston, on said one side thereof, and said housing, for preventing, only while installed, the piston from sliding sufficiently in said opposite direction to engage said seat with said shoulder; said housing including removable access cover means situated to permit installation and removal of said spacer element; and surface means on said actuator stem, axially beyond said shoulder, for connecting said actuator stem to such device as is to be pushed and pulled thereby, said piston including an axially elongated extension projecting axially oppositely of said actuator stem; said housing including a top end wall having an axially outwardly extending tubular neck portion; said access cover means being removably secured on the outer end of said tubular neck portion; said tubular neck portion having means defining a circumferentially extending axially outwardly facing annular seat formed internally thereof near the outer end thereof; said spacer element being constituted by a disk seated on said annular seat and retainer means within said neck retaining said disk on said annular seal.