Refrigerant compressor discharge valve

Claim 1

A discharge valve for a refrigerant compressor including a compression chamber (A) defined by an end plate (7a) having a refrigerant discharge port (8), said discharge valve comprising: (a) an elongate flexible valve plate (9) disposed on the end plate and having a freen end (9a) thereof disposed over the discharge port for opening and closing the port, (b) an elongate leaf spring (10) superposed over the valve plate, (c) an elongate holder member (11) superposed over the leaf spring, (d) means (12) clamping overlying ends of the holder member, the leaf spring and the valve plate remote from the port to the end plate, the holder member being configured to define a space above the port in which the valve plate may undergo flexural opening and closing movements, and (e) a linearity offsetting deformation defined in the leaf spring within said space and engaging the valve plate intermediate the clamped and free ends of the valve plate at a point spaced from the discharge port and lying between the discharge port and the clamped end of the valve plate to bias the valve plate towards the end plate and into a closed position while enabling unbiased flexing of said free end of the valve plate during initial opening of the port, there being no contact between the leaf spring and the valve plate proximate the free end of the valve plate and the discharge port, and the leaf spring being spaced from the valve plate intermediate the clamped end thereof and said point of engagement.