Patent ID: 6224064
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: F16K

Abstract:
A valve seal for use on a spherical disc type butterfly valve comprises;a plastic ring having an essentially rectangular region positioned on an axial side near an outside diameter which is adapted to be press-fitted into a mating groove in a valve body during installation; a groove on the axial side opposite to the rectangular region in which contains a radially resilient spring mechanism to provide radial resiliency to the valve seal; a lip radially inwardly positioned from the groove on the seal adapted to be cupped by a seal retainer ring as the seal is installed such that the seal is compressing the spring mechanism in said groove to establish an elastic compression which will act to force the seal against a valve disc to compensate for minor wear and to assist low pressure sealing force; an inclined flat surface on the groove side adapted to mate against an inclined surface on the seal retainer ring such that at installation of the retainer ring, the rectangular region of the seal is pressed firmly into a groove cavity in the valve body; and a T-shaped region on the inside diameter of the seal which is angled such that a neck region of the T-shaped region is normal to a sealing surface of the spherical disc, and in which the axial side surfaces of the neck region are cupped by contoured lips on the valve body and the retainer ring such that the seal cannot be extruded into a spring cavity defined by said groove and said retainer ring.