Patent ID: 6283446
Filing Date: 2001-09-04
Classification: F16K,F16L

Abstract:
A gate valve system for cutting off a fluid flowing through a pipe, which comprises:a gate valve including a seal member exhibiting an elastically deformable property for sealingly contacting the inner surface of the pipe, and a support member for receiving said seal member and movable in the perpendicular direction to the flowing direction of the fluid between the outside and inside of the pipe for timely bringing said seal member into a sealing contact with the inner surface of the pipe; andat least one expansion member being deformable, but not substantially subjected to the volume variation even under pressure, said expansion members being embedded in said seal member in such a manner as to expand the seal member laterally outwardly to the inner surface of the pipe upon receiving pressure effected by the sealing contact between the seal member and the inner surface of the pipe; andwherein said at least one expansion member includes balls.