Rotary valve

A rotary control valve has a plug in the form of a cup shaped shell mounted on a bracket which is rotatable about an axis orthogonal to and offset from the central axis of a ring seat. This plug is connected to the rotatable actuating bracket by means of a threaded pin and nut so that the plug position can be adjusted with respect to the ring seat. Proper adjustment of the pin and nut allows the plug to be mounted in a fixed position on the bracket and enables the plug to be brought into and out of fluid tight sealing engagement with the ring seat without any bending or deformation taking place in the actuating bracket. The obtaining of this desired tight sealing engagement is aided by displacing the bracket axis from the plug center of curvature in the direction of the position occupied by the plug when in its sealing position, and by making the plug position adjustable along the bracket axis.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates to an improved rotary valve for fluid control, and, 
more particularly, to a rotary valve of the so-called eccentric type. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
There have been many different types of spherical faced plugs used in prior 
art valves that are constructed for movement into and out of engagement 
with a seat port. One example of such a prior art valve is shown in the 
Baumann U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,696. 
The plug that is disclosed in the aforementioned patent and an arm which 
extends therefrom are of a solid one unit construction. The valve plug and 
arm are rotatable eccentrically relative to a seat port by means of an 
actuator shaft mounted in the wall portion of a valve chamber. 
As the actuator shaft is rotated in one direction, it rotates the spherical 
face of the plug eccentrically relative to the seat face of the seat port. 
when a portion of the plug comes in contact with the seat face, the arm 
commences to bend along its longitudinal axis, and this results in the 
spherical face of the plug being rubbed against the seat face as continued 
rotation of the plug toward its closed valve position occurs. 
A similar rubbing action as that just described takes place between the 
spherical contact portion of the plug and the seat face of the seat port 
when the plug is moved toward its open position. 
From the aforementioned description it can be seen that a rubbing force is 
applied on a small segment of the seat port during each successive port 
closing and port opening operation. This rubbing action thus causes or 
tends to cause wear to occur between the rubbing surface of the spherical 
plug and the surfaces of the seat port. The greatest wear occurs where the 
segments of the plug and the seat port portion are first brought into 
contact with one another as the valve is closed. 
As the valve continues to cycle between an open and closed position, this 
action results in an uneven wear between the plug and the seat port and 
results in increasing leakage between the plug and the seat port. 
Further, the parts of such a prior art valve must be produced with fine 
tolerances, and its parts assembled in a precise actuating manner, in 
order to procure tight sealing between its plug and seat port. 
A Zeigler et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,906 shows another prior art rotary 
valve, as does the Myers U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,211. Although such valves 
doubtless have utility from certain standpoints, there has still remained 
a need for a tight closing, long wearing, easily adjusted, reliable, and 
economically producible eccentric rotary valve. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved eccentric 
rotary valve that can be easily and economically manufactured. It is 
another object of the invention to provide a valve of the aforementioned 
type that provides fluid-tight closing over long periods of time during 
which the valve is repeatedly operated between an open and closed 
position. It is an additional object of the invention to provide such an 
improved valve which can be readily adjusted to provide said fluid-tight 
closing notwithstanding the presence of dimensional variations due to 
manufacturing tolerances. 
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a rotary 
control valve that has an eccentric mounted plug in the form of a cup 
shaped shell. This plug is adjustably connected to a rotatable actuating 
bracket by means of a threaded pin and nut. The bracket is supported on an 
actuator shaft that is rotatably mounted in a valve housing so that the 
plug can be tilted about an axis that is positioned orthogonally or 
rectangularly and offset with respect to the longitudinal axis of a ring 
seat. Proper adjustment of the pin and nut allows the plug to be mounted 
in a fixed position on the bracket and enables the plug face to be brought 
into and out of fluid-tight sealing engagement with the ring seat without 
any bending or deformation taking place in the actuating bracket. 
Where dimensional variations due to manufacturing tolerances create a 
difficulty in obtaining said tight sealing engagement by the noted 
adjustment of said pin, the valve according to the invention may 
advantageously have its actuator shaft so relatively located that the 
distance from the plug face to its center of curvature on the ring seat 
axis, when the plug is in its closed position on the ring seat, is greater 
than the distance from the plug face along said axis to the perpendicular 
projection of the actuator shaft axis onto said ring seat axis. Also, said 
valve may advantageously have its actuator shaft supported by an 
adjustable guide sleeve to permit this shaft, and hence the plug, to be 
adjustably positioned along the shaft axis. The inclusion of one or both 
of these two further constructional features, as required, aids in 
obtaining said tight sealing engagement by the noted adjustment of said 
pin, without producing bending or deformation of said actuating bracket, 
and notwithstanding the presence of said dimensional variations.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
THE VALVE OF FIGS. 1-3 
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a valve housing 1 has a tube 
shaped portion 2 and two end discs 3 and 4 welded thereto. A ring seat 5 
is screwed into the disc 4. The ring seat 5 is preferably concentrically 
arranged with respect to the longitudinal axis 6 of the housing 1. 
The longitudinal axis 6 of the housing 1 and the ring seat 5 is 
rectangularly positioned and offset by an amount V with respect to the 
longitudinal axis 7a of an actuator shaft 7. FIG. 2 shows the actuator 
shaft 7 supported in a cylindrical housing 8. The cylindrical housing 8 
holds a packing 9, a guide sleeve 10, and a cylindrical bearing 11 that is 
supported on the inner surface of the sleeve 10. A fixed sleeve 12 retains 
a trunnion 13 fastened in the housing 1 so that its longitudinal axis is 
in alignment with the longitudinal axis 7a of the actuator shaft 7. The 
sleeve 12 and the cylindrical housing 8 are welded to the housing 1. 
The throttling or plug member is a cap 14 in a form that can be described 
as a ball segment or a cup shaped shell. The cap 14 has a central threaded 
pin 15 whose longitudinal axis passes through the center of curvature of 
the cap 14. The cap 14 and the threaded pin 15 are fixedly connected for 
joint movement. For example, the pin 15 can be welded to the cap 14. The 
pin 15 has a fine thread 17 which engages mating female threads in the 
central portion of an actuating arm or bracket support 18. There is an 
internal hexagon-shaped socket 16 in one end of the threaded pin 15. A 
small wrench can be inserted into the socket 16 and used to rotate the pin 
15 and the cap 14 to cause the cap 14 to move relative to the bracket 18, 
thereby adjusting the position of the cap 14 relative to the ring seat 5. 
As can be seen in FIG. 3, when the valve is in an open position, the 
bracket support 18 does not hinder flow of the fluid medium through the 
valve. The bracket 18 has an opening in each of its side portions 19 and 
20. The actuator shaft 7 is secured in the opening 19a in the side portion 
19 by means of a pin 21, for example. 
A bearing sleeve 22 is mounted in the boxed-out passageway or opening 20a 
that is formed in the side portion 20. The bearing sleeve 22 is rotatably 
mounted on the trunnion 13. A ring 23 is located between the internal 
front surface of the guide sleeve 10 and the opposite surface of the side 
portion 19. On the opposite side there is a little play between the inner 
open front face of the fixed sleeve 12 and the adjacent end of the side 
portion 20 to allow a small axial movement of the actuator shaft 7 and its 
associated bracket 18. 
A counter nut 24 retains the threaded pin 15 in a selected position on the 
bracket support 18, and prevents movement of the cap 14 relative to the 
bracket support 18, when the nut 24 is brought into pressing engagement 
with this bracket support. 
OPERATION OF THE VALVE OF FIGS. 1 - 3 
After assembling the cap-shaped plug 14, the bracket 18, and the actuator 
shaft 7 as shown in FIG. 2, the actuator shaft 7 is rotated to bring the 
plug 14 from its phantom line position to its closed, solid line position 
against the ring seat 5, as shown in FIG. 1. A hexagonal-shaped socket 
wrench, not shown, is then inserted into the similarly shaped socket 16 
formed in one end of the pin 15. Rotation of this wrench is used to rotate 
the cap-shaped plug 14 and its associated threaded pin 15 along the fine 
thread of the bracket support 18 until an entire circumference of the 
cap-shaped plug 14 is closed tightly against the ring seat 5. The cap 14 
is then secured in place by adjusting the counter nut 24 along the 
threaded pin 15 until the face of the nut 24 is brought into pressing 
engagement with the bracket 18. 
Instead of making the cap 14 like a cup or shell, it could also have the 
form of a mushroom. In this case, the surface of the bracket 18 facing the 
cap 14 would be planar. 
In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawing, the 
outer edge of the cap 14 is slightly resilient so that it can compensate 
for any changes caused by wear or temperature influences. In the drawing, 
the cap 14 is shown as having an equal thickness S throughout. Instead of 
this cap construction, its thickness may be reduced from a center portion 
to its outer edge portion. The shown embodiment is preferred however since 
it can be manufactured more easily. 
When the cap 14 is properly seated, the center of the radius of curvature R 
of the cap 14 lies on the longitudinal axis 6 of the housing 1 and also on 
the co-axial center axis of the ring seat 5. However, the longitudinal 
axis 7a of the actuator shaft 7 is offset by the amount V, which amount is 
dependent on the nominal diameter of the valve and typically lies between 
5 and 15 millimeters. The outer diameter of the cap 14 is only slightly 
bigger than the internal diameter of the ring seat 5 in order to have as 
small an influence as possible on the fluid medium flow when the valve is 
open. When the valve is open, the position of the throttling or plug 
member 14 is as shown by the phantom or dash-dotted lines in FIG. 1 of the 
drawing. 
THE VALVE OF FIGS. 4 AND 5 
The valve illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, although similar to the valve of 
FIGS. 1 though 3 as just described, differs essentially from the latter 
valve by embodying the two previously described further constructional 
features. As previously noted, these further constructions provide an aid 
in obtaining the desired tight cap to ring seat sealing engagement without 
requiring bending or deformation of the bracket support, and 
notwithstanding the existence of the noted dimensional variations. 
In accordance with the foregoing, the valve of FIGS. 4 and 5 includes much 
of the structure of the valve of FIGS. 1 through 3, additionally includes 
the first of said further constructional features, i.e., the 
aforementioned advantageous positional relationship between the plug cap 
center of curvature and the actuator shaft axis, and additionally includes 
the second of said further constructional features, i.e., the 
aforementioned adjustable guide sleeve for the actuator shaft. In addition 
to embodying the said two further constructional features just described, 
the valve of FIGS. 4 and 5 employs a cap and bracket support construction 
which is somewhat different from that of the valve of FIGS. 1 through 3. 
In FIGS. 4 and 5, parts which are the same as or are similar to parts 
illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 bear the same reference numerals as their 
earlier counterparts but with a hundreds digit added. 
Considering first the parts last referred to above, it is seen that the 
valve of FIGS. 4 and 5 includes a housing 101 containing a concentric, 
screwed-in ring seat 105, the axis of which coincides with the 
longitudinal axis 106 of the housing 101. The axis 106 is offset from the 
longitudinal axis 107a of an actuator shaft 107 by an amount V as in the 
case of the valve of FIGS. 1 through 3. The offset distance V for the 
valve of FIGS. 4 and 5 is shown on the diagram of FIG. 6 which is 
described hereinafter. 
The actuator shaft 107 is supported in a cylindrical bearing portion 108 of 
the housing 101, which portion also contains a packing 109. A sleeve 
portion 112 of the housing 101 supports a trunnion 113 which is in axial 
alignment with the axis 107a. 
A bracket support 118 has a side portion 119 containing an opening 119a 
which fits over an end portion 107b of the actuator shaft 107. The 
diameter of the portion 107b is smaller than that of the remainder of the 
actuator shaft 107. The side portion 119 is fixed to the portion 107b by a 
pin 121. The support 118 also has an opposite side portion 120 containing 
an opening 120a which fits over and is displaceable along a reduced 
diameter portion 113a of the trunnion 113. 
The above-mentioned adjustable guide sleeve for the valve of FIGS. 4 and 5 
is shown at 125 in FIG. 5. The sleeve 125 surrounds and supports the 
actuator shaft 107 within the cylindrical portion 108. The sleeve 125 has 
a portion 126 of reduced internal diameter which surrounds the reduced 
diameter shaft portion 107b. Thus, the actuator shaft 107 is rotatable in 
the sleeve 125, but has substantially no axial motion therein. 
Specifically, the actuator shaft 107 is prevented from moving upward into 
the sleeve 125, as viewed in FIG. 5, by the interaction between the lower 
end of the sleeve portion 126 and the upper face of the bracket support 
side portion 119. Conversely, the actuator shaft 107 is prevented from 
moving downward out of the sleeve 125 by the interaction between a 
shoulder 127 on the actuator shaft 107 at the top of the reduced diameter 
portion 107b, and a shoulder 128 in the sleeve 125 at the top of the 
reduced diameter portion 126. Thus, the sleeve portion 126 is effectively 
trapped between the side portion 119 and the shoulder 127 on the actuator 
shaft 107. 
The sleeve 125, and hence the actuator shaft 107, are supported in an 
axially adjustable manner within the portion 108. Specifically, the sleeve 
125 is provided with an external thread 129 which is in engagement with an 
internal thread 130 on the interior wall of the portion 108. Consequently, 
rotation of the sleeve 125 within the portion 108 moves the sleeve 125, 
the actuator shaft 107, and the support 118 as a unit along the axis 107a. 
A locknut 131 is screwed onto a further external thread on the sleeve 125 
and can be tightened against a shoulder 132 in the portion 108 when it is 
desired to lock the sleeve 125 in the desired adjusted axial position 
within the portion 108. 
The throttling or plug member of the valve of FIGS. 4 and 5 has a cap 
portion 114 which, as in the case of the valve of FIGS. 1 through 3, is in 
the form of a ball segment or a cup shaped shell. This member also has a 
central, axial, cylindrical projection 133 which fits snugly into a hole 
or recess 134 in the support 118. The projection 133 terminates at 135 in 
a threaded pin 115 having a fine thread 117 which engages mating threads 
in an opening in the support 118 through which the pin 115 passes. The 
purpose of providing the projection 133 and the mating recess 134 in the 
support 118 is to minimize the flexural loading of the pin 115. 
A counter nut 124 on the pin 115 retains the latter, and hence the cap 114, 
in a selected position relative to the support 118 when the nut 124 is 
tightened against the support 118. The cap 114 is provided with an 
internal hexagon-shaped wrench socket 116 which serves the same adjusting 
purpose as is provided by the socket 16 in the valve of FIGS. 1 through 3. 
As shown, the outer diameter of the cap 114 is somewhat greater than the 
internal diameter of the ring seat 105. This enables the cap 114 to be in 
sealing engagement with the ring seat 105 for the selected adjusted 
position of the cap 114. 
As previously noted, the valve of FIGS. 4 and 5 includes the construction 
which provides the previously described advantageous positional 
relationship between the plug cap center of curvature and the actuator 
shaft axis. Thus, the actuator shaft 107 is so relatively positioned in 
the valve of FIGS. 4 and 5 that the distance from the face of the cap 114 
to its center of curvature on the ring seat axis 106, when the cap 114 is 
in its closed position on the ring seat 105, is greater than the distance 
along the axis 106 from the cap face to the perpendicular projection of 
the actuator shaft axis 107a onto the axis 106. This construction and 
relationship are illustrated in the diagram of FIG. 6, wherein the center 
of curvature of the face of the cap 114 -- that is, the center for the 
radius R of the curvature of the cap face--is shown at 136, and wherein 
the perpendicular projection of the actuator shaft axis 107a onto the axis 
106 of the ring seat 105 is shown by the line 137. The cap 114 is shown in 
FIG. 6 as being in its fully closed position on the ring seat 105, whereby 
the cap face center of curvature 136 is shown as lying on the axis 106. 
FIG. 6 shows said advantageous relationship by showing that the distance 
along the axis 106 from the cap face to the center of curvature 136 is 
greater by an amount X than the distance along the axis 106 from the cap 
face to the intersection of the line 137 with the axis 106. This 
illustrated relationship may be more simply defined by the statement that 
the axis 107a is displaced from the center of curvature 136 in the 
direction of the closed cap 114 by the amount X. Such displacement could, 
of course, advantageously be provided in the valve of FIGS. 1 through 3 if 
desired. 
As previously noted, FIG. 6 also shows the offset distance V for the axis 
107a. Additionally, FIG. 6 shows the previously described construction of 
the cap 114 whereby its outer diameter D is made greater than the internal 
diameter d of the ring seat 105. 
OPERATION OF THE VALVE OF FIGS. 4 AND 5 
After assembling the various parts of the valve as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 
6, the actuator shaft 107 is rotated to bring the support 118 and the cap 
114 into their closed positions illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6. A 
hexagonal-shaped wrench, not shown, is then inserted into the socket 116. 
This wrench is then rotated to rotate the cap 114 and the pin 115 along 
the thread of the support 118 in the direction to bring the entire 
circumference of the cap face into the desired tight sealing engagement 
with the ring seat 105. As this adjustment is being made, the cap 114 is 
properly guided by the action of the projection 133 moving axially within 
the support recess 134. 
The aforementioned dimensional variations due to manufacturing tolerances 
which bring about the desirability of providing the displacement X and the 
adjustable sleeve 125 include variations in the position of the axis 107a, 
in the offset distance V, and in the distance A (FIG. 6) between the top 
of the ring seat 105 and the axis 107a. Variations in the distance A 
occur, for example, as a result of the screwed-in ring seat 105 arriving 
at different final positions in different valves. 
The obtaining of said desired tight sealing engagement by the making of the 
above-described adjustment of the cap 114 on the support 118 is aided, in 
the presence of such of the above-described dimensional variations as are 
existent, by the inclusion in the valve of the displacement X and the 
adjustable sleeve 125. Specifically, the presence of the displacement X 
permits the actuator shaft 107 and the cap 114 to be rotated, to swing the 
cap 114 relative to the ring seat 105, through whatever small angle may be 
necessary while seeking the adjusted position of the cap 114 on the 
support 118 which yields said desired tight sealing engagement. The 
illustrated relationship between the cap diameter D and the internal seat 
diameter d also aids in permitting said shaft and cap rotation to be 
employed in arriving at said desired sealing engagement adjustment of the 
cap 114 on the support 118. 
Additionally, the presence of the adjustable sleeve 125 provides whatever 
positioning of the cap 114 along the actuator shaft axis 107a is needed to 
obtain said desired tight sealing engagement. Such proper positioning of 
the cap 114 is obtained by rotating the sleeve 125 in the portion 108 as 
necessary to place the sleeve 125, the actuator shaft 107, the support 
118, and hence the cap 114 in the required axial position along the axis 
107a and relative to the ring seat 105. Such rotation of the sleeve 125 
may be effected by rotating a suitable tool in engagement with the sleeve 
125, such as a hollow wrench slipped over the actuator shaft 107 after the 
temporary removal of the packing 109 and the nut 131. When the axial 
position of the cap 114 which gives the desired sealing condition has been 
achieved by such rotation of the sleeve 125, the latter is desirably 
locked in the corresponding proper position by tightening the nut 131 on 
the sleeve 125 against the shoulder 132. 
When the proper position of the cap 114 on the support 118 has finally been 
obtained, and said desired tight sealing engagement has been achieved, the 
cap 114 is secured in said proper position by tightening the nut 124 
against the support 118. Thereafter, rotation of the actuator shaft 107 
causes the valve to open and seal with a minimum of cap and ring seat 
wear, and without bending or deformation of the support 118. 
In conclusion, it is believed to be clear from the foregoing description 
that the disclosed valve constructions fulfill the objects stated herein. 
Thus, these disclosed valve constructions are ones which can be 
manufactured economically, and which provide for the convenient adjustment 
of the valve plug into that position which provides reliable fluid-tight 
closure of the plug on the ring seat over long periods of operation 
without requiring bending or deformation of the plug actuating bracket, 
and with a minimum of rubbing action and wear between the plug and ring 
seat surfaces.