LOCKING DEVICE TO FIT A MIXING VALVE FOR HOT AND COLD WATER INTO THE BODY OF A TAP

Abstract: Locking device to fit a mixing valve for hot and cold water into the body (11) of a tap, in particular a locking nut (20) bearing on the cover (14) of cardridge the body (42) of the mixing valve by interposing suitable elastic means (21) to compensate eventual plays and distribute the locking load.

Description: The present invention relates to mixing valves for hot and cold water and more particularly to a locking device to fix a mixing valve inside the body of a water tap. In the matter of mixing valves various embodiments are known. One of these, for example, is disclosed in US-A-4,325,403 wherein; the valve is of the type comprising a cartridge type body with bottom and cover enclosing two overlapping disks one of which is fixed while the other one is movable on said fixed disk; the fixed disk has two openings to let in the hot and cold water delivered by two inlet pipes and one outlet opening to deliver the mixed water to a spout of the tap; the movable disk is displaced and adjusted by a control lever and comprising a mixing chamber to be suitably moved in respect to said fixed disk; said mixing valve is placed into a seat of the tap body and therein fixed by means of a locking nut acting on the cover of the cartridge type body of the valve; the body of said tap comprises inlet pipes for hot and cold water and an outlet for the delivery of the mixed water coming from the valve. However, the locking nut is screwed on top of the tap and directly leaning on the cover of the cartridge. Such an assembly has the disadvantage that locking nut acts as a rather rigid locking means as it is unable to suit eventual working errors or defects of the tap body, especially those concerning the depth of its seat for the valve. Owing to this peculiarity the kind of locking it achieves may be either too tight or too loose or even insufficient and thus jeopardize the correct operation of the mixing valve. In fact, it cannot be excluded that the nut bears on the top of the body of the tap and gets locked without suitably blocking the cartridge if the seat inside the tap is too deep or, on the contrary, that the nut lock the cartridge too tightly to the bottom of the seat owing to its insufficient depth. In the first case the cartridge might get loose inside the tap, while in the second case it might not be able to operate correctly. In US-A-3,167,086 and US-A-4,469,123 other types of valves are disclosed wherein a pressure sealing ring assembly is provided, but it is arranged inside the valve, usually on the sealing member, and not outside to act on the valve body. It is therefore the purpose of the present invention to provide a remedy to the above mentioned disadvantages and to propose a locking device allowing a safe assemblage of mixing valves even if it is fixed into the seat available inside a tap which is not free from working faults. To this purpose, the present invention relates a locking device according to the preamble of claim 1 as is e.g. known from US-A-4325403 and characterized in that between the locking nut and the cover of the cartridge body an elastic assembly is fitted to compensate plays and to regularly distribute the locking load bearing on the cartridge while the locking nut is screwed on the body of the tap, and said elastic assembly comprises an elastic member onto which the locking nut rests, a washer provided between said elastic member and the cover of the cartridge body, and a sealing ring associated to said elastic member and/or washer. Said elastic member is preferably represented by at least one Belleville spring washer. Such an elastic assembly has the advantage that the elastic member rests on the cartridge cover through an interposed washer which is designed to distribute the load on said cartridge cover, while sealing ring which may be made of rubber or any other suitable elastomeric material, provides a radial adjustment of the valve cartridge. An example of embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing where the only figure shows a sectional view of a mixing valve fixed into the body of a water tap. In said drawing, by reference number (10) a mixing valve is indicated, said valve being fitted into the body (11) of a water tap and comprising a cartridge type body (12), a bottom (13) and a top or cover (14) enclosing to overlapping disks (15, 16), one of which is fixed while the other one is moved and adjusted by means of a control lever (17) fitted with a handle (18) in a known way. Inside the body (11) of the tap a seat (19) is available to receive the mixing valve (10). The hot and cold water entering through its inlet pipes flows through the valve to be delivered through the spout of the tap. As the operation of the mixing valve is well known it does not need a detailed description. Fitted into said seat (19) of the tap it is fixed by means of a locking nut (20) screwed on the top of the tap body (11) and acting on the valve cartridge to fasten it to the bottom of said seat after placing some seals on cover 14 of the valve cartridge. Now, according to the invention, between the locking nut (20) and the cartridge body (12) at least one elastic element, e.g. a Belleville washer spring (21), is fitted in order to transmit and adjust the locking load to the cartridge and at the same time compensate any eventual play or tolerance, even if the locking nut is tightly closing on the body of the tap. In addition, between said Belleville washer spring (21) and the cover (14) of cartridge body (12) a washer (22) is assembled for a more even distribution of the locking load on the whole surface of cover (14) thus achieving the advantages as aimed at. Finally, a sealing ring (23) made of rubber or other elastic material, is associated to said washer and/or Belleville spring for a radial adjustment of the valve cartridge.

Claims: A locking device to fix a mixing valve (10) for hot and cold water inside the body (11) of a tap, said valve (10) being of the type comprising a cartridge type body (12) with bottom (13) grand cover (14) enclosing two overlapping disks (15,16) one of which is fixed, the other one is movable on said fixed disk; the fixed disk (15) having two openings to let in the hot and cold water delivered by two inlet pipes and one outlet opening to deliver the mixed water to a spout of the tap; the movable disk (16) being displaced and adjusted by a control lever (17) and comprising a mixing chamber to be suitably moved in respect to said fixed disk (15); said mixing valve (10) being placed into a seat (19) of the tap body (11) and therein fixed by means of a locking nut (20) acting on the cover (14) of the cartridge type body (12) of the valve (10); the body (11) of said tap comprising inlet pipes for hot and cold water and an outlet for the delivery of the mixed water coming from the valve, characterized in that: between the locking nut (20) and the cover (14) of said cartridge body (12) an elastic assembly (21,22,23) is fitted to compensate plays and to regularly distribute the locking load bearing on the cartridge body (12) when the locking nut (20) is screwed on the body (11) of the tap, and said elastic assembly comprises an elastic member (21) onto which the locking nut (20) rests, a washer (22) provided between said elastic member (21) and the cover (14) of said cartridge body (12), and a sealing ring (23) associated to said elastic member (21) and/or washer (22). Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said elastic member (21) is represented by at least one Belleville spring washer, and said sealing ring (23) is made of rubber or a similar elastic material.

Inventors: ORLANDI, ALESSIO
Applicants: GALATRON S.R.L.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: F16K11
IPC codes: F16K27, F16K11