Patent Abstract:
A valve assembly includes a valve body with an inlet, an outlet, and a chamber extending between the inlet and the outlet and an actuation sub-assembly. Positioned in the chamber is a flow restrictor, which is positionable between a valve open position wherein the fluid communication between the inlet and outlet is open and a valve closed position wherein the fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet is closed. The actuation sub-assembly includes a stem for engaging the flow restrictor. When the actuation sub-assembly is mounted to the valve body, the stem extends through the valve body wall for engagement with an engagement surface of the flow restrictor but is removable from engagement with the engagement surface of the flow restrictor without requiring disassembly of the valve body.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/247,791, filed Oct. 11, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,516,941 entitled VALVE WITH ACTUATION SUB-ASSEMBLY, by Applicant Eric Nathaniel Combs, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a valve and, more particularly, to a ball valve for use in the fire fighting industry. 
     Valves, specifically ball valves, within the fire fighting industry have gone through relatively little change over the years except with regard to actuation method. Initially, valves were manually operated through push/pull rods attached to the valve handle in order to open and close the valve. However, over time, handwheel gear drive actuation, electric actuation, rack and sector actuation and slow close actuation have been developed to provide flexibility and expanded capability of the valve applications. Because the actuation device for each method is significantly different, revised valve bodies were developed to accommodate attachment of the different actuation devices to the valve. While a small portion of the exterior of the valve was changed, the basic water way of the valve was not altered. The result is a single valve requirement, 2.5″ ball valve for instance, will have as many as four different body configurations to provide the user with the opportunity to select from the five different actuation methods. 
     Consequently, a valve manufacturer is required to have a large inventory of valves to accommodate the various different body configurations. Furthermore, a different mold is required for each valve, which increases the cost to produce the different style valves. In addition, once the valve is installed because the valve bodies are not interchangeable, the valve actuation methods cannot be changed after installation. Furthermore, repair parts for the respective valves tend to be more expensive due to the lack of commonality of the valve bodies. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for an improved valve that can accommodate different actuation devices without the need for different valve bodies. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, a valve body is provided that can be used in combination with any one of a plurality of actuation sub-assemblies that allow the user to fully open, fully close, or partially open the valve, including, for example, a mechanical actuation sub-assembly, a gear actuation sub-assembly, including an electric gear actuation sub-assembly or a handwheel gear actuation sub-assembly, a slow-close actuation assembly, a rack and sector actuation sub-assembly, or the like, or provide for only a fully open valve or fully closed valve, such as a pneumatic or hydraulic actuation sub-assembly. 
     Consequently, the present invention has reduced the inventory requirements of a valve manufacturer and, further, provides a valve that can be retrofit with another actuation sub-assembly even when installed. 
     In one form of the invention, a valve assembly includes a valve body, with an inlet, an outlet, and a chamber extending between the inlet and the outlet, a valve ball, an actuator, and an actuation sub-assembly. The valve ball includes a ball body and a transverse passage extending through the ball body. The valve ball is positioned in the chamber and is positionable between a valve open position wherein the transverse passage of the valve ball provides fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet and a valve closed position wherein the ball body blocks the fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet. The valve ball also includes an engagement surface for engagement by the actuator. In addition, the valve body includes a valve body wall with a planar portion. The planar portion includes a mounting surface for mounting the actuation sub-assembly to the valve body, with the actuator extending through the planar portion of the valve body wall for engagement with the engagement surface of the valve ball and for engagement by the actuation sub-assembly. 
     In one aspect, actuation sub-assembly comprises a manual actuation sub-assembly, a twist-lock actuation sub-assembly, a gear actuation sub-assembly, such as an electric gear actuation sub-assembly or a handwheel gear actuation sub-assembly, a rack and sector actuation sub-assembly, a slow close actuation sub-assembly, or a pneumatic or hydraulic actuation sub-assembly. Further, the actuation sub-assembly may include the actuator. 
     In other aspects, the valve body wall includes a cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion having terminal edges termination at opposed sides of the planar portion. In addition, the valve body further includes a pair of valve seats, with the cylindrical portion extending between the pair of valve seats and the planar portion extending between the valve seats and spanning between the terminal edges of the cylindrical portion. 
     According to another form of the invention, a valve body includes a valve body wall having a cylindrical portion and a planar portion and first and second valve seats, with the generally cylindrical portion extending between the first and second valve seats. A valve ball is positioned between the valve seats in the chamber formed by the valve body wall. The valve ball has a ball body and a transverse passage extending through the ball body and is positionable between a valve open position wherein the transverse passage provides fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet and a valve closed position wherein the ball body blocks fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet. In addition, the valve ball includes an engagement surface for engagement by an actuator. The planar portion of the valve body wall defines a mounting surface and has a transverse passageway extending therethrough for receiving the actuator cooperative with one of each of a manual actuation sub-assembly, a gear actuation sub-assembly, such as an electric gear actuation sub-assembly or a handwheel gear actuation sub-assembly, a twist-lock actuation sub-assembly, a rack and sector actuation sub-assembly, and a slow close actuation sub-assembly. 
     In one aspect, the planar portion extends between the first and second valve seats. 
     In other aspects, the valve body wall includes second and third planar portions interconnecting the first planar portion and the cylindrical portion. The second and third planar portions also extend and span between the valve seats. 
     Accordingly, the present invention provides a valve body that can be used in a number of valve configurations, including a mechanically actuated valve configuration, an electrically actuated valve configuration, a handwheel actuated valve configuration, a slow-close valve configuration, a rack and sector actuated valve configuration, or a pneumatically or hydraulically actuated configuration, or the like. 
     These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of the invention will become more apparent from the study of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic drawing of a valve body of the present invention with examples of different actuator sub-assemblies that may be mounted to the valve body; 
         FIG. 1A  is an exploded perspective view of the valve body of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a valve body with a manual actuation sub-assembly; 
         FIG. 3  is an elevation view of the valve body and actuation sub-assembly of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-section view taken along line IV-IV of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an elevation view of the manual actuation sub-assembly; 
         FIG. 5A  is an exploded perspective view of the sub-assembly of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-section view taken along line FIG. VI-VI of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the valve body of the present invention with a slow-close actuation sub-assembly; 
         FIG. 8  is an elevation view of the valve assembly of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is cross-section view taken along line IX-IX of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-section view taken along line X-X of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a side elevation view of the slow-close actuation device of the slow-close actuation assembly; 
         FIG. 12  is a top plan view of the slow-close device of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a bottom plan view of the slow-close device of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 14A  is a cross-section view taken along line XIVA-XIVA of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 14B  is a cross-section view taken along line XIVB-XIVB of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the valve body of the present invention with a gear actuator sub-assembly; 
         FIG. 16  is an elevation view of the valve assembly of  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-section view taken along XVII-XVII of  FIG. 16 ; 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-section view taken along line XVIII-XVIII of  FIG. 16 ; 
         FIG. 19  is a side view of the gear actuator sub-assembly; 
         FIG. 19A  is an exploded perspective view of the gear actuator sub-assembly of  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 20  is a cross-section view taken along line XX-XX of  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a cross-section view taken along line XXI-XXI of  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 22  is a side elevation view of the valve body of the present invention incorporating a twist lock actuator sub-assembly; 
         FIG. 23  is a cross-section view taken along line XXIII-XXIII of  FIG. 22 ; 
         FIG. 24  is a side elevation view of the twist lock actuator sub-assembly of  FIG. 22 ; 
         FIG. 25  is a cross-section view taken along line XXV-XXV of  FIG. 24 ; 
         FIG. 26  is an exploded perspective view of the twist lock actuator of  FIG. 24 ; 
         FIG. 27  is an enlarged side elevation view of a rack and sector actuator sub-assembly; 
         FIG. 28  is a perspective view of the rack and sector actuator sub-assembly; 
         FIG. 29  is a top plan view of the rack and sector actuator sub-assembly of  FIG. 27 ; 
         FIG. 30  is a cross-section view taken along line XXX-XXX of  FIG. 27 ; and 
         FIG. 31  is an exploded perspective view of the rack and sector actuator sub-assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the numeral  10  generally designates a valve body of the present invention. As will be more fully described below, valve body  10  is configured to receive one of several actuation sub-assemblies for opening and closing the valve. For example, valve body  10  is configured to receive an actuator of a manual actuation sub-assembly, a gear actuation sub-assembly (which can be either electrically driven or driven by a handwheel), a twist lock actuation sub-assembly, a rack and sector actuation sub-assembly, or a slow-close actuation sub-assembly. Alternately, valve body  10  may incorporate the actuator, with the actuation sub-assemblies adapted to cooperate with the actuator and the valve body. Though for ease of description, the actuation sub-assemblies described herein incorporate the actuator. Further, though illustrated and described in reference to a ball valve, it should be understood that the concepts of the present invention may be used with other types of valves, such as gate valves or butterfly valves or the like. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1A , valve body  10  includes a housing  12  and a valve ball  14 . Housing  12  includes a housing wall  16  and a pair of mounting flanges  18  and  20  for mounting the valve body between a respective pair of flanges in a piping system, for example. Valve ball  14  is located in passageway  22  of housing  12  and, further, captured therein by a pair of valve seats  24  and  26 , which form a pair of opposed valve seat sealing surfaces  24   a ,  26   a  ( FIG. 4 ) for valve body  10 . As would be understood by those skilled in the art, valve ball  14  includes a transverse passageway  28 , which when aligned along the longitudinal axis  12   a  of housing  12  is in fluid communication with the inlet  30  and outlet  32  of valve seats  24  and  26 . To close the valve, valve ball  14  is pivoted or swiveled about its vertical axis  14   a  on a pivot bolt  34  by an actuator, which will be more fully described below, so that its valve ball wall  36  is seated in the valve seats  24  and  26  to thereby close the fluid communication between the inlet and outlet of the valve. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 1A , as noted above, housing  12  includes a housing wall  16 . To accommodate the various actuators, housing wall  16  includes a generally cylindrical portion  16   a  and a generally planar portion  16   b , which is offset from the circumference of cylindrical portion  16   a  by an offset portion  40  and forms an adapter plate  38 . Offset portion  40  is generally planar and perpendicular to planar portion  16   b  and, further, like planar portion  16   b , extends between flanges  18  and  20 . Plate  38  provides a generally planar  42  mounting surface for the respective actuation assemblies described herein and includes a transverse opening  44  through which the actuator of the respective actuation assembly extends for engagement with valve ball  14 . 
     In each of the respective actuation assemblies described herein, the actuators that engage the valve ball are substantially identical so that each of the various actuation assemblies may be substituted for another actuation assembly even after the valve has been installed. Further, a single valve body may be used as a manually actuated valve, a twist lock actuated valve, a gear drive actuated valve, a rack and sector actuated valve, and a slow-close actuated valve. This modular aspect provides several advantages. For example, common tooling may be used in the manufacturing of the valve bodies and, further, in some of the actuator assembly parts. As would be understood, common tooling reduces the amount of inventories that are needed to provide the full range of valve types. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the numeral  60  generally designates a manually actuated valve assembly of the present invention. Valve assembly  60  includes valve body  10  and a manual actuation sub-assembly  62 . Manual actuation sub-assembly  62 , as previously noted, includes an actuator  64 , in the form of a stem, for opening and closing the valve and an adapter  66 , which is configured to mount sub-assembly  62  to valve body  10  on plate  38  at mounting surface  42 . As best seen in  FIG. 4 , actuator  64  extends through adapter  66  for engagement with the engagement surface of the valve ball to pivot the ball valve about pivot bolt  34  to thereby open or close the valve. Adapter  66  includes an upwardly extending collar  68  with a pair of stops  70  and  72 , which provide the open and close valve positions for the actuator, described more fully below. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-6  and  5 A, upper portion  64   a  of actuator  64  includes a handle H 1 , H 2 , H 3 , H 4  shown in  FIG. 1 , which is rotatably coupled to actuator  64  and mounted thereto a bolt  74  which is threaded into upper end  64   a  of actuator  64  and, further, mounted thereon over a washer  76  to thereby lock the handle to the actuator. Similar to stop plate  78  described below, the handle has a non-circular opening for mounting the handle on the non-circular portion ( 64   a ) of actuator  64 . Thus, rotation of the handle about axis  60   a  induces rotation of actuator  64 . Also mounted to upper end  64   a  of actuator  64  is a stop plate  78 . Stop plate  78  is rotatably coupled to actuator  64  by virtue of the non-circular cross-section of actuator  64  at its upper end  64   a  and the non-circular opening  78   a  provided in stop plate  78  that mounts stop plate  78  about upper end  64   a  of actuator  64 . Stop plate  78  rests on a shoulder  64   b  of actuator  64  and, as noted, is rotatably coupled to actuator  64  such that rotation of the handle about vertical axis  60   a  causes stop plate  78  to rotate about axis  60   a  along with actuator  64 . Stop plate  78  includes an outwardly projecting tab  80  for engagement with stops  70  and  72  of adapter  66 , which limit the rotation of actuator  64  between a first position where tab  80  engages stop  70  and a second position in which tab  80  engages stop  72 , which represent the opened and closed positions of the valve. 
     Actuator  64  further includes a flange  64   c  at a lower end of its medial portion  64   d , which has a larger diameter than the opening  44  of adapter plate  38 , which acts as a stop to limit downward movement of actuator  64  into the valve body and valve ball  14 . In addition, mounted over flange  64   c  is a washer  65  so that when adapter  66  is mounted to adapter plate  38  with fasteners  66   a  ( FIG. 2 ), flange  64   c  is captured between adapter  66  and adapter plate  38  to thereby fix the vertical position of adapter  64  with respect to valve ball  14 . To seal actuator  64  in housing  12 , actuator  64  includes mounted about its lower portion  64   e  a seal  64   f , such as an o-ring seal. 
     To reduce friction, positioned between adapter  66  and the intermediate portion  64   d  of actuator  64  is a bushing  82  with an annular lip  84 , which rests on shoulder  86  of adapter  66 . In addition, to assure rotation occurs between the stop plate and adapter  66 , a bearing brake  88  is mounted about the upper end of intermediate portion  64   d , which provides a stationery bearing surface for the stop plate. Referring to  FIG. 5A , bearing brake  88  comprises an annular member with a pair of tabs  90  and  92  that are located in recesses  94  and  96  of collar  68  of adapter  66  to rotationally lock brake  88  with respect to adapter  66 . Positioned between bearing brake  88  and adapter  66  is a spring  98 . In the illustrated embodiment, spring  98  comprises a wave washer, which urges brake  88  upward toward the underside of stop plate  78  to maintain friction between stop plate  78  and brake  88  and as a result creates a tight connection between the various parts. 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 4 ,  5 A, and  6 , lower end  64   e  of actuator  64  includes a cylindrical pin  64   g  and an enlarged generally cylindrical body  64   h . Referring to  FIG. 4 , cylindrical pin  64   g  and body  64   h  extend into a slotted recess  14   b  in wall of valve ball  14 . As best seen in  FIG. 4 , slotted recess  14   b  includes a central opening  14   c  into which pin  64   g  extends and further aligns with pivot bolt  34 . Body  64   h  is sized and shaped such that body  64   h  can be inserted into recess  14   b  and includes a pair of opposed generally planar engagement surfaces  64   i , which are generally parallel and, further, are spaced apart approximately the width of recess  14   b . In this manner, when actuator  64  is rotated about axis  60   a , surfaces  64   i  of actuator  64  will bear against the sides of recess  14   b  and rotate valve ball  14  about vertical axis  14   a  about pin  64   g  and bolt  34  to thereby move the valve ball between its opened and closed positions to thereby open or close the valve. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the numeral  160  refers to a slow-close actuated valve assembly. Slow-close actuated valve assembly  160  is of similar construction to manually actuated valve assembly  60  and includes valve body  10  and a slow-close actuation sub-assembly  162 . Slow close actuation sub-assembly  162  is of similar construction to manual actuation sub-assembly  62  but includes additional components to provide a “slow-close” function for the valve assembly. 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , sub-assembly  162  includes an actuator  164 , an adapter  166 , and a stop plate  178 , similar to the previous embodiment. Further, actuator  164  includes an enlarged flange  164   c , which is captured between adapter  166  and adapter plate  38  of valve body  10 . In the slow-close actuation assembly, mounted to upper end  164   a  of actuator  164  is a slow-close device  200 , which includes a plurality of nested annular members  201 ,  202 , and  204 , which are mounted to upper end  164   a  of coupler  164  on a shaft  206  by an elongated bolt  174  and washer  176 . Shaft  206  is generally cylindrical in shape and includes a non-circular cross-section at its lower end  206   a  that inserts into a non-circular opening in member  201  to thereby rotatably couple member  201  and shaft  206 . Further shaft  206  includes an annular flange  206   b  that extends between annular members  202  and  204  and is sized to form annular spaces  207   a  and  207   b  between flange  206   b  and member  202  and between flange  206   b  and member  204 . These spaces form orifices for a hydraulic fluid, more fully described below. In addition, flange  206   b  includes two extended flange portions  206   c  ( FIG. 14 ) which have terminal ends to form a pair of chambers  207   c ,  207   d , which are in fluid communication with each other through orifices  207   a ,  207   b . Further, member  204  includes a fill opening  204   a  ( FIG. 12 ) that is in fluid communication with one of the chambers and which allows hydraulic fluid to be introduced into the chambers. After filling, fill opening  204   a  is then closed by a set screw. In addition, seals S are provided between each of the members  201 ,  202 , and  204  and the shaft to seal the chambers. Consequently, when shaft  206  is rotated in member  202 , the hydraulic fluid creates a resistance to provide the slow-close function, as will be further explained below. 
     To actuate the slow-close device, slow-close device  200  includes a handle  212 . Annular member  201  includes a slotted opening  208  in its downwardly depending annular wall  210  to receive handle  212 . Handle  212  includes a non-circular transverse opening  212   a  for mounting handle  212  about upper portion  164   a  of actuator  164 , which similarly has a non-circular cross-section to thereby rotationally couple handle  212 , and in turn annular member  201 , to actuator  164 . In addition, when handle  212  is rotated, shaft  206 , which is rotatably coupled to member  201  also will rotate. In contrast, annular member  202  is fixed relative to adapter  166  by a pin  209 , which extends between respective bores provided in adapter  166  and annular member  202 . As would be understood by those skilled in the art, when handle  212  is rotated, actuator  164  will pivot valve ball  14  about pivot bolt  34  and actuator  164 , with the rotation of handle  212  being resisted by the hydraulic fluid as it passes between the two chambers of the slow-close device through the respective orifices. Again, tabs  180  of the stop plate  178  will limit the angular rotation of actuator  164  between the two stops ( 170  and  172 ) on adapter  166  which correspond to the open and closed positions of the valve. 
     In this manner, slow close device  200  is an add-on feature that can be mounted on a manual actuation assembly to control the opening and closing of the valve. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 15-17 , the numeral  360  generally refers to a gear actuated valve assembly. Gear actuated valve assembly  160  includes valve body  10  and a gear actuation sub-assembly  362 . Gear actuation sub-assembly  362  similarly mounts to adapter plate  38  at mounting surface  42  of valve body  10  and includes an actuator  364  and a housing  366 , which is adapted to mount sub-assembly  362  to valve body  10  on plate  38  at mounting surface  42 . Actuator  364  is of similar construction to actuators  64  and  164  and includes an upper portion  364   a , an intermediate portion  364   d , and a lower portion  364   e , which engages and pivots valve ball  14  in a similar manner described in reference to the first embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 17 , housing  366  is mounted to adapter plate  38  of valve body  10  by a plurality of fasteners  366   a  that extend through lower or base wall  366   b  of housing  366 . In a similar manner to actuators  64  and  164 , actuator  364  includes a washer  365  which is mounted about intermediate portion  364   d  of actuator  364  and which rests on enlarged flange  364   c  of actuator  364  wherein flange  364   c  is captured between adapter plate  38  and lower wall  366   b  of housing  366  when housing  366  is mounted to plate  38 . 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 17 and 18 , positioned and mounted in housing  366  is a gear sector  378  and a worm gear  380 . Gear sector  378  is mounted to upper end  364   a  of actuator  364  by a bolt  374  and washer  376 . Referring to  FIG. 19 , sector  378  includes a non-circular opening  378   a  so that sector  378  is rotatably coupled to actuator  364  so that when sector  378  is rotated about axis  362   a , actuator  364  will rotate to open or close the valve. 
     Worm gear  380  is mounted adjacent gear section  378  about a shaft  382  that is rotatably supported in housing  366  to rotatably support worm gear  380  in housing  366 . Worm gear  380  engages sector  378  so that rotational movement of the shaft  382 , which drives worm gear  380 , will drive sector  378  and in turn actuator  364  between open and closed positions, which correspond to the gear stops that limit the rotation of the actuator, for example, to 90°. Optionally and preferably, housing  366  includes a cover  266   c  to enclose the actuator drive mechanism. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, an electronic motor or handle or handwheel may be coupled to shaft  382  and mounted externally and, in some cases, remotely from housing  366 . In this manner, sub-assembly  362  may be used as an electric actuation sub-assembly or a handwheel actuation sub-assembly. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 22 and 23 , the numeral  460  generally designates another embodiment of a valve assembly of the present invention. Valve assembly  460  is configured as a twist-lock actuated valve assembly and includes valve body  10  and a twist-lock sub-assembly  462 . Similar to the previous embodiments, twist-lock sub-assembly  462  includes an actuator  464 , which is of similar construction to actuators  364 ,  164 , and  64 . Also similar to the previous embodiments, twist-lock sub-assembly  462  is adapted to mount to adapter plate  38  at mounting surface  42  of valve body  10  so that actuator  464  can be extended through adapter plate  38  to selectively rotate valve ball  14  about pivot bolt  34  and actuator  364 . For further details of how actuator pivots valve ball  14 , reference is made to the previous embodiments. 
     As best seen in  FIG. 23 , twist-lock sub-assembly  462  includes an adapter  466 , which fastens to adapter plate  38  by a plurality of fasteners  466   a . Actuator  464  extends through adapter  466  with its lower end  464   e  extended through adapter plate  38  for engagement with valve ball  14  and its upper end  464   a  extending through a stop plate  478 . Stop plate  478  is mounted in adapter  466  and includes a pair of tabs  480  and  480   b  for engagement with stops  470  and  472  provided or formed in adapter  466  in a similar manner to the first and second embodiments. In addition, similar to the previous embodiments, stop plate  478  includes a non-circular opening  478   a  which cooperates with a non-circular cross-section of upper portion  464   a  of actuator  464  to rotatably couple stop plate  478  to actuator  464 . Also, mounted to upper end  464   a  is a lock wedge  480 , a lock elevator  482 , and a cover  484 . Cover  484  supports a rod  486  with a knob  488  and is secured to upper end  464   a  of actuator  464  by a bolt  474  and washer  476 . In this manner, when rod  486  is rotated about axis  460   a , valve ball  14  will be moved between its open and closed position. 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 23 and 25 , the distal end of rod  486   a  includes an annular groove  486   b  for engagement by an upwardly projecting flange  482   a  of lock elevator  482 . In this manner, when rod  486  is pushed into cover  484  with a threading action, rod  486  will push elevator  482  inwardly, which has a ramped surface that contacts the ramped surface of wedge  480  so that elevator  482  causes wedge  480  to rise or lift, which causes the actuator to lift or pull up. This upward force includes increased friction between the actuator  464  and adapter  466 , which resists rotation and which locks the valve position. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 27-31 , the numeral  562  represents a rack and sector actuation sub-assembly that is suitable for use with valve body  10  described in reference to the previous embodiments. Similar to the previous embodiments, rack and sector actuation sub-assembly  562  includes an actuator  564 , which is of similar construction to actuators  164 ,  364 , and  464 , and an adapter  566 . Therefore, for further details of actuator  564  reference is made to the previous embodiments. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 28 and 29 , adapter  566  includes an upper adapter member  566   a  and a lower adapter member  566   b , each with a plurality of mounting holes for receiving fasteners (not shown) for securing adapter  566  to plate  38  at mounting surface  42  of body  10 . Actuator  564  extends through adapter  566  for engagement with valve ball  14  and similarly includes an enlarged mounting flange  564   c  and, further, a washer  565 , which are captured between adapter  566  and mounting surface  42  of plate  38  of valve  10  when sub-assembly  562  is mounted to valve  10 . 
     Lower adapter member  566   b  includes an upwardly extending collar  566   c  which extends through upper adapter member  566   a , which provides a bearing surface for a gear sector  578 , which is rotatably coupled to upper portion  564   a  and is secured thereto by a bolt  574  and washer  576 . Gear sector  578  and upper portion  564   a  of actuator  564  have a similar non-circular interface to provide a rotational coupling between the two components. As best seen in  FIGS. 28 and 29 , gear sector  578  is driven by a rack  582 , which is rotatably mounted in upper adapter member  566   a  by a pair of bushings  582   a  and  582   b . Bushings  582   a  and  582   b  are supported in upwardly extending tabs or flanges  566   d  of upper adapter member  566   a . Optionally and preferably, sub-assembly  562  includes an angle bracket  586 , which secures to the lower adapter member  566   b , which by a pair of fasteners  586   a  and includes an upwardly projecting flange  588 , which is located and mounted adjacent the teeth of the rack ( 582 ) ( FIG. 29 ). 
     Accordingly, the present invention provides a valve body that is adapted to accept several actuation sub-assemblies, which provides several advantages as noted above. This single valve body that can be used in several applications provides a great improvement over the prior art and, further, provides a basis on which further actuation assemblies can be modeled. 
     While several forms of the invention have been shown and described, other forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, other types of actuator sub-assemblies may be used, such as pneumatic or hydraulic actuator sub-assemblies. Therefore, it will be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims which follow as interpreted under the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5