Patent ID: 6866245

Claim:
A flapper valve closing device for moving a flapper valve member into a closed position and retaining it in the closed position under normal operating conditions, the flapper valve member disposed in a valve housing and being useful in an underground oilfield tubular, the valve housing having a bore, the flapper valve member being hingeably moveable between at least one open and at least one closed position relative to the bore, the flapper valve closing device comprising: an elastically deformable member extending at least partially around the circumference of the bore and disposed at least partially in a cavity formed in the valve housing, said elastically deformable member being elongated, having first and second ends and being connected with the valve housing at its first and second ends and with the flapper valve member therebetween, whereby said elastically deformable member is torsionally loaded to provide biasing, closing force upon the flapper valve member to move the flapper valve member into a closed position and retain the flapper valve member in the closed position during normal operating conditions.