US3145724A - Vacuum breaking device - Google Patents

Description

g- 25, 1964 H. H. PELZER VACUUM BREAKING DEVICE Filed Nov. 14, 1960 INVENTOR. HHROLD H. PELZER HTTORNEYS United States Patent 3,145,724 VACUUM BREAKING DEVICE Harold H. Pelzer, Long Isiand City, N.Y., assignor to Harry Karp, Harrison, N.Y. Filed Nov. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 68,984 3 Claims. (Cl. 137-217) This invention relates to vacuum breaking valves and particularly to a simple and improved construction for a vacuum breaking valve that can be easily included in a fluid carrying, line.

Vacuum breaking valves, of the general type herein of concern are widely utilized in liquid supply systems to prevent back siphoning or flow reversal whenever an operational variant causes a vacuum to be produced in the supply system.

Such units conventionally include a movable valve member normally positioned out of the liquid flow path by the pressure of the liquid itself and displaceable into liquid line sealing'relationship by atmospheric pressure, often supplemented by an auxiliary biasing member, in the event of a vacuum creating pressure drop therein intermediate the valve member and the liquid source. Units as so constructed do not operate to break the vacuum but rather serve to interpose a mechanical seal intermediate the vacuum in the supply line and the possibly contaminated liquid subject to back siphonage. Many of the conventionally employed units as above described are of a relatively elaborate construction, incorporating a plurality of moving parts, all of which are subject to malfunction.

This invention may be briefly described as a simple and improved construction for a vacuum breaking valve incorporating a minimum number of moving parts and adapted to prevent back siphonage by breaking the vacuum causing or tending to cause the same.

The object of this invention is the provision of a simple, inexpensive and improved construction for vacuum breaking valves.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawings which disclose, by way of illustrative example, the principles underlying this invention and a presently preferred construction incorporating those principles.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of an elbow assembly incorporating the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken online 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on. line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view, similar to FIGURE 2 showing the positioning of the valve member in open position; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIGURE 4.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGURES l to 3 there is provided a vacuum breaking valve assembly in the form of an elbow type coupling and incorporating the principles of this invention. As illustrated, the elbow assembly is formed of a cast or forged body portion shaped to provide afluid inlet port 12 connected by suitable internally disposedliquid conduit passages 14 and 16 to anoutlet port 18. Thebody portion 10 is suitably externally threaded as at 20, 22, respectively, adjacent theports 12 and 18 for connection of the unit in a water supply line. As will later become apparent the inlet and outlet ports are reversible, thus facilitating installation and avoiding the hazard of inoperability in the event of incorrect installation. Disposed above the junction of 3,145,724 Patented Aug. 25, 1964 thepassages 14 and 16 and in fluid communication therewith by means of theterminal aperture 24 is an integral and enlarged valveassembly housing member 26 defining achamber 28. Thehousing member 26 is internally threaded, as at 30, and the dependent portion of thechamber 28 defined thereby is provided with slopingshoulders 32 which terminate at theaperture 24 and provide a seat for the dependent end of containedspring member 34.

Internally mounted in the upper end of thechamber 28 in threaded engagement with thehousing member threads 30 is aflanged bushing 36 having an exposedaxial bore 38 of a cross-sectional area at least twice that of thefluid inlet passage 14 and the liquid supply line and serving as an air inlet port. The joint intermediate thebushing 36 and the valveassembly housing member 26 is sealed by interposition of a sealingwasher 40. The dependentperipheral shoulder 42 of thebushing 36 serves as a valve seat for a displaceable valve member. ,The valve member includes asealing disk 44 of deformable material mounted on the upper surface of aplunger member 46 having a plurailty ofseparated guide legs 48 dependent from the periphery thereof; Thesealing disk 44 andplunger member 46 are dimensioned so as to have an outside diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of thechamber 28 as defined by thescrew threads 30 so as to be freely longitudinally displaceable therewithin without cocking or skewing during each displacement and to readily permit air flow thereby when the valve member is in its open position. The sealingdisk 44 is normally biased against the undersurface of thebushing shoulder 42 by a very light pressure applied by thespring member 34, the dependent end of which is supported by theshoulders 32 and the upper end of which abuts the undersurface of theplunger member 46.

In operation, the unit is connected in a water or other liquid supply line in such manner that liquid flows, under pressure, from the source thereof through theinlet port 12 through theconduit passages 14 and 16 and outward through theoutlet port 18 to the point of utilization thereof. Such liquid pressure supplements the biasing pressure supplied by thespring member 34 and maintains the sealingdisk 44 disposed in pressure tight sealing relation against the bushingshoulder 42. Upon the occurrence of an operational variant creating a vacuum or pressure drop intermediate theinlet port 12 and the liquid source, the atmospheric pressure operating on the upper and exposed surface of the sealingdisk 44 displaces said disk and plunger 46 downwardly against the biasing action of thespring 34, limited by engagement of the dependent ends of thelegs 48 with theterminal shoulders 32. With the displaceable valve assembly downwardly displaced, air flows into theconduit 14 and hence into the liquid supply line via thebushing bore 38, through the space intermediate the sealingdisk 44 and thebushing shoulder 42, through the space intermediate thedependent legs 48 on theplunger 46 and the side wall of thechamber 28, including the thread recesses, and through the spaces intermediate thelegs 48 themselves and through theterminal aperture 24. Such air breaks the vacuum in the supply and when the line pressure closely approximates that of the atmosphere, thespring 34 will return the sealingdisk 44 into sealing engagement with the bushingshoulder 42. 7

As mentioned earlier, it is essential that the cross sectional area of thebushing bore 38 be at least twice that of thefluid inlet passage 14 and the liquid supply line to provide for substantially instantaneous breaking of the vacuum in the supply line and to preclude back fiow of liquid from theconduit 16 and points downstream thereof.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the herein described invention is of a simple inexpensive and eaasyaa eadily manufacturable construction, incorporating a minimum of moving parts that are subject to malfunction and provides a rapid and wholiy automatic action to prevent back siphonage by the direct breaking of the vacuurnetric condition that causes the same.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A vacuum breaking valve assembly comprising a first body portion shaped to provide a fluid communicatable conduit intermediate a fluid inlet opening normally subject to fluid pressures in excess of atmospheric pressure along its entire length and a fluid outlet opening, an integral second body portion shaped to provide a valve chamber having one end thereof disposed in constant fiuid communication with said conduit and a second end open to the atmosphere, a bushing member removably mounted in the second end of said chamber defining an axial bore, a valve member positioned within said chamber normally disposed in sealing relation with the bore defining peripheral edge of said bushing against the action of atmospheric pressure by the fluid pressure within said conduit to close the end of said valve chamber open to the atmosphere and an auxiliary spring member disposed within said valve chamber normally biasing said valve member into sealing relationship with the bore defining edge of said bushing against atmospheric pressure, said valve member being displaceable out of sealing relationship with the bore defining peripheral edge of said bushing member to permit air iloW therepast in response to a predetermined pressure in said conduit less than that of atmospheric pressure.

2. The vacuum breaking valve assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cross sectional area of said bore is at least twice the cross sectional area of the portion of the conduit disposed intermediate said inlet opening and the point of fluid communication of said valve chamber therewith.

3. A vacuum breaking valve assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the dependent end of said auxiliary spring member is disposed in supported abutting engagement by the base of said valve chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 204,135 Convery May 28, 1878 628,061 Ayres July 4, 1899 926,968 Stickdorn July 6, 1909 1,326,358 MacGregor Dec. 30, 1919 2,102,848 Kocour Dec. 21, 1937 2,159,056 Sloan May 23, 1939 2,601,563 Selwyn June 24, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 635,513 Germany Sept. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,145,724 August 25, 1964 Harold H Pelzer It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line ll, strike out "and a fluid outlet opening" and insert the same after "opening" in line 9,same column 3.

Signed and sealed this 13th day of April 1965.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

Claims (1)

1. A VACUUM BREAKING VALVE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FIRST BODY PORTION SHAPED TO PROVIDE A FLUID COMMUNICATABLE CONDUIT INTERMEDIATE A FLUID INLET OPENING NORMALLY SUBJECT TO FLUID PRESSURES IN EXCESS OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ALONG ITS ENTIRE LENGTH AND A FLUID OUTLET OPENING, AN INTEGRAL SECOND BODY PORTION SHAPED TO PROVIDE A VALVE CHAMBER HAVING ONE END THEREOF DISPOSED IN CONSTANT FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CONDUIT AND A SECOND END OPEN TO THE ATMOSPHERE, A BUSHING MEMBER REMOVABLY MOUNTED IN THE SECOND END OF SAID CHAMBER DEFINING AN AXIAL BORE, A VALVE MEMBER POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER NORMALLY DISPOSED IN SEALING RELATION WITH THE BORE DEFINING PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID BUSHING AGAINST THE ACTION OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE BY THE FLUID PRESSURE WITHIN SAID CONDUIT TO CLOSE THE END OF SAID VALVE CHAMBER OPEN TO THE ATMOSPHERE AND AN AUXIALIARY SPRING MEMBER DISPOSED WITHIN SAID VALVE CHAMBER NORMALLY BIASING SAID VALVE MEMBER INTO SEALING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BORE DEFINING EDGE OF SAID BUSHING AGAINST ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, SAID VALVE MEMBER BEING DISPLACEABLE OUT OF SEALING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BORE DEFINING PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID BUSHING MEMBER TO PERMIT AIR FLOW THEREPAST IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE IN SAID CONDUIT LESS THAN THAT OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE.

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