US3240152A - Valve apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 15, 1966 F. A. BOWER, JR

VALVE APPARATUS Filed Feb. 21, 1964 m w M m H 5 a M m Zia m m M O w A M K I WNW m if Fig 3 United States Patent F 3,240,152 VALVE APPARATUS Frank A. Bower, Jr., Chicago, Ill., assignor to Panther Pumps 8: Equipment Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 346,432 12 Claims. (Cl. 10344) The present invention relates to improvements in valve apparatus; and more particularly to improved valve means operable in connection with a diaphragm pump or the like; and still more particularly to a valve positioned in a diaphragm pump with respect to a characteristic of flotation of a substance or material with respect to another substance or material as well as having different characteristics of the compressibility for causing either the substance or material, at least in one adaptation of the invention, always to be purged from the pump during normal pumping operation thereof.

The invention is characterized by having a valve so positioned with respect to an inlet and outlet port in the pump with respect to gravity, although certain other forces might be utilized such as magnetic or centrifugal forces, to enable the valve to purge material that is desired to be kept removed from the pump apparatus.

The present invention is readily adaptable and useful in the pump shown and described in the co-pending application of Paul W. Schlosser, Serial No. 336,432, filed January 8, 1964, for Liquid Driven Pumps, in which pump the cavitation and condensation characteristics of a drive liquid are utilized to improve the efiiciency of a pump. Pumps shown in said Schlosser application are particularly adapted to supply devices that are used only intermittently and turned on and off by an outlet valve. Such outlet valves are commonly those associated with spray guns and used for cleaning, painting and sand blasting purposes, and the like. In this aforementioned application, the details of cavitation and condensation of the drive liquid is explained, and will not be repeated in such detail herein. Briefly, a liquid is selected; such as oil, fluid transmission liquid, and many others including ethylene glycol, for example only, which liquid has the characteristic of evaporating rapidly in cavitation and likewise condensing readily upon pressure changes below and above a predetermined pressure; which in the usual instance is about atmospheric pressure or a vacuum created by the suction stroke of a piston type motor.

In the present invention, the new valve apparatus is arranged for being driven by the diaphragm under the influence of pressurized driving liquid which in turn causes movement of the diaphragm for inspirating and expirating a fluid which may be of many kinds or sorts. In a specific embodiment used, by way of example, the fluid may be paint delivered to a paint spray gun. In this pumping apparatus, a piston drives a liquid to cause reciprocation of the diaphragm to attain a pumping function. When the spray gun is shut off, the diaphragm will, in successive pulsating moments, be urged toward a valve seat on the driving liquid side of the pump whereupon it will eventually seat after a few pulsations. Because the driven fluid is shut oif and at high pressure the driving liquid is expelled from the liquid drive portion of the pump apparatus into a supply tank and sump. After the valve seats, the piston can continue to reciprocate in its cylinder while the driving liquid cavitates and recondenses at a relatively low horsepower input to the pumping apparatus.

It is particularly desirable that air, which can be entrained with the driving liquid during filling of a pump, for example, and also because of leakage, etc., be driven from the pump. In this invention, entrapped air in the 3,249,152 Patented Mar. 15, 1966 ice interior of the pump apparatus can be readily vented through a vent plug while the piston is reciprocated by hand until the pump apparatus is purged of air, at least on the driving side.

While air may also be entrained in the paint side of the pump, in this specific example this does not present a serious problem; however, such entrapment of air in this side can detract from the eificiency of the pump and, accordingly, it is conveniently arranged in this new valve apparatus to likewise purge air and other undesirable substances having a lesser specific gravity than paint, for instance, in the example to be described. Of course, within the teachings of this invention, it will become obvious that by different placement of valved ports within the diaphragm pump a material having a heavier or higher specific gravity than the paint [or other substance] could be purged from the bottom of the pump in which the heavier material would tend to precipitate.

It is a broad object of the invention, therefore, to provide improved valve apparatus for a diaphragm pump and the like.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide im proved valve apparatus for enabling purging of one material or substance out of a system for improving efficiency of the pump apparatus.

A still more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved valve apparatus for purging a liquid driven diaphragm pump of air, or other gas, which tends to inhibit most favorable cavitation of the drive liquid during certain periods of operation of pump apparatus.

It is a still more specific object of the invention to provide, in a high pressure pump or the like, a flexible valve which can contour to a valve seat that may have irregularities for effecting a fluid seal therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus operable with a diaphragm pump capable of pumping fluids at pressures substantially in excess of 1,000 pounds per square inch.

Another object in connection with the preceding object is to provide a partially spherical faced valve coopera'ble with a mating partially spherical shaped valve seat whereby to inhibit stresses in diaphragm parts supporting the valve.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be either obvious or pointed out in the specification as the description of the apparatus progresses and in the appended claims read in view of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of the pump including the improved valve apparatus of this invention;

PEG. 2 is a detail view of the valve apparatus taken on lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken substantially onlines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a modification of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIGS. 3 and 4 but showing a further modification of the invention employing reed type valves.

For details of the invention, reference will first be made to FIG. 1. A diaphragm pump generally indicated byreference character 10 comprises right and left-hand housing parts 11 and 12 which peripherally confine adiaphragm 14 which may be circular, for example, between the halves of thehousing 10 which divide the housing into a pumpingliquid chamber 15 and a pumped fluid chamber 16.

Liquid to be pumped, such as paint in the example selected herein, is drawn in through apipe 18 through acheck valve 19, apipe 20 and through aport 21 into the chamber 16 when thediaphragm 14 is moved toward the right, as shown in this figure drawing in a manner to be described more fully below. When thediaphragm 14 is driven toward the left, the fluid [paint, and initially some air, or cleaning solvent, etc.] in thechamber 15 will be driven out of thepassageway 21 through acheck valve 22, apipe 23, a manually controlledvalve 25 to anoutlet orifice 26, for example, such as that of a spray gun, not shown. In painting, thevalve 25 is intermittently opened and closed, and when open will deliver highly pressurized paint in the direction of the dotted arrow shown issuing from theorifice 26. In operating apparatus of this type, it is found that paint can be sprayed at substantial distances and has the characteristic of not being blown as is common with air-driven paint guns.

Adiaphragm 14 is driven by liquid which fills a chamber in acylinder 31. The liquid in thechamber 30 also fills all liquid communicating parts in thechamber 15, apassageway 32, apipe 33 and a supply andvent pipe 35 which communicates with avent plug 37. This plug is usually loosened or removed to free the entire liquid circuit from air to assure proper operation of thepump 28 when starting apump 10, at least the first time it is used. However, the pump has a facility of purging itself at all times, and such facility comprises a broad attribute of this invention. 7

A piston provided with a suitable number of rings or gaskets, or the like, is reciprocated through apin 41 by a connectingrod 42 journalled atbearing 43 on acrank 44 turned by suitable means such as an electric motor, not shown, to oscillate thepiston 40 back and forth and thus drive the liquid in thechamber 30 into and out of thechamber 15 in thediaphragm pump 10. The liquid in thechamber 30 in the pump is preferably of low compressibility, but possessing a preferably high degree of volatility whereby cavitation and recondensation are obtained readily during operation of the pump. Such occurs when a valve mechanism shown at the top of thediaphragm 14 adjacent theports 21 and 32 is in engagement with avalve seat 52, around theport 32.

Referring now to FIG. 2 (substantially enlarged with respect to FIG. 1),, only an upper portion of thehousing 12 is shown, with all parts in position except thepart 11 removed therefrom for clarity. Thediaphragm 14 lies in theshouldered groove 53 having aninternal edge 54 defining the edge of the chamber 16. Theport 21 is covered by the valve halves of thevalve 50 completely around theedges 55.

With reference to FIG. 3, a substantially enlarged view of thevalve 50 is shown and eachhalf 55 is identical and made of relatively thin but tough steel, of the stainless variety preferably, and the edges of each are rounded at 56 to reduce stress on the diaphragm clamped therebetween by therivet 58 passing through the centers of thevalve members 55. Thevalve 50 is secured adjacent the upper edge of thediaphragm 14 andvalve members 55 are secured by arivet 58 and abacking ring 59. Thepoints 54 of contact to the edge of thediaphragm 14 with therecess 53, FIG. 2, is shown as being quite close to the upper edge of thevalve member 55 and provides a hinge for the valve at this point. It is to be noted in FIG. 2 that air or the like can only accumulate up to adotted line 60 which corresponds to theinner top edge 62 of theports 21 and 32 which may be identical. However, due to engagement of thediaphragm 14 with thesurface 54, prior to engagement of the top and sides of theedges 56 ofvalves 55, such air is quickly expressed downwardly and out of theports 32 and 21.

With the parts described above, operating with thevalve 25, FIG. 1, open, thediaphragm 14 oscillates in some intermediate range of oscillation wherein theports 32 and 21 are normally uncovered. Driving liquid will move in and out freely through theport 32 and the driven fluid will be moved out through theport 21 under a predetermined pressure.

With thevalve 25 shut off, the liquid in thechamber 30 Will for at least a few Strokes still be oscillated by movements of thepiston 40. The driving liquid will accordingly cause inspiration of paint through thevalve 19 into the chamber 16; which paint cannot leave because thevalve 25 is shut off. Accordingly, because thepiston 40 moves through a fixed length stroke, succeeding movements of same towards the left will cause theport 32 to be closed by thevalve 50. Thereafter, reciprocations of thepiston 40 will drive liquid out of acheck valve 65 which is preadjusted by a set screw 66 to discharge drivingliquid 30 at a pressure slightly exceeding the normal operating pressure of theliquid 30 in the pump apparatus. This driving liquid will pass to atmospheric pressure, for example, in a sump 68 connected bypipe 69 to the check valve 66. Succeeding oscillations of thepiston 40 will cause the driving liquid to cavitate and condense, as explained more fully in the above-mentioned Schlosser application.

Thecrank 44 is turned at approximately 800 r.p.m., for example, and succeeding movements of thepiston 40 toward the right will tend to draw liquid from the sump 68 through apipe 69, a low operating pressure (vacuum)adjustable check valve 70, which can be adjusted by a knob 71, for example, through thepipe 35 to thechamber 30 for the liquid. The volume of liquid permitted to flow through thecheck valve 70 is relatively minute and may be but a drop, for example, for each right-directed stroke of thepiston 40. Accordingly, the liquid 30 will be cavitated on the stroke to the right and recondensed on leftdirected strokes ofpiston 40. It is highly desirable that the minimum practicable amount of air be present in the system at such time because of its unfavorable expansion and compression characteristics in pumps of this kind.

Referring to FIG. 4, a higher pressure modification of the invention is shown. A valve is made up of twoidentical halves 151 and thus only one will be explained. Thehalves 151 are secured by asuitable rivet 152 to the diaphragm 141 that may be identical in all respects to diaphragms used throughout, and which may be, for eX- ample only, of polypropylene approximately forty-thousandths of an inch thick for use in pressure applications of 1,000 pounds per square inch and upward. Therivet 152 compresses the material therebetween during the riveting operation in this modification of the invention (as does therivet 58 in the modification shown and described in connection with FIG. 3). The exposed surfaces of the valve halves 151 are spherical-convex and are the same in curvature as aconcave valve seat 155 associated with aport 121, there being another port identical to and in the other half of the valve housing, not shown.

This second modification of the invention differs from the one described above in being capable of operating at substantially higher pressure (on the order of 5,000 pounds per square inch and upward) without rupture or excessive stress on either thevalve parts 151 and associated diaphragm portions adjacent thereto. It is to be understood that the chamber forming concavities in the housings are preferably ground in connection with high pressure pumps as well as with low pressure pumps that operate between 1,000 and 5,000 p.s.i., for example. Regarding machining, the structure shown in FIG. 3 is capable of flexing sufiiciently to accommodate surface and machining irregularities and the normal concavity of the housing surfaces can be utilized without severely stressing thevalves 55. However, at higher pressure, I prefer that the structures of a kind substantially as shown in FIG. 4 be utilized to prevent failure of either valve or diaphragm parts.

FIG. 5 shows a reed type valve for use with a single port for use in low pressure pumps that operate in ranges of only a few to 1,000 p.s.i., for example. If higher pressures are desired, this device can further be modified to accommodate same for such pressures, in the mannerindicated, by a plurality of ports which may be relatively small. With such structure, thereed valves 162 may be riveted as byrivets 163, only one being shown, to opposite sides of thediaphragm 14 and moved thereby to and from the ports 16%. As mentioned briefly above, for low pressure use of the device a single larger port is preferred in place of the plurality of ports 169 for the reason that, in addition to paints, certain of these pumps in low pressure applications are used to pump cement mixtures containing sand and the like, and the freedom of flow is restricted bysmaller holes 160. The device of FIG. 5, however, has certain advantages over the other modifications regarding economy of manufacture and purging of air because theupper port 160 or upper edge of a single port can be above apoint 165 where the edge of achamber 14 or 15 merges with the shoulder supporting the edge of thediaphragm 14.

As shown at the tops of FIGS. 2 and 5, a sealingring 170 can be used for high pressure shown in my co-pending application, Serial No. 297,530, filed July 25, 1963, for Balanced Pressure Pump.

While I have shown and described in detail presently preferred valve apparatus particularly adapted for purging a pumping chamber, or the like, obviously other advantages and uses of the valve apparatus will occur to others Working in the art. Accordingly, I desire not to be restricted in my invention only to the specific embodiments and modifications of the invention shown and described, but only by the scope of the following claims.

I claim.

1. The combination in a piston driven diaphragm pump of the character described, of means forming a pumping liquid and pumped fluid chambers separated by the diaphragm, and pumping liquid control calve means for said liquid chamber mounted on the diaphragm and being mounted adjacent the periphery thereof for causing a substance to leave said pumping chamber prior to the pumping liquid in response to a pressure decrease in the pumping liquid chamber.

2. The combination in a pump of the character de scribed including a housing and diaphragm means form ing pumping liquid and pumped fluid chambers within the housing and pumping liquid control valve means carried by said diaphragm in said liquid pumping chamber operated by said diaphragm means and being mounted adjacent the periphery thereof for causing a substance to leave the liquid pumping chamber prior to the pumping liquid in response to a pressure increase in the pumped liquid chamber.

3. A pump substantially as set forth inclaim 2, and a valve seat carried by the housing.

4. A pump substantially as set forth inclaim 2, and a pumped fluid control valve means substantially similar to said pumping liquid control valve means.

5, A pump substantially as set forth in claim 4, said pumped fluid control means being carried by said diaphragm on the opposite side thereof with respect to said pumping liquid control means.

6. A pump substantially as set forth inclaim 2, and a positive displacement pump disposed in pressure commu-- nication with the pumping liquid chamber for causing pumping oscillation of said diaphragm.

7. A pump substantially as set forth in claim 6, said positive displacement pump being a reciprocable piston, and power operated means for reciprocating said piston.

8. A pump substantially as set forth in claim 6, said valve means being adapted to close for terminating oscillations of said diaphragm.

9. A pump substantially as set forth in claim 8, and pressure relief means adapted to pass driving liquid out of said positive displacement pump means when said valve means closes.

10. A pump substantially as set forth in claim 9, and liquid supply means adapted to replenish driving liquid in said positive displacement pump.

11. In a diaphragm pump of a kind subjected to entrainment of a relatively compressible substance having a first specific gravity with relationship to a relative noncompressible material having a second specific gravity, valve means for enabling passage of the substance out of the pump comprising, at least one pump housing part adapted for receiving said material at all times and said substance at some times, a valve seat internal of said housing part, a diaphragm connected to said housing part and being movable toward and away from said valve seat, and a valve member moved by said diaphragm and being cooperable with said valve seat, said valve member and said valve seat being adjacent an edge of said housing part to permit the expulsion of the substance from the pump housing part prior to the expulsion therefrom of the material.

12. The combination in a diaphragm pump of the character described, of means forming a pumping fluid chamber and a pumped fluid chamber, means establishing communication between the pumping fluid chamber and a pumping means, means establishing communication between the pumped fluid chamber and a pumped fluid source, the respective chambers being separated by a diaphragm, valve means on the diaphragm cooperable with seating means in the pumping fluid chamber disposed adjacent the periphery of the means forming the pumping fluid chamber, the diaphragm and valve means thereon being responsive to an increase in pressure in the pumped fluid chamber above normal pumping pressure to interrupt communication between the pumping fluid chamber and the pumping means and to expel a substance from the pumping fluid chamber prior to the pumping fluid.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,711,134 6/1955 Hughes 103-44 2,919,650 1/1960 Wigglemann 10344 3,107,624 10/ 1963 Williams 10344 ROBERT WALKER, Primary Examiner,

Claims (1)

1. THE COMBINATION IN A PISTON DRIVEN DIAPHRAGM PUMP OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, OF MEANS FORMING A PUMPING LIQUID AND PUMPED FLUID CHAMBERS SEPARATED BY THE DIAPHRAGM, AND PUMPING LIQUID CONTROL VALVE MEANS FOR SAID LIQUID CHAMBER MOUNTED ON THE DIAPHRAGM AND BEING MOUNTED ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY THEREOF FOR CAUSING A SUBSTANCE TO LEAVE SAID PUMPING CHAMBER PRIOR TO THE PUMPING LIQUID IN RESPONSE TO A PRESSURE DECREASE IN THE PUMPING LIQUID CHAMBER.

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