US2009845A - Drain valve - Google Patents

Description

July 30, 1935. c, C, FARMER 2,009,845

DRAIN VALVE Filed May 5, 1954 Tigg. Z

INVENTOR CLYDE C. FARMER ATTORN Y Patented July 30, I935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRAIN VALVE Clyde 0. Farmer, Pittsburgh, Pa assignor to The t 'Westinghouse 'Air Brake Company, Wilmerding, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 5, 1934, Serial No. 724,098

. 8 Claims. 01. 251-132) This invention relates to valves and more particularly to manually operated drain valves for draining condensed steam from the cylinders. and steam passages of steam engines and'ior draining moisture from reservoirs for storing-compressed air or other fluid under pressure. 1

The conventional drain valve deviceis of the plug valve type, requiring the use of lubricant between the valve and seat for rendering the valve easy to operate. When the valve is closed, the lubricant on the portion'of the plug valve exposed to the atmosphere within the outlet pas sage of the drain valve device catches dust and dirt which may 'iind its way into said passage, and when the valve is opened this dust and'dirt is carried onto the valve seat, with the result that both the valve and its seat are scored. I When a. drain valve of this type is'employed for draining condensed steam from the steam cylinders and steam passages of steam engines, the lubricant between the valve and seat is soon cut by the action of the steam, and the plug valve then tends to seize in the drain valve body, so that when the valve is operated, both the valve and'its seat are scored. With the valve and its seat scored, there will be leakage of steam, compressed air," or other fluid under pressure, as the case may be, between the valve and seat.

. The principal object of .the invention is to avoid the above mentioned difficulty, and to accomplish this I provide a drain valve device having a poppet type of valve which does not require any lubricant and which does'not tend to seize in the valve body.

manually operated drain valve device which may be easily and cheaply maintained.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following more detailed'description of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing: Fig. 1 is a cen tral sectional view of a drain valve device embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a section'on the line ---3 of FigQl. 1

As shown inthe drawing, the device may comprise a body portion l containing the open- ended chambers 2 and 3 and a chamber 4 intermediate- Another object of the invention is to provide a -ceive a pipe ZLwhich-may be connected to the steam cylinder or steam passage of ,a steam engine or to a fluid pressure reservoir from which it is desired to drain moisture. The portion 24.

of the body I surrounding ,saidouter end of chamber 2 is preferably hexagonal in' shape, 15 forming a wrench-hold soas to permit the appli-- cation of a wrench to said .bodywhen connecting the drain valvedevice to said pipe.

Two, aligned openings 22 are provided in the wall of chamber 3 for reasons hereinafter fully set forth.

An annular valve seat 1 is formed on the body I at the junction of thechambers Z1 and 4. A pop-q pet valve 8 is adapted to, seat on said valve seatv for controlling communication from chamber. 2 to chamber 4. The valve 8 isprovided with, a stems which freely extends through the bore l0,

into chamber 3; i

Carried by the stem ,9 within the chamber .3 a coil spring ll placedunder initial compression between the partition wall .5 and a washer 12, which washer is held against outward movement on saidstem by a pin l3 which may be loosely carried within an opening insaid stem. The spring I I being under compression, normally acts to maintain the valve 8 seated. The head of the valve 8 is provided with a transverse slot adapted to receive the blade of ajscrew driver or other suitable tool for rotating said valve when grinding it to its seat and for facilitating the assembly operation of the drain valve device, as will be explainedhereinafter. V V 1 For'controlling the operationof the valve 8, a plunger M is provided .which'is slidably mounted in chamber 3. Said plunger is provided on one,35 face with a recess l8 andabore l5 opening into the bottom of said recess and in aXial alignment with the bore Ill. Loosely received in the bore- I5 is the end of the valve stemil,v and thussaid bore cooperates with the boreifl to guide said 40 valve stem. The pin I3 'is received'within the recess 96, with a small amountiof clearance between the ends of said pin and the wall of said recess,. so that said wall prevents the pinlS fromwork- 7 ing out of the opening in which it is carried in the stem fi. I J V For controlling'the operation of the plunger l4, a cam i1 is provided which is formed on a shaft l8,'which shaft is rotatably carried within two aligned openings provided in the wall of chamber 3, said openings being spaced outwardly from the openings 22, for a purpose which will appear hereinafter. 'In'the'present embodiment of the invention, the cam I1 is" formed by reducing the "diameter of the central portion of the 55.?

shaft I8 and cutting away a portion of the periphery of the resulting reduced section so as to form a flat surface 21 parallel to the axis of said shaft. By this construction, a shoulder 28 is formed at the junction of said cam with each end of said shaft, each shoulder extending outwardly from the peripheral face of said cam. One end of the shaft I8 extends exteriorly of the body I and is provided with a manually operable handle I9 which, in the construction shown, is integral with said shaft.

Loosely fitting in the space between the shoul-' ders 20 and engaging the peripheral face of the cam I1 is a boss 26 which is provided on the plunger I4, said boss being maintained in en gagement with said cam face by I a spring 23 under compression between said plunger and the partition wall 5.

The operating handle I9 is so positioned-on the shaft I8 that with the valve 8 seated, said handle is in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the body I and extends from said shaft in a direction toward the wrench-hold portion 24012 the body I, the outer end of the hand portion of said handle stopping short of the end of the body so that it will not interfere with the use of a wrench on the wrench-hold portion 24. The hand portion of the handle I9 is spaced away from the body I so as to provide clearance for the hand when operating the valve device.

It will be noted that when the cam is in a position for permitting'the valve 8 to be seated, as shown in the drawing, there is a slight amount of clearance between the end of the stem 9 and the bottom of the bore 15, thereby insuring that the valve will not be held open by the engagement of said stem with the bottom of said bore when the handle I9 is in the closed position.

It will be understood that the spring I I acts to .urge the valve 8 to its seat and the spring 23 acts to maintain the boss 26 on the plunger I4 in engagement with the cam I1. With the handle I9 in closed position, as shown in the drawing,the boss 28 engages the fiat portion 21 of the peripheral face of the cam I! and thereby prevents rattling of the shaft I8 and the plunger I 4.

When assembling the parts within the valve device, the valve 8 is first inserted through the open end of chamber 2 with the'stem 9 extending through the bore I9 into chamber 3 and with the opening for the pin I3 in said stem disposed in substantial alignment with the openings 22, after which the spring II and washer 12 are applied over said stem through the open end of chamber 3. Now the washer I2 is forced inwardly, against the pressure of the spring II, by a suitable tool applied to said washer through the open end of chamber 3, until said washer clears the opening provided in the stem for the pin I3, whereupon said pin is inserted in said opening through one of the openings 22, and then the washer is permitted to engage said pin under the action of the spring II.

The spring 23 and plunger I4 are now placed within chamber 3 and said plunger is forced inwardly against the resistance of said spring by a finger of the hand or. by a suitable implement applied thereto through the open end of chamber 3 until the end of the boss 26 on said plunger has been moved a sufficient distance to permit a pin (not shown), hereinafter called a holding pin, to be inserted through the openings 22. During this movement of the plunger I4, it will engage the stem 9 at the bottom of the bore I5, with the result that said stem is moved toward the left hand, causing the spring I I to be compressed. With a holding pin inserted in the openings 22, the force applied to the plunger I4 to move same inwardly may now be released and the holding pin will then engage the boss 26 and thereby hold the plunger, against the pressure of the springs II and 23,v in a position for facilitating further assembly.

With the plunger I4 held in the above mentioned position by the holding pin, the cam shaft I8 is mounted in the openings provided for it in the'body I and the holding pin is then withdrawn from the openings 22. With the holding pin thus withdrawn, the plunger I4 is moved outwardly, at first by the action of both springs II and 23 and finally by the action of spring 23 alone, until the end of the boss 26 engages the cam ll, provided the shaft I8 is in a position permitting entrance of said boss in the space between the shoulders 20 on said shaft. If, however, the shaft is not in a position permitting entrance of the boss 26 in the space between said shoulders, then the shaft is shifted in the direction of its length until said boss does not enter said space.

It will be noted that with the boss 26 maintained in engagement with the peripheral face of the cam II within the space between the shoulders 20, which, according tothe construction hereinbefore described, extend outwardly beyond the peripheral face of the cam H, the shaft I8 is held against movement out of the openings provided for it in the body I.

If it is desired to remove the shaft I8 from the drain valve device, the plunger I4 is forced inwardly, preferably by an implement inserted in the open end of chamber 3 and having a forked end for spanning the cam ll and engaging plunger I4, until the boss 26 has been moved out of the space between the shoulders 20. The shaft I8 may now be removed from the body I. It is obvious that with the shaft I8 removed, the remainder of the drain valve device may be readily disassembled. With the shaft I8, plunger I4 and spring 23 removed, to remove the pin I3, the stem 9 is turned by means of a screw driver, or other suitable tool, engaging within the slot 25 in the head of the valve 8, until said pin is substantially in alignment with the openings 22, after which the washer I2 is forced inwardlyout of engagement with the pin by means of a suitable implement inserted in the open end of chamber 3. Said pin having a loose fit in the stem 9, if the drain valve device is positioned as shown in Fig. 2, the pin will, by gravity, drop out of said stem and through the lower opening.

With the operating handle I9 in closed position, as shown in the drawing, the plunger I4 will be held in engagement with the flat portion 21 of the peripheral face of the cam I 4 by the spring 23 and the valve 8 will be held seated by the spring II and by the pressure of the fluid in chamber 2 and connected pipe 2I.

When it is desired to open the drain valve device, the operating handle I9 may be turned in either direction from the position shown in Fig. 2. The cam I1 is thereby rotated so that the plunger I4 is forced inwardly, engaging the end of the valve stem 9 at the bottom of the bore I and thereby unseating the valve 8, so that communication is opened from chamber 2 to chamber 4. Moisture which may have collected in chamber 2 and the connected pipe 2 I, and also the steam cylinder or reservoir to which pipe 2| is connected, is

thereupon drained off through the passage 6,

During the inward movement of the plunger [4, the springs H and 23 are compressed.

When the handle I9 is returned to its closed position, as shown in the drawing, the spring 23 returns the plunger H to its normal position and the spring ll acts to close the valve 8.

As the handle [9 is moved from open to closed position, the rounded portion of the peripheral face of the cam I1 is moved out of engagement with the plunger l4 and the flat portion 21 of said peripheral face is brought into engagement with said plunger. When said engagement has been effected, the operator will become aware of it through feel.

While one illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it is not my intention to limit its scope to that embodiment or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A valve device comprising a casing having a fluid conduit formed therein, a valve for controlling communication through said conduit, a stem for said valve, a plunger slidably mounted in said casing and operative to control the operation of said stem, a shaft rotatably mounted in said casing and having shoulders formed thereon, a cam on said shaft for controlling the operation of said plunger, and means for rotating said shaft, said plunger being adapted to engage said shoulders to prevent movement of said shaft in the direction of its length.

2. A valve device comprising a casing having a fluid conduit formed therein, a valve for controlling communication through said conduit, a stern for said valve, a plunger slidably mounted in said casing and operative to control the operation of said stem, a shaft rotatably mounted in said casing and having shoulders formed thereon interlocking with said plunger for preventing movement of said shaft in the direction 7 of its length, a cam on said shaft for controlling the operation of said plunger, means for rotating said shaft, and means for maintaining said plunger in operative relation with said cam and in interlocking relation with said shoulders.

3. A Valve device comprising a casing having a fluid conduit formed therein, a valve for controlling comrnrmication through said conduit, a stem for said valve, plunger slidably mounted in said casing and operative to control the operation of said stem, a shaft rotatably mounted in said casing and having shoulders formed thereon interlocking with said plunger for preventing movement of said shaft in the direction of its length, cam on said shaft for controlling the operation of said plunger, means for rotating said shaft, and spring means for maintaining said plunger in operative relation with said cam and in interlocking relation with said shoulders.

4. A valve device comprising a, casing having a fluid conduit formed therein, a valve for controlling communication through said conduit, a seat for said valve, a stem for said valve, a plunger slidably mounted in said casing and on said stem and being normallyspaced away from the end of said stem, means for actuating said plunger into operative engagement with the end of said stem, yieldable means urging said valve to said seat, and yieldable means for maintaining said plunger spaced away from the end of said stem when said valve is seated.

5. A valve device comprising a casing having a fluid conduit formed therein, a, valve for controlling communication through said conduit, a seat for said valve, a stem for said valve, a spring seat removably mounted on said stem, a spring under initial compression interposed between and engaging said casing and said spring seat for urging said valve to said valve seat, a member removably carried by said stem for retaining said spring seat in position on said stem against the action of said spring, a plunger slidably mounted in said casing and operable to. control the operation of said stem, means for controlling the operation of said plungenand means associated with said plunger for maintaining said member in its spring seat retaining position.

6. A valve device comprising a casing having a fluid conduit formed therein, a valve for controlling communication through said conduit, a seat for said valve, a stem for said valve, a spring seat removably mounted on said stem, a spring under initial compression interposed between and engaging said casing and said spring seat for urging said valve to said valve seat, a member removably carried by said stem for retaining said spring seat in position on said stein against the action of said spring, a plunger slidably mounted in said casing and operable to control the operation of said stem, means for control ing the operation of said plunger, and means associated with said plunger and adapted to prevent the unintentional separation of said member from said stem.

7. A valve device comprising a casing having a fluid conduit formed therein, a valve for controlling communication through said conduit, a seat for said valve, a stem for said valve, a spring seat removably mounted on said stem, a spring under initial compression interposed between and engaging said casing and said spring seat for urging said valve to said valve seat, a pin removably carried by said stern for retaining said spring seat in position on said stem against the action of said spring, a plunger slidably mounted in said casing and operable to control the operation of said stem, and means for controlling the operation of said plunger, said plunger having a flange formed thereon extending across the ends of said pin and adapted to prevent the unintentional separation of said pin from said stem.

8. A valve device comprising a casing having a fluid conduit formed therein and also having an opening, valve means for controlling communication through said conduit and comprising a valve, a stem for said valve and a member for controlling the operation of said stem, a shaft rotatably mounted in said casing for controlling the operation of said member, means for rotating said shaft, and means on said shaft engaging said member for locking said shaft against movement in the direction of its length, said member being adapted to be moved by a tool, adapted to be inserted in the casing, out of locking engagement with said shaft into a position permitting insertion of another tool through said opening and into engagement with said member to maintain said member in said position.

CLYDE C. FARMER.

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