Stainless steel ball valve

Abstract

The utility model provides a stainless steel ball valve, and belongs to the technical field of valves. The problem that the service life is short due to the fact that a valve body is manufactured through a casting process is solved. The valve cap is connected with the valve body, the valve ball is arranged between the valve body and the valve cap, a valve rod is further arranged in the valve body, the inner end of the valve rod is connected with the valve ball, the outer end of the valve rod extends out of the valve body and is fixedly connected with a handle, and the valve body comprises a cylindrical main body with two open ends and a columnar rod sleeve. One end of the bonnet is in threaded connection into one end of the body, a through hole is formed in the side portion of the body, the inner end of the rod sleeve is welded and fixedly connected to the side portion of the body, the through hole is located in the inner side of the rod sleeve, the valve rod sequentially penetrates through the through hole and the rod sleeve, and a limiting structure for limiting the rotation angle of the handle is arranged between the handle and the outer end of the rod sleeve. An inclined positioning face is connected between the inner end face and the peripheral wall of the rod sleeve, a limiting face is arranged on the outer side of the body, and the positioning face abuts against the limiting face. And the service life is long.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of valve technology and relates to stainless steel ball valves. Background Technology

[0002] Ball valves are a common type of valve in daily life, mainly used for shutting off, distributing, and changing the flow direction of media. Currently, the market is dominated by brass ball valves, which consist of a valve body, a valve cap threaded to the valve body, and a valve ball and stem housed within the valve body. A neck is integrally formed on the side of the valve body, and the valve stem extends from the neck to connect to the operating handle. However, due to rising brass prices and the potential impact of lead content in brass valves on water quality, more and more companies are beginning to use stainless steel instead of brass.

[0003] However, this one-piece valve body structure can only be achieved using traditional casting processes when manufactured from stainless steel. But due to inherent defects in the casting process, the resulting stainless steel valve bodies almost always contain porosity and sand holes, thus affecting the service life of the stainless steel ball valve. Of course, besides casting, it is also possible to machine the stainless steel valve body directly on a machine tool, but the high hardness of stainless steel makes it unsuitable for mass production. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the aforementioned problems in the existing technology by proposing a stainless steel ball valve, which solves the problem of short service life caused by the valve body being manufactured through a casting process.

[0005] The objective of this utility model can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A stainless steel ball valve includes a valve body, a valve cap connected to the valve body, and a valve ball disposed between the valve body and the valve cap. The valve body also includes a valve stem, the inner end of which is connected to the valve ball, and the outer end of which extends out of the valve body and is fixedly connected to a handle. The valve body comprises a cylindrical main body with open ends and a cylindrical rod sleeve. One end of the valve cap is threaded into one end of the main body. A through hole is provided on the side of the main body. The inner end of the rod sleeve is welded and fixed to the side of the main body, and the through hole is located inside the rod sleeve. The valve stem passes through the through hole and the rod sleeve in sequence. A limiting structure restricting the rotation angle of the handle is provided between the handle and the outer end of the rod sleeve. An inclined positioning surface is connected between the inner end face and the outer peripheral wall of the rod sleeve. A limiting surface is provided on the outer side of the main body, and the positioning surface abuts against the limiting surface.

[0007] This stainless steel ball valve features a split structure for the valve body, consisting of a cylindrical body open at both ends and a cylindrical stem sleeve. The body can be directly forged, while the stem sleeve can be machined. The stem sleeve is then welded to the body to form the valve body. This design eliminates the need for casting, thus removing defects such as porosity and sand holes inherent in casting and extending the valve's lifespan. However, compared to a cast-in-place valve body, where the stem protrusion is pre-installed, this stainless steel ball valve's separate manufacturing and reassembly of the body and stem sleeve requires precise positioning of the stem sleeve during connection. Furthermore, the angle between the handle and the stem is critical. Inaccurate positioning of the stem sleeve can prevent proper alignment of the guide structure between the stem sleeve and the handle. To this end, this stainless steel ball valve has an inclined positioning surface connected between the inner end face and the outer peripheral wall of the rod sleeve, and a corresponding limiting surface is provided on the outer side of the main body. When the rod sleeve is pressed against the side of the main body, the circumferential position of the rod sleeve is positioned by the abutting of the positioning surface and the limiting surface, thereby ensuring that the limiting structure can be smoothly formed between the handle and the outer end of the rod sleeve after the handle is finally connected to the valve stem.

[0008] In the aforementioned stainless steel ball valve, the inner end face of the rod sleeve is an arc-shaped surface, and the inner end face of the rod sleeve is in contact with the outer peripheral wall of the main body.

[0009] The main body is cylindrical with a cylindrical outer surface. By setting the inner end face of the sleeve to an arc shape, the inner end face of the sleeve can fit against the outer wall of the main body, so that there is almost no gap between the two, ensuring the strength and sealing performance after welding.

[0010] In the aforementioned stainless steel ball valve, the outer wall of the end where the main body and valve cap are threadedly connected protrudes beyond the outer wall of the through hole. The limiting surface is located between the outer wall of the end where the main body and valve cap are threadedly connected and the outer wall of the through hole. The other end of the main body retracts inward. Sealing gaskets are provided between the valve ball and the inwardly retracted end of the main body, as well as between the valve ball and the valve cap.

[0011] During assembly, one of the sealing valve gaskets is inserted from the end where the body and valve cap are threaded together into the inwardly contracting end of the body. Then, the valve ball is inserted from the end where the body and valve cap are threaded together until it abuts against the sealing valve gasket. Finally, the other sealing valve gasket is installed on the valve cap and the valve cap is threaded onto the body so that the sealing valve gasket also abuts against the valve ball.

[0012] The valve ball is inserted into the body from the threaded connection end between the body and the valve cap. The threaded connection between the body and the valve cap requires a relatively thick wall. Due to these two factors, the outer wall of the end of the body that is threaded to the valve cap naturally protrudes from the outer wall of the through hole after the body is forged. The limiting surface is the transition position between the thickened outer wall and the outer wall of the body at the through hole. In other words, the limiting surface is also directly provided when the body is forged, without the need for additional machining.

[0013] In the aforementioned stainless steel ball valve, the limiting structure includes two limiting blocks protruding from the outer end of the rod sleeve and a mating block on the handle. The two limiting blocks are distributed circumferentially and the included angle between the two limiting blocks is 90°. The mating block is located between the two limiting blocks.

[0014] When the handle is turned, the mating block will move between the two limit blocks. In this way, the mating block and the limit blocks can limit the rotation angle of the valve stem.

[0015] In the aforementioned stainless steel ball valve, as another technical solution, the limiting structure includes two protrusions on the handle and a stop block protruding from the outer end of the rod sleeve. The two protrusions are distributed circumferentially and the included angle between the two protrusions is 90°, with the stop block located between the two protrusions.

[0016] In the aforementioned stainless steel ball valve, a crimping connector is welded and fixed to the other end of the main body and the other end of the valve cap. The two ends of the crimping connector are a crimping connection end and a mating end, respectively. The main body is connected to the mating end of the corresponding crimping connector, and the main body and the inner peripheral wall of the crimping connector cooperate to form a first stop step. The valve cap is connected to the mating end of the corresponding crimping connector, and the valve cap and the inner peripheral wall of the crimping connector cooperate to form a second stop step.

[0017] The crimped fitting allows this stainless steel ball valve to form a crimped connection with pipe fittings. The first stop step formed by the cooperation between the main body and the inner circumferential wall of the crimped fitting, and the second stop step formed by the cooperation between the valve cap and the inner circumferential wall of the crimped fitting, both serve to abut against the end of the pipe fitting to limit the insertion depth of the pipe fitting.

[0018] This stainless steel ball valve has a first stop step formed by the direct fit between the body and the inner circumferential wall of the press-fit pipe, and a second stop step formed by the direct fit between the valve cap and the inner circumferential wall of the press-fit pipe. This eliminates the need for additional machining of the body and valve cap during manufacturing to limit the insertion depth of the pipe fitting.

[0019] In the aforementioned stainless steel ball valve, the inner hole at the end where the valve cap connects to the press-fit connector is hexagonal, and the diameter of its circumscribed circle is smaller than the inner diameter of the press-fit connector.

[0020] The press-fit connector is first welded to the valve cap, and then the valve cap is threaded onto the body. By setting the inner hole of the end where the valve cap connects to the press-fit connector to be a regular hexagon, and setting the diameter of its circumscribed circle to be smaller than the inner diameter of the press-fit connector, a tool can be directly inserted through the press-fit connector into this regular hexagonal hole to rotate the valve cap. Compared to using a wrench to directly clamp the valve cap, which may damage the press-fit connector, this method of the present application is less likely to damage the press-fit connector.

[0021] Compared with existing technologies, this stainless steel ball valve has the following advantages:

[0022] 1. The valve body is designed as a split structure, consisting of a cylindrical main body open at both ends and a columnar rod sleeve. The main body can be directly forged, while the rod sleeve can be directly machined. Finally, the rod sleeve is welded to the main body to form the valve body. This design eliminates the need for casting, thus removing defects such as porosity and sand holes inherent in casting and extending the valve body's service life.

[0023] 2. By setting an inclined positioning surface between the inner end face and the outer peripheral wall of the rod sleeve, and setting a corresponding limiting surface on the outer side of the main body, the circumferential position of the rod sleeve is positioned by the positioning surface abutting against the limiting surface when the rod sleeve is pressed against the side of the main body. This ensures that the limiting structure can be smoothly formed between the handle and the outer end of the rod sleeve after the handle is finally connected to the valve stem. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the stainless steel ball valve.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the stainless steel ball valve from another angle.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the stainless steel ball valve.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the rod sleeve.

[0028] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the main body.

[0029] In the figure, 1 is the valve body; 1a is the main body; 1a1 is the through hole; 1a2 is the limiting surface; 1b is the rod sleeve; 1b1 is the positioning surface; 1b2 is the limiting block; 2 is the valve cap; 3 is the valve ball; 4 is the valve stem; 5 is the handle; 5a is the mating block; 6 is the sealing valve gasket; 7 is the clamping pipe; 7a is the convex ring; 7b is the groove; 8 is the first stop step; 9 is the second stop step; and 10 is the sealing ring. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The following are specific embodiments of the present invention, which are described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0031] Example 1

[0032] like Figures 1-5 As shown, the stainless steel ball valve includes a valve body 1, a valve cap 2 connected to the valve body 1, and a valve ball 3 disposed between the valve body 1 and the valve cap 2. A valve stem 4 is also provided inside the valve body 1, with its inner end connected to the valve ball 3. The outer end of the valve stem 4 extends out of the valve body 1 and is fixedly connected to a handle 5. The valve body 1 includes a cylindrical body 1a with open ends and a cylindrical rod sleeve 1b. One end of the body 1a is constricted inwards, and one end of the valve cap 2 is threaded into the other end of the body 1a. A compression fitting 7 is welded and fixed to both the other end of the valve cap 2 and the constricted end of the body 1a. Sealing gaskets 6, made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), are abutted against both the threaded end of the valve cap 2 and the constricted end of the body 1a. The two sealing gaskets 6 abut against both sides of the valve ball 3. The inner end of the sleeve 1b is welded and fixed to the side of the main body 1a. The side of the main body 1a is provided with a through hole 1a1, which is located inside the sleeve 1b. The valve stem 4 passes through the through hole 1a1 and the sleeve 1b in sequence. A limiting structure is provided between the handle 5 and the outer end of the sleeve 1b to limit the rotation angle of the handle 5. The limiting structure includes two limiting blocks 1b2 protruding from the outer end of the sleeve 1b and a mating block 5a on the handle 5. The two limiting blocks 1b2 are distributed circumferentially and the included angle between the two limiting blocks 1b2 is 90°. The mating block 5a is located between the two limiting blocks 1b2. When the handle 5 is rotated, the mating block 5a will move between the two limiting blocks 1b2. In this way, the abutment between the mating block 5a and the limiting blocks 1b2 can limit the rotation angle of the valve stem 4. The sleeve 1b has an inclined positioning surface 1b1 connecting its inner end face and outer peripheral wall. The outer side of the main body 1a has a limiting surface 1a2, with the positioning surface 1b1 abutting against the limiting surface 1a2. In practice, the inner end face of the sleeve 1b is an arc-shaped surface, and the inner end face of the sleeve 1b abuts against the outer wall of the main body 1a. The outer wall of the end of the main body 1a that is threadedly connected to the valve cap 2 protrudes beyond the outer wall of the through hole 1a1. The limiting surface 1a2 is located between the outer wall of the end of the main body 1a that is threadedly connected to the valve cap 2 and the outer wall of the through hole 1a1.

[0033] This stainless steel ball valve features a split structure for the valve body 1, comprising a cylindrical body 1a open at both ends and a cylindrical rod sleeve 1b. The body 1a can be directly forged, while the rod sleeve 1b can be directly machined. Finally, the rod sleeve 1b is welded to the body 1a to form the valve body 1. This design eliminates the need for casting as in traditional valve bodies, thus avoiding the porosity and sand holes inherent in casting and extending the service life of the valve body 1. However, compared to the valve body 1, which is a cast-in-place structure, the valve body 1 has a pre-existing position for the valve stem 4 to pass through. In contrast, the stainless steel ball valve has a structure in which the main body 1a and the stem sleeve 1b are manufactured separately and then reassembled. Therefore, there are special requirements for the circumferential position of the stem sleeve 1b during connection, and there are also angle requirements when the handle 5 is connected to the valve stem 4. Therefore, if the circumferential position of the stem sleeve 1b is inaccurate, the guide structure between the stem sleeve 1b and the handle 5 may not be formed properly. To this end, this stainless steel ball valve has an inclined positioning surface 1b1 connected between the inner end face and the outer peripheral wall of the rod sleeve 1b, and a corresponding limiting surface 1a2 is provided on the outer side of the main body 1a. When the rod sleeve 1b is pressed against the side of the main body 1a, the circumferential position of the rod sleeve 1b is positioned by the abutting of the positioning surface 1b1 and the limiting surface 1a2. This ensures that the limiting structure can be smoothly formed between the handle 5 and the outer end of the rod sleeve 1b after the handle 5 is finally connected to the valve stem 4.

[0034] Furthermore, such as Figures 1-3 As shown, the two ends of the crimping connector 7 are a crimping connection end and a mating end, respectively. The main body 1a is connected to the mating end of the corresponding crimping connector 7, and the main body 1a and the inner peripheral wall of the crimping connector 7 cooperate to form a first stop step 8. The valve cap 2 is connected to the mating end of the corresponding crimping connector 7, and the valve cap 2 and the inner peripheral wall of the crimping connector 7 cooperate to form a second stop step 9. The inner hole of the end of the valve cap 2 connected to the crimping connector 7 is a regular hexagon, and its circumscribed circle is directly smaller than the inner diameter of the crimping connector 7. The first stop step 8 formed by the cooperation of the main body 1a and the inner peripheral wall of the crimping connector 7, and the second stop step 9 formed by the cooperation of the valve cap 2 and the inner peripheral wall of the crimping connector 7, both serve to abut against the end of the pipe fitting to limit the insertion depth of the pipe fitting. The outer peripheral side of the crimping connection end of the crimping connector 7 is provided with a protruding ring 7a, and the inner peripheral side of the crimping connection end, corresponding to the position of the protruding ring 7a, has an annular groove 7b, and a sealing ring 10 is provided in the groove 7b. During connection, insert the fitting into the crimp connector 7, and then use a hydraulic tool to clamp the crimp connection end, so that the crimp connection end and the fitting deform together to complete the crimping.

[0035] Example 2

[0036] This embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment in terms of structure and principle. The difference is that in this embodiment, the limiting structure includes two protrusions on the handle 5 and a stop block protruding from the outer end of the rod sleeve 1b. The two protrusions are distributed circumferentially and the included angle between the two protrusions is 90°. The stop block is located between the two protrusions. When the handle 5 is rotated, the stop block will move between the two protrusions. In this way, the abutment between the mating block 5a and the limiting block 1b2 can limit the rotation angle of the valve stem 4.

[0037] The specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative examples illustrating the spirit of this utility model. Those skilled in the art to which this utility model pertains may make various modifications or additions to the described specific embodiments or use similar methods to substitute them, without departing from the spirit of this utility model or exceeding the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A stainless steel ball valve, comprising a valve body (1), a valve cap (2) connected to the valve body (1), and a valve ball (3) disposed between the valve body (1) and the valve cap (2), wherein the valve body (1) is further provided with a valve stem (4), the inner end of the valve stem (4) is connected to the valve ball (3), and the outer end of the valve stem (4) extends out of the valve body (1) and is fixedly connected to a handle (5), characterized in that, The valve body (1) includes a cylindrical body (1a) with two open ends and a columnar rod sleeve (1b). One end of the valve cap (2) is threaded into one end of the body (1a). The side of the body (1a) is provided with a through hole (1a1). The inner end of the rod sleeve (1b) is welded and fixed to the side of the body (1a), and the through hole (1a1) is located inside the rod sleeve (1b). The valve stem (4) passes through the through hole (1a1) and the rod sleeve (1b) in sequence. A limiting structure is provided between the handle (5) and the outer end of the rod sleeve (1b) to limit the rotation angle of the handle (5). An inclined positioning surface (1b1) is connected between the inner end face and the outer peripheral wall of the rod sleeve (1b). The outer side of the body (1a) has a limiting surface (1a2), and the positioning surface (1b1) and the limiting surface (1a2) are in contact.

2. The stainless steel ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner end face of the sleeve (1b) is an arc-shaped surface, and the inner end face of the sleeve (1b) is in contact with the outer peripheral wall of the main body (1a).

3. The stainless steel ball valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The outer wall of the threaded connection between the main body (1a) and the valve cap (2) protrudes from the outer wall of the through hole (1a1). The limiting surface (1a2) is located between the outer wall of the threaded connection between the main body (1a) and the valve cap (2) and the outer wall of the through hole (1a1). The other end of the main body (1a) retracts inward. The valve ball (3) and the retracted end of the main body (1a) and the valve cap (2) are both abutted by a sealing valve gasket (6).

4. The stainless steel ball valve according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that, The limiting structure includes two limiting blocks (1b2) protruding from the outer end of the sleeve (1b) and a mating block (5a) on the handle (5). The two limiting blocks (1b2) are distributed circumferentially and the included angle between the two limiting blocks (1b2) is 90°. The mating block (5a) is located between the two limiting blocks (1b2).

5. The stainless steel ball valve according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that, The limiting structure includes two protrusions on the handle (5) and a stop block protruding from the outer end of the sleeve (1b). The two protrusions are distributed circumferentially and the included angle between the two protrusions is 90°. The stop block is located between the two protrusions.

6. The stainless steel ball valve according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that, The other end of the main body (1a) and the other end of the valve cap (2) are welded and fixed with a crimping tube (7). The two ends of the crimping tube (7) are a crimping connection end and a docking end, respectively. The main body (1a) is connected to the docking end of the corresponding crimping tube (7) and the main body (1a) and the inner peripheral wall of the crimping tube (7) cooperate to form a first stop step (8). The valve cap (2) is connected to the docking end of the corresponding crimping tube (7) and the valve cap (2) and the inner peripheral wall of the crimping tube (7) cooperate to form a second stop step (9).

7. The stainless steel ball valve according to claim 6, characterized in that, The inner hole of the valve cap (2) connected to the clamping tube (7) is a regular hexagon and the diameter of its circumscribed circle is smaller than the inner hole diameter of the clamping tube (7).

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