A ball valve

Abstract

This utility model provides a ball valve, belonging to the field of valve technology. It solves the problem of laborious operation caused by high opening and closing torque. It includes a valve body, a ball core, and a valve stem. An annular limiting part is provided within the valve body, and a valve seat is threadedly connected within the valve body. The valve seat and the limiting part are located on opposite sides of the ball core. The limiting part mates with the inner wall of the valve body to form a positioning step one. A positioning step two is provided within the valve seat. Rubber rings are respectively abutted on positioning step one and positioning step two. The valve body also has an abutting step one, and the inner end of the valve seat has an abutting step two. Metal limiting rings are respectively abutted on abutting step one and abutting step two. The inner diameter of the metal limiting rings is larger than the inner diameter of the rubber rings. The metal limiting rings positioned on the valve seat and the rubber rings abut against the same side of the ball core, while the metal limiting rings positioned within the valve body and the rubber rings abut against the other side of the ball core. It has advantages such as low opening and closing torque and labor-saving operation.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Ball valves are extremely common in daily life, widely used in various industries for their ability to cut off, distribute, and change the flow direction of media. A ball valve consists of a valve body and a ball and stem, both housed within the valve body. Operating the stem rotates the ball to achieve connection or disconnection. To keep the ball within the valve body, a valve seat is threaded into the valve body. For sealing, sealing gaskets are placed on both sides of the ball. One gasket rests between the ball and the inner wall of the valve body, while the other rests between the ball and the inner end of the valve seat.

[0003] In existing ball valves, the sealing gaskets are made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), also known as PTFE. This ensures a tight seal while also providing the gaskets with sufficient rigidity to prevent the ball core from shifting between the two gaskets. However, this also means that the gaskets have relatively weak deformation capacity, requiring a large force to compress the gaskets and rotate the ball core. Therefore, existing ball valves generally suffer from high opening and closing torque, leading to laborious operation. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the aforementioned problems in the existing technology by proposing a ball valve that solves the problem of laborious operation caused by high opening and closing torque.

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

[0006] A ball valve includes a valve body and a ball core and a valve stem disposed within the valve body. An annular limiting portion is integrally formed within the valve body. A valve seat is threadedly connected within the valve body. The valve seat and the limiting portion are located on opposite sides of the ball core. The side wall of the limiting portion facing the valve seat mates with the inner wall of the valve body to form a positioning step one. A positioning step two is provided within the valve seat near its inner end. The valve body also includes an abutting step one, and the valve seat has an abutting step two at its inner end. Metal limiting rings abut against both abutting steps one and two, located between two rubber rings. The inner diameter of the metal limiting rings is larger than the inner diameter of the rubber rings. The metal limiting rings positioned on the valve seat and the rubber rings abut against the same side of the ball core, while the metal limiting rings positioned within the valve body abut against the other side of the ball core.

[0007] This ball valve uses rubber rings on both positioning steps one and two, replacing the traditional PTFE sealing gaskets. Because the rubber rings are softer than PTFE gaskets, they significantly reduce opening and closing torque, making it easier and less strenuous for users to open and close the valve. However, because the rubber rings are softer, they cannot provide proper positioning of the ball core along the flow direction. This allows the ball core to easily shift under medium pressure, potentially causing excessive compression of one of the rubber rings. In this case, a gap can appear between the ball core and the other rubber ring, leading to leakage. Therefore, this ball valve has an abutment step one inside the valve body and an abutment step two inside the valve seat. Metal limiting rings are respectively abutted on the abutment step one and the abutment step two. The two metal limiting rings are located between the two rubber rings. The inner diameter of the metal limiting rings is larger than the inner diameter of the rubber rings. In this way, the metal limiting ring and the rubber ring positioned on the valve seat will abut against the same side of the ball core in sequence, while the metal limiting ring and the rubber ring positioned inside the valve body will abut against the other side of the ball core in sequence. Thus, the two metal limiting rings can be used to firmly position the ball core along the water flow direction, thereby ensuring that the ball core will not shift and leak.

[0008] In one of the ball valves described above, the inner side of the metal limiting ring has a mating surface that fits against the outer surface of the ball core.

[0009] The above settings prevent wear between the ball core and the metal limiting ring during rotation, while also creating a hard seal between them to further ensure the sealing effect.

[0010] In the ball valve described above, the limiting part has an annular groove one on one side wall facing the valve seat, and the rubber ring part that abuts against the positioning step one is located in the annular groove one. The positioning step two has an annular groove two, and the rubber ring part that abuts against the positioning step two is located in the annular groove two.

[0011] An annular groove is provided on the side wall of the limiting part facing the valve seat. The rubber ring portion that abuts against the positioning step is located within the annular groove. This annular groove provides better positioning for the rubber ring, ensuring that the rubber ring will not tilt or shift on one side under water pressure when the ball valve is in a half-open state. Similarly, an annular groove is provided on the positioning step, and the rubber ring portion that abuts against the positioning step is located within the annular groove. This annular groove provides better positioning for the rubber ring, ensuring that the rubber ring will not tilt or shift on one side under water pressure when the ball valve is in a half-open state.

[0012] In the ball valve described above, a handle is connected to the valve stem, and a protrusion is provided in the central area of ​​the upper end of the valve stem. The protrusion is located outside the valve body, and a cavity is provided at the bottom of the handle. A slot in the shape of a straight line is provided on the protrusion, and a block in the shape of a straight line is integrally fixed to the inner wall of the cavity. The protrusion is located inside the cavity, and the block is located inside the slot.

[0013] The flat-bottomed insert on the handle is located within a flat-bottomed groove on the valve stem, thus circumferentially fixing the handle and valve stem together. This allows the valve stem to be rotated by turning the handle. Because the groove is flat-bottomed, if the handle becomes loose and falls off the valve stem, the user can operate the valve stem by inserting a coin or a flathead screwdriver into the groove.

[0014] In the aforementioned ball valve, the lower end of the valve stem has a protruding connecting part that is inserted into the ball core. The outer periphery of the lower end of the valve stem has two abutting surfaces along the circumferential direction. Both abutting surfaces are planes and the included angle between them is 90°. The outer periphery of the lower end of the valve stem also has a relief surface connected between the two abutting surfaces. The relief surface is a plane or a curved surface concave towards the valve stem axis. The valve stem can rotate from abutting one abutting surface against the inner end of the valve seat to abutting the other abutting surface against the inner end of the valve seat.

[0015] When the ball valve is in the closed position, one of its abutting surfaces abuts against the inner end of the valve seat. When the valve stem is rotated to open the ball valve, the presence of the relief surface allows the valve stem to rotate freely without being constrained by the inner end of the valve seat, until the valve stem rotates to the point where the other abutting surface abuts against the inner end of the valve seat and can no longer rotate. This design constitutes a limiting structure for the valve stem rotation angle. Furthermore, since this limiting structure is located between the valve stem and the valve seat, no further machining is required on the valve body. Simultaneously, because it is implemented directly using the inner end of the valve seat, no machining is needed on the valve seat either. In other words, only the valve stem needs to be machined, thus simplifying manufacturing.

[0016] In the aforementioned ball valve, the connecting part is in the shape of a straight block, the top of the ball core is provided with a cutting plane, the cutting plane is provided with a straight connecting groove, and the connecting part is inserted into the connecting groove.

[0017] Compared with existing technologies, this ball valve has rubber rings abutting on positioning step one and positioning step two, respectively. It also has positioning step one inside the valve body and positioning step two inside the valve seat. Metal limiting rings abutting on both positioning steps one and two, positioned between the two rubber rings. The inner diameter of the metal limiting rings is larger than that of the rubber rings. This ensures that the metal limiting ring on the valve seat and the rubber ring abut against the same side of the ball core, while the metal limiting ring inside the valve body abuts against the other side of the ball core. This design utilizes rubber rings instead of the traditional PTFE sealing gaskets as sealing elements, reducing opening and closing torque. Simultaneously, the two metal limiting rings provide a firm positioning effect on the ball core along the water flow direction, preventing displacement and leakage. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the ball valve.

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of the centrally positioned step one and the point where it abuts the step.

[0020] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Enlarged view of the middle positioning step two and the part that abuts step two.

[0021] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the handle and valve stem.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a exploded view of the handle and valve stem from another angle.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the fit between the valve stem and the valve seat.

[0024] In the diagram, 1. Valve body; 1a. Limiting part; 1a1. Annular groove one; 1b. Positioning step one; 1c. Abutting step one; 2. Ball core; 2a. Cutting plane; 2b. Connecting groove; 3. Valve stem; 3a. Protrusion; 3b. Groove; 3c. Connecting hole; 3d. Connecting part; 3e. Abutting surface; 3f. Relief surface; 4. Handle; 4a. Cavity; 4b. Insert; 5. Valve seat; 5a. Positioning step two; 5b. Abutting step two; 5c. Annular groove two; 6. Rubber ring; 7. Metal limiting ring; 7a. Mating surface; 8. Screw. Detailed Implementation

[0025] 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.

[0026] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a ball valve includes a valve body 1, a ball core 2 and a valve stem 3 disposed within the valve body 1. The lower end of the valve stem 3 is connected to the ball core 2, and the valve stem 3 extends out of the valve body 1 and is connected to a handle 4. An annular limiting part 1a is integrally provided inside the valve body 1, and a valve seat 5 is threadedly connected to the valve body 1. The valve seat 5 and the limiting part 1a are respectively located on both sides of the ball core 2. The limiting part 1a has a side wall facing the valve seat 5 that mates with the inner wall of the valve body 1 to form a positioning step 1b. A second positioning step 5a is located near the inner end of the valve seat 5. Rubber rings 6 are respectively abutted on the first positioning step 1b and the second positioning step 5a. The valve body 1 also has an abutting step 1c, and the inner end of the valve body 5 has an abutting step 5b. Metal limiting rings 7 are respectively abutted on the first abutting step 1c and the second abutting step 5b. The two metal limiting rings 7 are located between the two rubber rings 6, and the inner diameter of the metal limiting rings 7 is larger than the inner diameter of the rubber rings 6. The metal limiting rings 7 positioned on the valve seat 5 and the rubber rings 6 abut against the same side of the ball core 2, while the metal limiting rings 7 positioned inside the valve body 1 and the rubber rings 6 abut against the other side of the ball core 2. In this embodiment, the inner side of the metal limiting ring 7 has a mating surface 7a, which is attached to the outer surface of the ball core 2. The limiting part 1a has an annular groove 1a1 on one side wall facing the valve seat 5. The rubber ring 6 that abuts against the positioning step 1b is located in the annular groove 1a1. The positioning step 2a has an annular groove 5c. The rubber ring 6 that abuts against the positioning step 2a is located in the annular groove 5c.

[0027] like Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the upper end of the valve stem 3 has a protrusion 3a in its central region, which is located outside the valve body 1. The bottom of the handle 4 has a cavity 4a, and the protrusion 3a has a straight groove 3b. A straight block 4b is integrally fixed to the inner wall of the cavity 4a. The protrusion 3a is located inside the cavity 4a, and the block 4b is located inside the groove 3b. In this embodiment, the handle 4 and the valve stem 3 are fixed together by screws 8. The valve stem 3 has a connecting hole 3c, which penetrates the bottom wall of the groove 3b. The shank of the screw 8 passes through the block 4b and is threaded into the connecting hole 3c. The lower end of the valve stem 3 has a protruding connecting part 3d that is inserted into the ball core 2. The connecting part 3d is a straight block. The top of the ball core 2 has a cutting plane 2a, and the cutting plane 2a has a straight connecting groove 2b. The connecting part 3d is inserted into the connecting groove 2b.

[0028] Furthermore, such as Figure 6As shown, the lower end of the valve stem 3 has two abutment surfaces 3e along its circumferential direction on its outer periphery. Both abutment surfaces 3e are planar, and the included angle between them is 90°. The lower end of the valve stem 3 also has a relief surface 3f connecting the two abutment surfaces 3e. The relief surface 3f is either a planar surface or a curved surface concave towards the axis of the valve stem 3. The valve stem 3 can rotate from abutting against the inner end of the valve seat 5 on one abutment surface 3e to abutting against the inner end of the valve seat 5 on the other abutment surface 3e. When the ball valve is in the closed state, one abutment surface 3e abuts against the inner end of the valve seat 5. When the valve stem 3 is rotated to switch the ball valve to the open state, the presence of the relief surface 3f allows the valve stem 3 to rotate without being constrained by the inner end of the valve seat 5, until the valve stem 3 rotates to abutting against the inner end of the valve seat 5 on the other abutment surface 3e and can no longer rotate. This configuration forms a limiting structure for the rotation angle of the valve stem 3. Since the limiting structure is located between the valve stem 3 and the valve seat 5, there is no need to perform corresponding machining on the valve body 1. Furthermore, since it is implemented directly using the inner end of the valve seat 5, no machining is required on the valve seat 5 either. In other words, only the valve stem 3 needs to be machined, which makes manufacturing more convenient.

[0029] This ball valve uses rubber rings 6 on both positioning steps 1b and 5a to replace the traditional PTFE sealing gaskets. Because rubber rings 6 are softer than PTFE gaskets, they significantly reduce opening and closing torque, making it easier and less strenuous for users to open and close the valve. However, because rubber rings 6 are softer, they cannot provide proper positioning of the ball core 2 along the flow direction. This allows the ball core 2 to easily shift under medium pressure, potentially causing excessive compression of one of the rubber rings 6. In this case, a gap will appear between the ball core 2 and the other rubber ring 6, leading to leakage. Therefore, this ball valve has an abutment step 1c inside the valve body 1 and an abutment step 5b inside the valve seat 5. Metal limiting rings 7 are respectively abutted on the abutment step 1c and the abutment step 5b. The two metal limiting rings 7 are located between the two rubber rings 6. The inner diameter of the metal limiting rings 7 is larger than the inner diameter of the rubber rings 6. In this way, the metal limiting rings 7 and the rubber rings 6 positioned on the valve seat 5 will abut against the same side of the ball core 2 in sequence, while the metal limiting rings 7 and the rubber rings 6 positioned inside the valve body 1 will abut against the other side of the ball core 2 in sequence. Thus, the two metal limiting rings 7 can be used to firmly position the ball core 2 along the water flow direction, thereby ensuring that the ball core 2 will not shift and leak.

[0030] 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 ball valve, comprising a valve body (1) and a ball core (2) and a valve stem (3) disposed within the valve body (1), wherein an annular limiting part (1a) is integrally provided within the valve body (1), and a valve seat (5) is threadedly connected to the valve body (1), the valve seat (5) and the limiting part (1a) being located on opposite sides of the ball core (2), wherein the side wall of the limiting part (1a) facing the valve seat (5) cooperates with the inner wall of the valve body (1) to form a positioning step one (1b), and a positioning step two (5a) is provided within the valve seat (5) near its inner end, characterized in that, The positioning step one (1b) and positioning step two (5a) are respectively abutted by rubber rings (6), and the valve body (1) is also provided with abutting step one (1c). The valve seat (5) is provided with abutting step two (5b) at its inner end. Metal limiting rings (7) are respectively abutted by abutting step one (1c) and abutting step two (5b). The two metal limiting rings (7) are located between the two rubber rings (6). The inner diameter of the metal limiting ring (7) is larger than the inner diameter of the rubber ring (6). The metal limiting ring (7) positioned on the valve seat (5) and the rubber ring (6) abut against the same side of the ball core (2) in sequence. The metal limiting ring (7) positioned in the valve body (1) and the rubber ring (6) abut against the other side of the ball core (2) in sequence.

2. A ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner side of the metal limiting ring (7) has a mating surface (7a), which is attached to the outer surface of the ball core (2).

3. A ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The limiting part (1a) has an annular groove (1a1) on one side wall facing the valve seat (5). The rubber ring (6) that abuts against the positioning step (1b) is located in the annular groove (1a1). The positioning step (5a) has an annular groove (5c). The rubber ring (6) that abuts against the positioning step (5a) is located in the annular groove (5c).

4. A ball valve according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that, The valve stem (3) is connected to a handle (4). The upper end of the valve stem (3) has a protrusion (3a) in the center area. The protrusion (3a) is located outside the valve body (1). The bottom of the handle (4) has a cavity (4a). The protrusion (3a) has a slot (3b) in the shape of a straight line. The inner wall of the cavity (4a) is integrally fixed with a block (4b) in the shape of a straight line. The protrusion (3a) is located in the cavity (4a) and the block (4b) is located in the slot (3b).

5. A ball valve according to claim 4, characterized in that, The lower end of the valve stem (3) is provided with a connecting part (3d) that is inserted into the ball core (2). The lower end of the valve stem (3) has two abutting surfaces (3e) along the circumferential direction. Both abutting surfaces (3e) are planes and the included angle between them is 90°. The lower end of the valve stem (3) is also provided with a relief surface (3f) connected between the two abutting surfaces (3e). The relief surface (3f) is a plane or a curved surface that is concave towards the axis of the valve stem (3). The valve stem (3) can rotate from abutting one abutting surface (3e) to abutting the inner end of the valve seat (5) to abutting the other abutting surface (3e) to abutting the inner end of the valve seat (5).

6. A ball valve according to claim 5, characterized in that, The connecting part (3d) is in the shape of a straight block. The top of the ball core (2) is provided with a cutting plane (2a), and a straight connecting groove (2b) is provided on the cutting plane (2a). The connecting part (3d) is inserted into the connecting groove (2b).

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