Low torque ball valve

Abstract

The utility model relates to ball valve technical field, concretely is a kind of low torque ball valve, the bottom of driving mechanism is connected through valve stem with the square hole of the upper end of ball body arranged in valve body, the bottom round axle of ball body is connected with the fixed axle hole arranged in the bottom of valve body, the other side spherical surface of ball body is pasted tightly with sealing washer, sealing washer is pasted tightly with spring support pad, spring support pad is connected with the protruding buckle connection of valve body connecting port through buckle structure on it, spring is arranged in spring limiting hole on the circumference of spring support pad, the utility model is connected with the protruding buckle connection of valve body connecting port through buckle structure on it, spring support pad is connected with the protruding buckle connection of valve body connecting port through buckle structure on it, spring is arranged in spring limiting hole on the circumference of spring support pad, the utility model can effectively reduce the prerequisite of valve switch torque under the condition that the structure design is more compact and reasonable, and the amount of parts is less, easy to assemble and manufacture.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of ball valve technology, specifically a low-torque ball valve. Background Technology

[0002] Ball valves are widely used as a common fluid control component due to their low flow resistance and good sealing performance. To improve the sealing effect, existing ball valve technologies typically increase the compression between the internal ball and the sealing surface. However, this increases the valve's operating torque, which severely limits its application in scenarios requiring low-torque operation.

[0003] To address the above issues, existing technologies typically employ a floating ball valve design. This involves placing an elastic element at the rear end of the internal ball to push it forward, achieving a seal through close contact between the ball and the sealing surface. However, this approach has the following drawbacks: The design of the internal ball and valve stem requires relative movement along the axial direction of the valve body, which increases the complexity, special features, and precision requirements of the structure. This design necessitates additional structures to secure and seal the elastic element at the rear end, leading to an increase in the number of parts, further complicating the structure and driving up manufacturing costs.

[0004] Based on the above reasons, this utility model designs a low-torque ball valve. Through a more simplified structural design, it significantly reduces the number of parts used, lowers processing costs and precision requirements while ensuring the low torque effect. It has better practicality and is easy to promote and mass-produce. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a low-torque ball valve. Through a more simplified structural design, while ensuring the low-torque effect, it significantly reduces the number of parts used, lowers processing costs and precision requirements, and has better practicality, making it easier to promote and mass-produce.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a low-torque ball valve, comprising a valve body and a drive mechanism. The bottom of the drive mechanism is connected to a square hole at the upper end of a ball within the valve body via a valve stem. The bottom circular shaft of the ball is connected to a fixed shaft hole at the bottom of the valve body. The ball does not contact the inner wall of the valve body and leaves a gap. The spherical sealing surface of the ball is in close contact with a sealing gasket, and the sealing gasket is in close contact with a spring support pad. The spring support pad is connected to a protruding snap-fit ​​at the valve body connection port via a snap-fit ​​structure. A spring is provided in the spring limiting hole on the circumference of the spring support pad, and the spring is pre-compressed and in close contact with the spring support pad.

[0007] The snap-fit ​​structure is evenly distributed on the circumference of the spring support pad.

[0008] The sealing gasket is made of rubber or plastic.

[0009] The spring is a helical spring.

[0010] The centerline of the valve stem and the fixed shaft are on the same straight line.

[0011] The drive mechanism is a handle or a motor connected to the valve stem.

[0012] The valve stem is a square shaft.

[0013] Compared with existing technologies, this invention replaces the complex elastic pushing structure at the rear end of the traditional technology by placing the spring on one side of the sealing surface. This eliminates the need for an axial movement structure between the ball and the valve stem, as well as a fixed sealing structure for the rear elastic element, significantly reducing the number of parts and processing costs. Since the ball is fixed to the fixed shaft, it can only rotate and cannot move axially. The sealing force is provided by a sealing gasket that can move slightly and is tightly fitted to the ball, avoiding increased frictional torque between the ball and the sealing pair due to excessive preload, thus achieving low-torque operation. The spring, through the spring support pad, applies force evenly to the sealing gasket, ensuring that the sealing gasket always adaptively adheres to the spherical surface of the ball, maintaining good sealing performance even under wear or pressure fluctuations. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of this utility model.

[0015] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1 Valve body, 2 Ball, 3 Valve stem, 4 Drive mechanism, 5 Sealing gasket, 6 Spring, 7 Spring support pad, 8 Snap-fit ​​structure, 9 Fixed shaft hole, 10 Square hole, 11 Spring limiting hole, 12 Spherical surface, 13 Protrusion, 14 Round shaft. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] See Figure 1 This utility model provides a low-torque ball valve, including a valve body 1 and a drive mechanism 4. The bottom of the drive mechanism 4 is connected to the square hole 10 at the upper end of the ball 2 inside the valve body 1 via a valve stem 3. The bottom circular shaft 14 of the ball 2 is connected to the fixed shaft hole 9 at the bottom of the valve body 1. The ball 2 does not contact the inner wall of the valve body 1 and leaves a gap. The spherical surface 12 of the ball 2 is in close contact with the sealing gasket 5. The sealing gasket 5 is in close contact with the spring support pad 7. The spring support pad 7 is snapped to the protrusion 13 of the valve body 1 connection port via a snap-fit ​​structure 8. A spring 6 is provided in the spring limiting hole 11 on the circumference of the spring support pad 7. The spring 6 is pre-compressed and in close contact with the spring support pad 7.

[0018] The snap-fit ​​structures 8 are evenly distributed on the circumference of the spring support pads 7.

[0019] The sealing gasket 5 is a rubber or plastic sealing gasket.

[0020] Spring 6 is a helical spring.

[0021] The center lines of valve stem 3 and fixed shaft hole 9 are on the same straight line.

[0022] The drive mechanism 4 is a handle or a motor device connected to the valve stem 3.

[0023] Valve stem 3 is a square shaft.

[0024] Working principle: See Figure 1 This invention requires minimal adjustment. When the valve is closed, the sealing gasket 5 remains tightly attached to the surface of the ball 2 under the combined action of the internal fluid pressure and the spring 6, achieving a seal. Since the ball 2 itself is axially fixed by the upper and lower valve stems 3 and the fixed shaft hole 9, all the sealing preload is provided by the slightly movable sealing gasket 5 and the spring support gasket 7, avoiding the huge frictional torque caused by the ball's floating, making the valve easy to open and close.

[0025] The spring 6 of this invention is further positioned within the spring limiting hole 11, which is a semi-closed structure. Inserting the spring 6 into the spring limiting hole 11 keeps the position of the spring 6 fixed, thus ensuring that the force exerted by the spring 6 on the spring support pad 7 is stable and uniform. Consequently, the spring support pad 7 can evenly transmit the force of the spring 6 to the sealing gasket 5, ensuring that the sealing gasket 5 remains stably and tightly pressed against the ball 2 to achieve a seal. Since only one side of the ball 2 contacts the sealing gasket 5, compared to the traditional design where the valve body is used to press and seal the ball 2 on both sides, the structure is obviously simpler and the torque is greatly reduced. When the valve is open, the sealing effect is achieved by combining the internal water pressure with the spring 6, which is more ingenious than the traditional method. The structure is simple yet more reasonable and effective.

[0026] Regarding the opening and closing of the valve, the ball 2 itself is axially fixed by the upper and lower valve stems 3 and the fixed shaft hole 9, preventing it from moving up and down. Since the fixed shaft hole 9 is round and the square hole 10 and valve stem 3 are square, an anti-rotation structure is formed above the ball 2. When the drive mechanism 4 rotates the valve stem 3 like a handle, the valve stem 3 drives the ball 2 to rotate synchronously through the linkage structure of the square shaft and the square hole, realizing the low-torque opening and closing of the valve.

[0027] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model, intended only to aid in understanding the method and core concept of this application. The scope of protection of this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments; all technical solutions falling within the scope of this utility model's concept are protected. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, any improvements and modifications made without departing from the principle of this utility model should also be considered within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0028] This invention comprehensively addresses the shortcomings of existing floating ball valve designs, which suffer from complex structures, high machining precision, and increased costs. By incorporating a pre-tensioned spring combined with a sealing gasket, the valve's opening and closing torque is effectively reduced, resulting in a more compact and rational structural design with fewer parts, making assembly and manufacturing easier. Simultaneously, the spring is effectively confined within a reasonable range by the spring gasket, ensuring its relative position is not disturbed by external factors and providing a more stable pre-tension force. This allows the sealing gasket to remain firmly against the ball, guaranteeing the valve body's durable sealing performance.

Claims

1. A low-torque ball valve, comprising a valve body (1) and a drive mechanism (4), characterized in that, The bottom of the drive mechanism (4) is connected to the square hole (10) at the upper end of the ball (2) in the valve body (1) via the valve stem (3). The bottom round shaft (14) of the ball (2) is connected to the fixed shaft hole (9) at the bottom of the valve body (1). The ball (2) does not contact the inner wall of the valve body (1) and leaves a gap. The spherical surface (12) of the ball (2) is in close contact with the sealing gasket (5). The sealing gasket (5) is in close contact with the spring support pad (7). The spring support pad (7) is connected to the protrusion (13) of the valve body (1) by the snap-fit ​​structure (8). A spring (6) is provided in the spring limiting hole (11) on the circumference of the spring support pad (7). The spring (6) is pre-compressed and in close contact with the spring support pad (7).

2. The low-torque ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buckle structure (8) is evenly distributed on the circumference of the spring support pad (7).

3. The low-torque ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing gasket (5) is a rubber or plastic sealing gasket.

4. The low-torque ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spring (6) is a helical spring.

5. The low-torque ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The center line of the valve stem (3) and the center line of the fixed shaft hole (9) are on the same straight line.

6. The low-torque ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive mechanism (4) is a handle or a motor connected to the valve stem (3).

7. The low-torque ball valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The valve stem (3) is a square shaft.

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