Straightening valve

Abstract

To provide a straightening valve capable of achieving the stable sealing state in a fluid pipe.SOLUTION: A straightening valve 10 includes a valve element 11 having an elastically deformable seal member 15, and a forward and backward mechanism 13 for moving the valve element 11 forward and backward, the seal member 15 being formed to be narrow enough to be inserted through a through-hole 1a having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the fluid pipe 1, and expanded along at least an inner peripheral face 1b of the fluid pipe 1 to shut off the fluid pipe 1 in a sealing manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flow control valve for sealing the inside of a fluid pipe.

Background Art

[0002] When a fluid pipe that constitutes an existing pipeline through which water, gas, etc. flow is subject to aging deterioration or when forming a new branch path, a part of the existing fluid pipe may be changed to a new fluid pipe. In such a case, for example, two flow control valves are attached at intervals in the axial direction of the existing fluid pipe, and the valve bodies of the respective flow control valves block the flow of fluid in a predetermined section of the fluid pipe, and the predetermined section is bypassed and communicated with a bypass pipe, and a continuous flow method is generally performed in which a part of the predetermined section is replaced with a new fluid pipe without stopping the flow of fluid in the fluid pipe.

[0003] For example, the flow control valve of Patent Document 1 mainly includes a valve body having an elastically deformable seal member and an advancing / retreating mechanism for advancing and retreating the valve body. The advancing / retreating mechanism inserts the seal member of the valve body through a through hole formed in the fluid pipe. After the bottom of the seal member abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe, the advancing / retreating mechanism further moves the valve body toward the fluid pipe, so that the seal member is sequentially pressed from the state before elastic deformation and elastically deforms so as to bulge in the outer diameter direction toward the inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe. Thereby, it is possible to seal the inside of the fluid pipe and block the flow path.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In such a throttle valve of Patent Document 1, since the sealing member before elastic deformation is U-shaped plate-like and defines a concave portion inside, the driving force required for the advancing and retreating mechanism can be reduced when bulging the valve body. By the way, when the gap between the sealing member before elastic deformation and the inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe is wide, it is conceivable to secure a bulging margin for filling the gap by making the sealing member long in its advancing and retreating direction. However, particularly in the vicinity of the through hole, it has been difficult to bulge the sealing member in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the valve body is pushed in or in a direction inclined more toward the through hole side than that direction.

[0006] The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a throttle valve capable of achieving a stable sealed state inside a fluid pipe.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the throttle valve of the present invention is a throttle valve including a valve body having an elastically deformable sealing member and an advancing and retreating mechanism for advancing and retreating the valve body, wherein the sealing member defines a concave portion extending in the advancing and retreating direction inside the sealing member, and is characterized by having a guide member that is movably disposed in the concave portion with respect to the sealing member and guides the outward bulging of the sealing member. According to this feature, when the sealing member pressed by the advancing and retreating mechanism bulges, a part of the sealing member that has moved to the vicinity of the through hole is appropriately bulged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the valve body is pushed in or in a direction inclined more toward the through hole side than that direction by the guide member disposed to be relatively movable with respect to the sealing member that can be pushed into the fluid pipe. Thereby, even when the gap between the sealing member before elastic deformation and the inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe is wide, by using a sealing member having a long dimension in the advancing and retreating direction due to the bulging margin, the inside of the fluid pipe can be brought into a stable sealed state.

[0008] The derivative is movable in the advancing and retreating direction with respect to a case for fixing the advancing and retreating mechanism and can be fixed with respect to the case. According to this feature, in a state where the derivative is movably arranged near the through hole, by fixing it so as not to be relatively movable with respect to the case, the sealing member can be easily relatively moved with respect to the derivative.

[0009] A storage part for storing a guiding part of the derivative is formed at the bottom of the recess. According to this feature, with the derivative stored in the storage part formed at the bottom of the recess, the valve body can be inserted into the fluid pipe.

[0010] The recess has an expanded area that is widely expanded on the retreating direction side of the derivative. According to this feature, when the sealing member is pushed into and moves in the fluid pipe, the portion of the sealing member that defines the expanded area is less likely to contact the derivative, so that friction can be reduced.

[0011] The derivative has a tapered shape toward the retreating direction of the derivative. According to this feature, while making it easy to bulge a part of the sealing member that has moved near the through hole along the inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe, damage to the sealing member due to corner contact or the like can be prevented.

[0012] The sealing member has a recess that penetrates in the thickness direction over the advancing and retreating direction, and a plate material for sealing the recess is arranged at least on the downstream side in the thickness direction. According to this feature, not only can the sealing member be more easily expanded toward the inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe, but also while preventing fluid from leaking through the recess due to the sealing member being pressed against the plate material, the posture of the sealing member can be supported by the plate material.

[0013] The sealing member is in the form of a flat plate. According to this feature, it is possible to easily bulge the seal member toward the inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] A mode for carrying out the flow control valve according to the present invention will be described below based on examples.

Example

[0016] The flow control valve according to the example will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16. In this example, for example, a fluid pipe 1 constituting an existing pipeline is externally fitted in a sealed manner by a housing 2, a predetermined portion of the fluid pipe 1 inside the housing 2 is perforated by a drilling machine 5, and after installing the flow control valve 10 (see FIG. 2) according to the present invention at the perforated portion in a non-stop flow state, a series of flows for closing and opening the inside of the fluid pipe 1 by this flow control valve 10 will be described.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the periphery of a predetermined portion of the fluid pipe 1 buried in the ground is excavated, the outer surface of the fluid pipe 1 is cleaned, and then, via a seal member for sealing a later-described perforated portion of the fluid pipe 1, a housing 2 having an upper and lower two-part structure with a branch portion 2a that opens upward and communicates with the inside is externally fitted and surrounded. Note that the fluid in the fluid pipe 1 is service water in this example, but may be, for example, industrial water, agricultural water, sewage, or other liquids other than water, or may be a gas or a gas-liquid mixture of a gas and a liquid. Furthermore, although the housing 2 has a two-part structure in this example, it may have other multiple-part structures, and the joining of the divided housings to each other is a T-bolt and nut in this example, but is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, welding, or may be attached by bolts via packing.

[0018] The fluid pipe 1 of this embodiment is a ductile iron pipe with a relatively large diameter (pipe diameter of 400 mm in this embodiment), and is formed into a straight pipe with a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. In this embodiment, the pipeline direction of the fluid pipe 1 is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction. Incidentally, the fluid pipe according to the present invention may be made of other metals such as cast iron and steel, or may be made of concrete, vinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyolefin, etc. Furthermore, the inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe may be coated with an epoxy resin layer, mortar, plating, etc., or the inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe may be coated with an appropriate material by powder coating. Also, the pipeline direction may be arranged substantially vertically or obliquely.

[0019] Also, the fluid pipe of the present invention is not limited to a straight pipe as in this embodiment, and may be composed of, for example, a shaped pipe. Here, the shaped pipe generally refers to a pipe having at least a part of various shaped parts such as a curved pipe part, a branch part, a cross part, a different diameter part, a coupling ring part, a short pipe part, a drainage part, etc.

[0020] Next, the process of piercing the fluid pipe 1 in the housing 2 with the piercing machine 5 will be described. Referring to FIG. 1, first, an operation valve 4 capable of opening and closing the opening of the housing 2 is attached to the flange portion 2b of the branch portion 2a located on the opening side of the housing 2. The operation valve 4 is mainly composed of a valve box 41 that is hermetically connected to the branch portion 2a of the housing 2 in a communicating state, a valve cover 43 that is hermetically connected to the side of the valve box 41 in a communicating state, and a valve body (not shown) that is slidably disposed across the inside of the valve box 41 and the inside of the valve cover 43.

[0021] That is, the operation valve 4 has a structure that closes the housing 2 in a sealed state when the valve body is disposed in the valve box 41, and opens the housing 2 when the valve body is disposed in the valve cover 43.

[0022] Also, a piercing machine 5 for piercing the fluid pipe 1 is installed above the operation valve 4. The piercing machine 5 is mainly composed of a mounting flange cylinder 51 that is hermetically connected to the valve box 41 and penetrates in the vertical direction, a cutter 52 disposed in the mounting flange cylinder 51, and a drive mechanism 53 for moving the cutter 52 in the vertical direction and driving it to rotate in the circumferential direction.

[0023] Furthermore, the cutter 52 provided in the drilling machine 5 of this embodiment is configured as a so-called hole saw, and is a cylindrical member 52a having a smaller diameter than the fluid pipe 1 (240 mm in diameter in this embodiment) and having a drilling blade at the lower end, and a center drill 52b coaxially disposed on the cylindrical member 52a and protruding beyond the drilling blade. The cylindrical member 52a and the center drill 52b are fixed.

[0024] In this embodiment, as will be described later, the through hole 1a drilled in the fluid pipe 1 (see FIG. 2) is significantly smaller in diameter (60% in this embodiment) than the diameter of the fluid pipe 1. Therefore, the total weight of each instrument required for drilling the through hole 1a is less than 500 kg in this embodiment. When a conventional flow control valve is used, the total weight of each instrument required for drilling a through hole with a diameter of 400 mm is about 1000 kg. Thus, the above-described housing 2, working valve 4, and drilling machine 5 can be made smaller than before, and the workability can be improved.

[0025] Next, although not particularly shown, the valve body of the working valve 4 is retracted into the valve cover 43 to open the branch portion 2a, and while rotating and driving the cutter 52 downward by the driving mechanism 53 using the above-described drilling machine 5, a part of the pipe wall of the fluid pipe 1, that is, the pipe top portion, is drilled.

[0026] Also, when the fluid pipe 1 is drilled by the cutter 52 and the through hole 1a (see FIG. 2) is formed, the section cut off from the fluid pipe 1 is held inside the cutter 52. Then, the cutter 52 is pulled up into the inside of the mounting flange cylinder 51 together with the section, and the valve body of the working valve 4 closes the branch portion 2a, thereby completing the drilling operation of the fluid pipe 1.

[0027] Next, the process of installing the flow control valve 10 in a non-stop flow state at the location where the fluid pipe 1 in the housing 2 is drilled will be described. Referring to FIG. 2, while the branch portion 2a is closed by the valve body of the working valve 4, the insertion machine 6 connected to the flow control valve 10 is attached to the upper portion of the working valve 4 in a sealed state.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inserter 6 is mainly composed of a cylindrical member 61 that is hermetically connected to the valve box 41 in a communicating state and has a cross-shaped portion formed through it in a cross shape, and a drive mechanism 63 that is hermetically connected to the cylindrical member 61 in a communicating state and moves the flow control valve 10 in the vertical direction. A valve suspension fitting 65 connected to the rod 64 of the drive mechanism 63 is bolted to the upper part of the flow control valve 10. Incidentally, the rod 64 and the upper part of the flow control valve 10 may be directly connected.

[0029] Here, the flow control valve 10 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the flow control valve 10 is mainly composed of a valve body 11, a case 12 that can accommodate a part of the valve body 11, a forward and backward mechanism 13 for moving the valve body 11 forward and backward, and a guide 14 for guiding the bulging of the seal member 15 of the valve body 11.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the valve body 11 is elastically deformable and includes a seal member 15 (hatched portion) that seals the inner peripheral surface 1b and the through hole 1a of the fluid pipe 1 when it bulges, a plug 16 to which the upper end of the seal member 15 is fixed, and a support device 17 for supporting the seal member 15.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4, the seal member 15 is formed of rubber and is in a flat plate shape formed in a substantially U shape when viewed in the axial direction of the fluid pipe 1. In the center in the width direction of the fluid pipe 1 (the left - right direction in the drawing), a recess 18 extending in the forward and backward direction of the seal member 15, that is, in the vertical direction, is defined. A guide body 14a of the guide 14 is disposed in the recess 18. Further, the recess 18 penetrates in the axial direction of the fluid pipe 1, that is, in the thickness direction of the seal member 15.

[0032] Regarding the concave portion 18 in more detail, from the bottom in order, there are a storage portion 18a formed in an oval shape capable of storing the derivative 14a, a guide portion 18b that continuously extends linearly in the vertical direction at the upper end of the storage portion 18a to guide the derivative 14a, a throttle portion 18c that continuously extends linearly in the vertical direction at the upper end of the guide portion 18b and is narrower in width than the guide portion 18b, a substantially pentagonal expansion portion 18d (expansion region) that is continuous with the upper end of the throttle portion 18c, and a rod guide portion 18e that is the narrowest and continuously extends linearly in the vertical direction at the upper end of the expansion portion 18d.

[0033] Also, the seal member 15 is formed in a narrow width that can insert a through hole 1a having an inner diameter D2 (240 mm) smaller than the inner diameter D1 (about 400 mm) of the fluid pipe 1 in its natural state before being elastically deformed by an external force. Therefore, compared with a conventional seal member inserted into a wide through hole having substantially the same diameter as the inner diameter D1 of the fluid pipe 1, while the gap between the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1 and the seal member 15 has become wider, in accordance with the bulging allowance required for closing the gap between the seal member 15 and the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1 in the natural state, the dimension in the vertical direction has become longer compared with the conventional seal member.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 10, the plug 16 is formed in a downward-facing U shape in a front view, sandwiches and fixes the upper end of the seal member 15, and the rod 14b of the guide tool 14 is inserted into a through hole 16a penetrating vertically through the center thereof. Also, the rod 13c of the advance / retreat mechanism 13 is fixed to the plug 16 by a bolt.

[0035] Next, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, the case 12 will be described. The case 12 is mainly composed of a main body 12a and a lid 12b fixed to the main body 12a with bolts with a gasket interposed therebetween, and is inserted into the branch portion 2a of the housing 2 to seal the through hole 1a.

[0036] The main body 12a is inserted into the branch portion 2a of the housing 2 and includes a large-diameter cylindrical portion 12c having a diameter larger than that of the through-hole 1a, a cylindrical small-diameter cylindrical portion 12d having a diameter smaller than that of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 12c and inserted into the through-hole 1a, and plate members 19 and 20 (see FIG. 10) extending downward from the lower end of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 12d are formed so as to sandwich the seal member 15 in the tube axis direction. Note that the plate member 19 is disposed on the upstream side in the tube axis direction of the fluid tube 1, and the plate member 20 is disposed on the downstream side in the tube axis direction of the fluid tube 1.

[0037] Further, at the lower end of the case 12, at the center in the axial direction view, a recess 12e (see FIG. 10) is formed which is defined by the plate members 19 and 20 and is recessed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape upward from the lower end of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 12d. The recess 12e is formed so that the seal member 15 and the plug 16 can be advanced and retracted and stored, and prevents the seal member 15 and the plug 16 from rotating during movement and guides their movement.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, the support device 17 includes a pair of plate members 19 and 20 (see FIG. 10) which are part of the case 12, a cover 21 fixed to the end face on the side opposite to the side where the seal member 15 is disposed in the plate member 20 (the downstream side in the tube axis direction), a pair of supports 22 and 23 disposed between the plate member 20 and the cover 21, a link mechanism 24 for storing and deploying the supports 22 and 23, and a bridging member 25 connecting the lower ends of the plate members 19 and 20.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 10, the plate member 20 is formed with a storage groove 20a which is recessed and open in the downstream side in the tube axis direction and the width direction, and a linear guide groove 20b which communicates outward downward from the storage groove 20a. Further, the cover 21 is formed with a storage groove 21a which is recessed and open so as to face the storage groove 20a of the plate member 20, linear communication grooves 21b and 21c (see FIG. 3) which communicate outward in the width direction of the fluid tube 1 from the storage groove 21a, and a linear guide groove 21d (see FIG. 3) which communicates outward downward from the storage groove 21a. The storage grooves 20a and 21a form a storage space 17a in which the supports 22 and 23 are disposed so as to be capable of being stored and deployed.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 6, the supports 22 and 23 are formed in a pair of wing shapes that are substantially line-symmetric in the width direction of the fluid pipe 1, and are inserted into the storage space 17a in the storage state. More specifically, the supports 22 and 23 include straight inner edge portions 22a and 23a (see Fig. 3) that extend linearly and are arranged opposite to each other and abut against each other in the storage state, small-diameter curved portions 22c and 23c (see Fig. 12) that project upward continuously from the straight inner edge portions 22a and 23a and are curved at an acute angle, large-diameter curved portions 22d and 23d (see Fig. 13) that are curved continuously from the small-diameter curved portions 22c and 23c with a curvature smaller than that of the small-diameter curved portions 22c and 23c, and straight outer edge portions 22b and 23b that extend linearly continuously from the large-diameter curved portions 22d and 23d. Incidentally, the curvatures of these small-diameter curved portions 22c and 23c and large-diameter curved portions 22d and 23d are larger than the curvature of the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1.

[0041] Also, since the dimensions of the plate materials 19 and 20 and the supports 22 and 23 in the storage state in the width direction of the fluid pipe 1 (the left-right direction of the paper surface in Fig. 3) are shorter than the inner diameter D1 of the through hole 1a of the fluid pipe 1, they can be inserted into the fluid pipe 1 through the through hole 1a of the fluid pipe 1.

[0042] Next, the link mechanism 24 of the supports 22 and 23 will be described. The supports 22 and 23 are rotatably supported by the plate material 20 and the cover 21 by rotation shafts 22e and 23e that are rotatably inserted through the lower end portions.

[0043] As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the link mechanism 24 is configured by connecting link members 24a and 24b and an operating body 24c that extends in the vertical direction by rotation shafts 24d, 24e, and 24f. In the storage state, the lower end of the operating body 24c projects below the lower end of the seal member 15.

[0044] Regarding the link mechanism 24 in more detail, the rotation shaft 24d pivotally supports the end portion on the straight inner edge portion 22a side of the support 22 and one end portion (upper side in the drawing plane) of the link member 24a. The rotation shaft 24e pivotally supports the end portion on the straight inner edge portion 23a side of the support 23 and one end portion (upper side in the drawing plane) of the link member 24b. The rotation shaft 24f pivotally supports the other end portions (lower side in the drawing plane) of the link members 24a and 24b and the upper end portion of the operating body 24c.

[0045] Further, a recess that is recessed to allow the thickness of the link member 24a is formed in the support 22. Thereby, the supports 22 and 23 are arranged in a substantially the same plane.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 5, the advancing and retracting mechanism 13 mainly includes a hollow main body 13a fixed to the upper end portion of the case 12, a hollow spindle 13b inserted into the main body 13a, and a hollow rod 13c in which an internal thread formed on the inner peripheral surface is screwed onto a male thread formed on the outer peripheral surface of the spindle 13b. The rod 13c is relatively movable with respect to the spindle 13b in accordance with the rotation of the spindle 13b. Further, a rod 14b of the guide tool 14 is inserted into a through hole 13d penetrating in the vertical direction in the advancing and retracting mechanism 13.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, the guide tool 14 includes a guide 14a having a tapered side 14c that is formed to gradually decrease in width linearly or curvilinearly upward from the lower side, and a rod 14b that extends upward continuously from the upper end of the guide 14a. It has a function of guiding the bulging of the seal member 15 in the outer diameter direction as will be described later. The rod 14b is inserted into the through hole 13d of the advancing and retracting mechanism 13, the through hole 16a of the plug 16, and the rod guide portion 18e of the seal member 15 and is movable in the vertical direction.

[0048] Returning to the description of the step of installing the flow control valve 10, as shown in FIG. 2, the drive mechanism 63 passes through the through hole 1a of the fluid pipe 1, and the seal member 15 is inserted into the fluid pipe 1. At this time, by housing the conductor 14a in the housing portion 18a formed at the bottom of the recess 18, the seal member 15 is prevented from bulging outward on its outer diameter side by the conductor 14a, so that the valve body 11 can be inserted into the fluid pipe 1.

[0049] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, by pressing the gasket 26 disposed at the step portion between the large-diameter cylindrical portion 12c and the small-diameter cylindrical portion 12d in the case 12 against the outer peripheral surface of the fluid pipe 1, the space between the case 12 and the fluid pipe 1 is sealed.

[0050] With this insertion, the support device 17 changes from the housed state in which the supports 22 and 23 are housed in the housing space 17a (see FIG. 10) to the deployed state in which the supports 22 and 23 protrude outward in the width direction of the cover 21 as shown in FIG. 6. That is, the supports 22 and 23 can be inserted through the through hole 1a of the fluid pipe 1 in the housed state, and protrude outward from the through hole 1a of the fluid pipe 1 in the deployed state, approaching the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1.

[0051] Regarding the transition operation of the support device 17 from the housed state to the deployed state of the supports 22 and 23, as shown in FIG. 3, the operating body 24c that protrudes below the lower end of the seal member 15 in the housed state contacts the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1 as the flow control valve 10 is inserted downward, and then, as the flow control valve 10 is further inserted by the drive mechanism 63 and receives a reaction force from the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1, the operating body 24c moves upward relative to the plate members 20 and the cover 21 while being guided by the guide grooves 20b and 21d of the plate members 20 and the cover 21.

[0052] Along with the operating body 24c moving in this way, the link members 24a and 24b pivotally supported by the pivot shaft 24f expand in the left-right direction.

[0053] Accordingly, the support 22 pivotally supported by the pivot shaft 24d at the other end of the link member 24a rotates counterclockwise about the pivot shaft 22e as indicated by the black arrow. Similarly, the support 23 pivotally supported by the pivot shaft 24e at the other end of the link member 24b rotates clockwise about the pivot shaft 23e as indicated by the black arrow. In this way, the supports 22 and 23 expand in the left-right direction.

[0054] In addition, even if external forces such as vibrations generated when the flow control valve 10 is inserted and the flow of the fluid act, and the supports 22 and 23 in the stored state expand before passing through or during the process of passing through the through hole 1a of the fluid pipe 1, the linear outer edge portions 22b and 23b of the supports 22 and 23 are guided in the storage direction by contacting the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 1a, so it is prevented from interfering with the insertion of the flow control valve 10.

[0055] Thereafter, the main body 12a of the case 12 is temporarily fixed to the branch portion 2a of the housing 2 by temporary fixing means (not shown), and the insertion machine 6 and the operation valve 4 are removed. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6, the annular retaining member 27 inserted through the upper end portion of the main body 12a is fixed to the flange portion 2b of the housing 2 with bolts and nuts, and the temporary fixing is released.

[0056] Next, the occlusion of the fluid pipe 1 by the flow control valve 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7(a), in the state where the flow control valve 10 is installed in the fluid pipe 1, the lower end portion of the seal member 15 is gradually elastically deformed by being pressed against the bottom of the inner peripheral surface 1b by the erection member 25 of the support device 17 as indicated by the black arrow from the natural state before elastic deformation shown in FIG. 3.

[0057] Next, the upper end portion of the rod 14b of the guide tool 14 protruding above the retaining member 28 is gripped and moved upward as indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 7(b). In this way, when the conductor 14a moves upward with respect to the seal member 15, the conductor 14a is less likely to generate frictional resistance with the seal member 15 due to the tapered side 14c having a tapered shape toward the upper side, and can prevent damage to the seal member 15 due to corner contact or the like.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 7(b), after moving the guide tool 14 upward until the derivative 14a is in close contact with the convex portions 15c, 15c that define the throttle portion 18c, at the upper end of the spindle 13b, the rod 14b of the guide tool 14 is fixed to the rotation prevention member 28 fixed to the case 12 with a bolt (not shown). Thereby, since the derivative 14a is fixed in the vertical direction, the seal member 15 can be easily moved relative to the derivative 14a as described later. Incidentally, the guide tool 14 may be supported so as not to be movable simply by using a hand or an instrument at an arbitrary position moved upward.

[0059] Next, an operation handle or the like (not shown) is operated to rotate the spindle 13b. According to the rotation speed of the spindle 13b, the plug 16 is driven by the rod 13c that moves relatively downward, and the seal member 15 is press-fitted into the fluid pipe 1 as shown by the white arrow in FIGS. 7(c) and 8.

[0060] More specifically, when the spindle 13b shown in FIG. 7(b) is rotated a predetermined number of times (for example, 10 rotations) from the non-rotating state, the seal member 15 moves downward according to this rotation. As shown in FIG. 7(c), the seal member 15 is in the initial bulging state, and as shown by the black arrow, the seal member 15 bulges mainly in the diagonally downward direction. During this time, the convex portions 15c, 15c of the seal member 15 are guided in the separating direction from each other by the tapered sides 14c of the derivative 14a fixed in position, while moving relatively downward with respect to the derivative 14a. In other words, the derivative 14a advances into the expansion portion 18d. Since the expansion portion 18d is expanded outward from the seal member 15, the derivative 14a is less likely to contact the seal member 15, and friction can be reduced.

[0061] Also, the lower end of the seal member 15 that is pressure-bonded to the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1 in the seal member 15 is pressed toward the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1 and functions as a core portion. Thereby, elastic deformation from the lower end of the seal member 15 upward along the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1 can be induced.

[0062] When further rotated a predetermined number of times from the state of FIG. 7(c), the state of FIG. 8(a) is reached. As indicated by the solid black arrow, the seal member 15 bulges downward diagonally toward the vicinity of the horizontal width direction of the fluid pipe 1. When further rotated a predetermined number of times from the state of FIG. 8(a), as shown in FIG. 8(b), the seal member 15 is in an intermediate bulging state. As indicated by the solid black arrow, the seal member 15 bulges toward the substantially horizontal width direction of the fluid pipe 1. When further rotated a predetermined number of times from the state of FIG. 8(b), as shown in FIG. 8(c), the seal member 15 is in a late-stage bulging state, and the press-fitting of the seal member 15 is completed.

[0063] During this period, in addition to a part of the previously press-fitted seal member 15 gradually functioning as a core portion, the thin-walled portion 15d of the seal member 15 that defines the expansion portion 18d is relatively thinner and more easily elastically deformable than the thick-walled portion 15e of the seal member 15 that defines the rod guide portion 18e. Therefore, the thick-walled portion 15e is easily guided by the tapered side 14c of the conductor 14a. For this reason, the seal member 15 bulges toward the inner peripheral surface 1b in the vicinity of the through-hole 1a including a component in the direction opposite to the press-fitting direction.

[0064] In addition, since the conductor 14a has a tapered side 14c that tapers toward the retraction direction, it is easy to bulge the thick-walled portion 15e of the seal member 15 that has moved to the vicinity of the through-hole 1a along the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1.

[0065] As a result, as indicated by the solid black arrow, the seal member 15 bulges upward diagonally in the vicinity of the through-hole 1a of the fluid pipe 1, that is, the seal member 15 is press-contacted across the inner peripheral surface of the through-hole 1a of the fluid pipe 1 and the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1.

[0066] Also, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 10, the recess 18 is always expanded inside the plate material 20 as the seal member 15 bulges. In addition to bulging in the thickness direction, that is, toward the plate materials 19 and 20, the seal member 15 is also press-bonded to the plate material 20 by the pressure of the fluid on the upstream side in the fluid pipe 1. Therefore, the fluid in the pipe is prevented from passing through the recess 18.

[0067] In addition, since the plate member 19 is connected to the small-diameter cylindrical portion 12d via the rib 19a and the structural strength is enhanced, the plate members 19, 20, etc. are prevented from warping or tilting downstream in the pipe axis direction.

[0068] Also, since the support device 17 is in the deployed state before the seal member 15 bulges as described above, the seal member 15 that gradually bulges outward from the outer diameter side of the plate member 20 has its posture supported by the plate member 20 and the supports 22, 23 disposed on the back side thereof against the fluid pressure of the fluid flowing in the fluid pipe 1. As a result, the seal member 15 bulges only in the pipe diameter direction without elastically deforming toward the downstream side, so that the sealed state inside the fluid pipe 1 can be maintained.

[0069] As described above, when the seal member 15 pressed by the advance / retreat mechanism 13 bulges in the throttle valve 10 of the present embodiment, a part of the seal member 15 that has moved near the through hole 1a by the guide 14a disposed so as to be relatively movable with respect to the seal member 15 that can be pushed into the fluid pipe 1 can be appropriately bulged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the valve body 11 is pushed or in a direction inclined more toward the through hole 1a side than that direction. Thereby, even when the gap between the seal member 15 in the natural state and the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1 is large, the inside of the fluid pipe 1 can be brought into a stable sealed state by using the seal member 15 having a long dimension in the advance / retreat direction due to the bulging allowance.

[0070] In addition, since the seal member 15 is a flat plate shape with a uniform thickness in the pipe axis direction, it is easy to bulge only in the radial direction toward the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1.

[0071] Also, since the recess 18 of the seal member 15 is open upward, it is easier to bulge the seal member 15 in the radial direction toward the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1.

[0072] Also, as shown in FIG. 10, the flow control valve 10 has a fluid pressure check valve 29a communicating with the upstream side of the fluid pipe 1 relative to the seal member 15, and a fluid pressure check valve 29b communicating with the downstream side of the fluid pipe 1 relative to the seal member 15. Thereby, it is possible to check whether fluid has flowed into the flow control valve 10 by opening the fluid pressure check valve 29a. Also, it is possible to check whether the inside of the fluid pipe 1 is blocked by the flow control valve 10 by opening the fluid pressure check valve 29b.

[0073] Also, as shown in FIG. 11, since the inner diameter D2 (240 mm) of the through hole 1a is smaller than the inner diameter D1 (about 400 mm) of the fluid pipe 1 (see FIG. 4), the flow control valve 10 can be made smaller than the outer diameter of the fluid pipe 1. In the non-stop flow method using the flow control valve 10 of the present invention, including the attachment of the operation valve 4 described above, the weight of the equipment required for the operation can be reduced, and the load-bearing performance required for the housing 2 can also be reduced. Therefore, the housing 2 can be miniaturized. That is, the non-stop flow method can be implemented even in a narrow working space. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, the outer diameter L2 of the annular retaining member 27, which is the maximum dimension of the flow control valve 10 in plan view, is smaller than the outer diameter L1 of the fluid pipe 1, and the axial length L3 of the housing 2 that externally fits the fluid pipe 1 is smaller than the outer diameter L2 of the retaining member 27. By doing so, it is possible to scale down the incidental work such as excavation in the peripheral area of the fluid pipe 1, and it is possible to reduce the weight of the equipment required for the work. Furthermore, since the inner diameter D2 of the through hole 1a (see FIG. 4) is smaller than the axial length L3 of the housing 2, the construction of the non-stop flow method of the present invention can be simplified.

[0074] Next, the step of removing the flow control valve 10 from the fluid pipe 1 will be described. First, the seal member 15 is elastically restored in the reverse procedure to the closing of the inside of the fluid pipe 1 by the flow control valve 10 described above. At that time, the conductor 14a is moved to the storage portion 18a, but since the downward movement is restricted by the erection member 25, the positioning is easy.

[0075] Next, the main body 12a of the case 12 is temporarily fixed to the branch portion 2a of the housing 2 by temporary fixing means (not shown), the retaining member 27 is removed from the flange portion 2b of the housing 2, the working valve 4 is attached to the housing 2, the valve suspension fitting 65 is bolted and connected to the upper part of the flow control valve 10, and the insertion machine 6 is attached to the working valve 4. Then, the flow control valve 10 is pulled out by the drive mechanism 63.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 12, when the flow control valve 10 is pulled out, the large-diameter curved portions 22d, 23d of the supports 22, 23 contact the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1 and receive a reaction force. Thus, while being guided by the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1, the support 22 is rotated clockwise about the rotation axis 22e, and the support 23 is rotated counterclockwise about the rotation axis 23e. That is, the supports 22, 23 are contracted and closed to their original positions in the left-right direction.

[0077] Also, as shown in FIG. 13, the small-diameter curved portions 22c, 23c of the supports 22, 23 contact the inner peripheral surface 1b of the fluid pipe 1 near the through-hole 1a that is curved so as to face the extraction direction of the flow control valve 10, and are guided by obtaining a reaction force from this inner peripheral surface 1b. Therefore, the supports 22, 23 are gradually rotated so as to be contracted and closed in the left-right direction.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 14, when the flow control valve 10 is further pulled out and the supports 22, 23 are inserted into the through-hole 1a of the fluid pipe 1, the large-diameter curved portions 22d, 23d and the straight outer edge portions 22b, 23b (see FIG. 6) of the supports 22, 23 contact the inner peripheral surface of the through-hole 1a, thereby preventing their deployment. In this way, the support device 17 utilizes the shapes of the fluid pipe 1 and the through-hole 1a to perform a storage operation to the original position and passes through the through-hole 1a.

[0079] In the present embodiment, the ratio of the inner diameter D2 (240 mm) of the through hole 1a to the inner diameter D1 (about 400 mm) of the fluid pipe 1 is about 60%, but it is not limited thereto and may be appropriately changed. For example, if the ratio of the inner diameter of the through hole to the inner diameter of the fluid pipe is a predetermined ratio exceeding at least 50%, the maximum widths of the seal member 15 and the plate materials 19 and 20 can also be set to exceed 50%. Therefore, as the expansion occurs, the overlapping margin where the seal member 15 overlaps the plate materials 19 and 20 can be obtained outside the recess, and the seal member 15 and the plate materials 19 and 20 can seal without fluid leakage. From this, the ratio of the inner diameter D2 of the through hole 1a to the inner diameter D1 of the fluid pipe 1 and the maximum widths of the seal member 15 and the plate materials 19 and 20 are preferably in the range of 55% or more and 65% or less including about 60% of the present embodiment.

[0080] In the present embodiment, it has been described that the circular through hole 1a is formed by the cutter 52 configured as a hole saw. However, for example, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a long hole-shaped through hole 101a extending in the circumferential direction of the tube wall of the fluid pipe 101 is formed by a drilling machine 105 having an end mill 152, and the above-described flow control valve of the present invention may be installed through the through hole 101a to enable the fluid pipe 101 to be closed. In this way, when applying the end mill 152, as shown in FIG. 15, it is preferable to use a housing 102 that is rotatable around the tube axis of the fluid pipe 101.

[0081] In addition, although not particularly shown in the drawings, the fluid pipe may be drilled with a drilling machine different from the above, and the above-described flow control valve of the present invention may be installed through the through hole formed by the drilling machine.

[0082] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and changes and additions within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

[0083] For example, in the above embodiment, the seal member 15 has been described as being plate-shaped, but it is not limited thereto, and it may have another shape such as a bulbous shape.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the seal member 15 has been described as being press-fitted by rotating the spindle 13b. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be press-fitted by various cylinders, that is, the advance / retreat mechanism may be appropriately changed.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the recess 18 has been described as penetrating in the thickness direction over the vertical direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least a part of the recess 18 may not penetrate in the thickness direction, and may not penetrate in the thickness direction over the vertical direction. Further, when the recess does not penetrate in the thickness direction, the plate material may not be disposed.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the derivative 14a has been described as being provided singly. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of derivatives may be provided.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the derivative 14a has been described as being movable in the advance / retreat direction by the rod 14b protruding upward. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be movable, for example, by an operating means such as a motor, or may be fixed to the plate materials 19 and 20.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the valve body 11 has been described as including the support device 17. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only the plate materials 19 and 20 may be disposed. Further, only one of the plate materials 19 and 20 may be disposed, but the configuration in which only the plate material 20 disposed on the downstream side of the fluid pipe 1 is disposed is preferable in that the internal pressure of the fluid pipe can be utilized in preventing the fluid from leaking through the recess 18.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0089] 1 Fluid pipe 1a Through hole 1b Inner peripheral surface 2 Housing 10 Flow control valve 11 Valve body 12 Case 13 Advance / retreat mechanism 14 Guide 14a derivative 14c tapered side 15 sealing member 17 support device 18 recess 18d extension 19, 20 plate material 22, 23 support 22c, 23c small-diameter bent portion 22d, 23d large-diameter bent portion 24 link mechanism 24c operating body 52 cutter 101 fluid pipe 101a through-hole 102 housing 152 end mill

Claims

1. A flow control valve including a valve body having an elastically deformable seal member and a reciprocating mechanism for moving the valve body back and forth, A flow control valve characterized in that the sealing member is formed narrow enough to be inserted into a through hole having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the fluid pipe, and bulges along at least the inner circumferential surface of the fluid pipe to hermetically block the fluid pipe.

2. 2. The flow restriction valve according to claim 1, wherein the maximum width of the through hole and the seal member is set to a ratio that exceeds at least 50% of the inner diameter of the fluid pipe.

3. 2. The flow control valve according to claim 1, wherein the maximum width of the through hole and the seal member is set in a range of 55% to 65% of the inner diameter of the fluid pipe.

4. The seal member defines a recess extending in the advance / retract direction on the inner side of the seal member, 4. The flow control valve according to claim 1, further comprising a guide disposed within said recess so as to be movable relative to said seal member, said guide guide said seal member expanding outwardly.

5. 5. The flow control valve according to claim 4, wherein the inducer is movable in the advancing and retracting direction relative to a case for fixing the advancing and retracting mechanism and is fixable to the case.

6. 6. The flow control valve according to claim 4, wherein a storage portion for storing a guide portion of the inductor is formed at a bottom of the recess.

7. 7. The flow control valve according to claim 4, wherein the recess has an expanded area that is expanded widely on a side of the guide member in the backward direction.

8. 8. The flow control valve according to claim 4, wherein the guide member has a shape tapered toward the rearward direction of the guide member.

9. A flow control valve as described in any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the recess of the sealing member penetrates the thickness direction along the advancement / retraction direction, and a plate material that seals the recess is arranged at least downstream in the thickness direction.

10. 10. The flow control valve according to claim 4, wherein the sealing member is in the form of a flat plate.

11. 11. The flow control valve according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member bulges along an inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe and along a through hole to hermetically block the fluid pipe.

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