Expansion material member for a thermostat mixing valve

Abstract

The present invention provides an expansion material element (1) for a thermostatic mixing valve (2), which comprises an expansion material (3) containing at least one additive (4) from the following group: artificial graphite, high thermal conductivity graphite having a thermal conductivity of at least 350 W / (m×K), boron nitride. The present invention also provides a thermostatic mixing valve (2) equipped with such an expansion material element (1), and a sanitary faucet (8) equipped with such a thermostatic mixing valve (2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an expansion material member for a thermostat valve and / or a thermostat mixing valve, a thermostat mixing valve for a sanitary faucet, and a sanitary faucet provided with a corresponding thermostat mixing valve. By means of the expansion material member, for example, the temperature of the liquid mixed by the thermostat mixing valve can be (substantially) kept constant. The sanitary faucet is particularly used for supplying liquid, particularly water, to a washbasin, a sink, a shower or a bathtub as required.

[0002] Well-known expansion material members have an expansion material that expands according to the ambient temperature of the expansion material member. The expansion material may be, for example, wax. In order to ensure a high reaction rate of the expansion material member to the changing ambient temperature, it is already well-known to add, for example, copper powder or expanded graphite to the expansion material. However, there are applications where other reaction characteristics or temperature responses of the expansion material member are desired, applications where a longer service life of the expansion material member is desired, or applications where the reaction rate of well-known expansion material members is still not high enough. The thermostat valve opens and closes a fluid conduit, and the thermostat mixing valve mixes two fluids or fluid flows so that the mixed fluid is supplied at a target temperature.

[0003] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to at least partially solve the problems described with respect to the prior art, and in particular to provide an expansion material member for a thermostat mixing valve having a particularly high reaction rate. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a thermostat mixing valve for a sanitary faucet, in which the expansion material member has a particularly high reaction rate. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a sanitary faucet provided with a thermostat mixing valve having an expansion material member with a particularly high reaction rate.

[0004] These problems are solved by the expansion material member, the thermostat mixing valve, and the sanitary faucet described in the characterizing part of the independent patent claim. Another advantageous configuration of the present invention is described in the dependent patent claims. It should be noted that the features individually described in the dependent patent claims may be combined with each other in any technically significant form to define another configuration of the present invention. Furthermore, the features described in the patent claims are explained in more detail and clearly in the specification, and another preferred configuration of the present invention is shown.

[0005] For this purpose, the following group, namely: - artificial graphite, - high thermal conductivity graphite having a thermal conductivity of at least 350 W / (m×K), - boron nitride A contribution is made by an expansion material member for a thermostat mixing valve having an expansion material containing at least one additive of the above.

[0006] The expansion material member is an actuator and / or a regulating member that can convert a change in the ambient temperature of the expansion material member into a (regulated) movement proportional to the change in the ambient temperature. For this purpose, the expansion material member has an expansion material, which may in particular be wax, solid paraffin, alcohol or oil or a mixture of the said materials. The expansion material is arranged within the expansion material member, whereby in particular the expansion material is isolated from the surroundings of the expansion material member only at least partially by the outer wall of the expansion material member. The outer wall of the expansion material member consists in particular at least partially of metal, such as special steel or copper or alloys thereof, and / or has a high thermal conductivity of, for example, at least 100 W / (m×K) (watts per meter per kelvin) at a temperature of 20 °C (Celsius). Furthermore, the outer wall preferably has a wall thickness of 0.2 mm (millimeters) to 2 mm. It has been found that such a wall thickness provides a good compromise between mechanical stability and thermal properties (thermal conductivity and thermal mass of the outer wall). When the ambient temperature changes, the volume of the expansion material changes. When the ambient temperature rises, the expansion material expands, so its volume will increase, and when the ambient temperature drops, the expansion material contracts, so its volume will decrease. The change in the volume of the expansion material leads to the (regulated) movement of the expansion material member. In order to perform this (regulated) movement as delay-free as possible, the expansion material has at least one additive. That is, the additive increases the reaction rate of the expansion material member. The additive is specifically added to the expansion material during the manufacture of the expansion material member. For this purpose, the additive may in particular be formed in powder form and / or in particulate form. This enables a (substantially) uniform dispersion of the additive within the expansion material. The expansion material may contain another, in particular chemical, substance that "keeps the additive in a dissolved state" within the expansion material and / or prevents the mixing and separation of the additive within the expansion material.

[0007] The additive is artificial graphite, high thermal conductivity graphite having a thermal conductivity of at least 350 W / (m×K) and / or boron nitride. The high thermal conductivity graphite may be graphite produced from natural graphite and existing as graphite at all times, particularly during the manufacturing process. Further, the high thermal conductivity graphite may not particularly be expanded graphite or expanded graphite. Different from natural graphite mined by miners, artificial graphite is (artificially) produced from carbon-rich raw materials that do not exist in the form of graphite, and these raw materials particularly have a graphitizable basic structure or can be particularly changed into artificial graphite subsequently. The raw materials may be, for example, petroleum coke, pitch coke or anthracite. The raw materials are graphitized at a temperature of particularly 2500°C to 3000°C in a state where air is blocked. Artificial graphite particularly has a carbon purity or mass fraction of 99.5% to 99.9995%. Further, artificial graphite preferably has a thermal conductivity of 1700 W / (m×K) to 1850 W / (m×K).

[0008] The high thermal conductivity graphite is particularly natural flake graphite that is extremely finely pulverized, has a carbon content of at least 98%, and a d50 particle size of about 45 μm.

[0009] Boron nitride is a boron-nitrogen compound. Boron nitride preferably has a thermal conductivity of at least 350 W / (m×K). Boron nitride is excellent in that it is particularly non-conductive compared to high thermal conductivity graphite and artificial graphite. This makes it possible to provide a non-conductive actuator that provides enhanced user safety against electric shock, particularly when using a non-conductive outer wall.

[0010] Artificial graphite, high thermal conductivity graphite and boron nitride have extremely high thermal conductivity as a common characteristic.

[0011] Accordingly, the thermal conductivity of the expanding material and thus the reaction rate of the expanding material member are improved by the additive. Furthermore, the expanding material may contain a lower mass fraction of the additive compared to well-known expanding material members at the same reaction rate. This can reduce the cost of the expanding material member. Furthermore, the expanding material member can be formed smaller for the same volume change of the expanding material (when the ambient temperature changes by, for example, 1 °C), or the expanding material may have a larger volume change in an expanding material member of the same size (when the ambient temperature changes by, for example, 1 °C).

[0012] The mass fraction of at least one additive in the expanding material may be 30% - 80%, particularly 55% - 80%, particularly 60% - 70%.

[0013] In the case of boron nitride, at least one additive may have an average particle size D50 of 0.4 μm (micrometer) - 550 μm.

[0014] In the case of artificial graphite, at least one additive may have an average particle size D50 of 0.4 μm (micrometer) - 550 μm.

[0015] In the case of high thermal conductivity graphite, at least one additive may have an average particle size D50 of 0.4 μm (micrometer) - 550 μm.

[0016] The expanding material may be disposed within a casing of the expanding material member. The casing is particularly at least partially made of metal and / or has a high thermal conductivity of, for example, at least 100 W / (m×K) (watts per meter per kelvin) at a temperature of 20 °C (Celsius). Furthermore, the casing preferably has a wall thickness of 0.5 mm (millimeter) - 2 mm. The casing may particularly be formed in a pot shape.

[0017] An expansion substance may enable driving of a working piston of an expansion substance member. This may in particular mean that a volume change of the expansion substance leads to a particularly linear movement of the working piston. The working piston is movably arranged in particular in a guide opening of a closing member of the casing. When the volume of the expansion substance expands or enlarges, the working piston is moved out of the guide opening at least partially in particular. When the volume of the expansion substance contracts or shrinks, the working piston may be movable at least partially into the guide opening by means of a return spring in particular. The working piston is formed in particular cylindrically and / or pin-shaped.

[0018] A diaphragm may be arranged between the expansion substance and the working piston. The diaphragm may be formed particularly flexibly and / or may be stretched between the casing and a closing member of the casing. The diaphragm can prevent in particular the expansion substance from flowing out of the casing through the guide opening of the closing member. At the same time, the diaphragm enables displacement of the working piston by the expansion substance.

[0019] Furthermore, a thermostat mixing valve for a sanitary faucet proposed according to another aspect of the present invention has at least the following, - a casing member having a mixing chamber for mixing cold water and hot water to form mixed water, - an adjustment member for adjusting a mixing ratio of cold water and hot water in the mixing chamber, - an expansion substance member according to the present invention operable on the adjustment member and has.

[0020] A thermostat mixing valve is used, in particular, to mix cold water having a cold water temperature and hot water having a hot water temperature to form mixed water having a desired mixed water temperature. For this purpose, the thermostat mixing valve has a mixing chamber in or on a casing member formed, for example, in the form of a valve casing or a cartridge head member. The cold water can be supplied to the mixing chamber via at least one cold water adjustment gap and / or the hot water can be supplied to the mixing chamber via at least one hot water adjustment gap. The cold water temperature of the cold water is, in particular, at most 30 °C (Celsius), preferably at most 25 °C, preferably 1 °C to 25 °C, particularly preferably 5 °C to 20 °C and / or the hot water temperature of the hot water is, in particular, at most 90 °C, preferably 25 °C to 90 °C, particularly preferably 55 °C to 65 °C. Furthermore, the thermostat mixing valve has an adjustment member formed, for example, in the form of an adjustment slider. The adjustment member is used to adjust the mixing ratio of the cold water and the hot water in the mixing chamber. For this purpose, the adjustment member is arranged movably in the mixing chamber. Furthermore, by moving the adjustment member, it is possible to change, in particular, the size of at least one cold water adjustment gap and / or at least one hot water adjustment gap. In this case, the enlargement of at least one cold water adjustment gap leads, in particular, to the reduction of at least one hot water adjustment gap and, conversely, the enlargement of at least one hot water adjustment gap leads, in particular, to the reduction of at least one cold water adjustment gap. Furthermore, the thermostat mixing valve has an expansion material member according to the invention. Based on the expansion material member, the adjustment member can operate, in particular, in accordance with the mixed water temperature of the mixed water in the mixing chamber. For this purpose, the mixed water can flow around the expansion material member, at least partially. For further details, reference is made to the description of the expansion material member according to the invention.

[0021] Furthermore, the sanitary faucet described according to yet another aspect of the invention has at least a faucet casing and a thermostat mixing valve according to the invention.

[0022] The sanitary faucet is used, in particular, to supply mixed water as required for washbasins, sinks, showers or bathtubs. For this purpose, the sanitary faucet has a faucet casing and a thermostat mixing valve according to the invention. The faucet casing is made, in particular, at least partly of plastic and / or (cast) metal such as brass, for example. The faucet casing may be attachable to a support, such as a wall, workbench, sink, washbasin, bathtub or shower. Furthermore, the sanitary faucet may have an operating member for adjusting the target mixing water temperature and / or the withdrawal amount of the mixed water. For further details, reference is made to the description of the expansion material member according to the invention and the thermostat mixing valve according to the invention.

[0023] The invention and the technical environment will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. It should be pointed out that the drawings show particularly preferred embodiments of the invention, but the invention is not limited to these embodiments. In this case, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

[0025] Figure 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the expansion material member 1 at the first temperature. The expansion material member 1 here has a casing 5 formed in a pot shape. An expansion material 3 is located within the casing 5. The expansion material 3 is here wax and contains an additive 4. The additive 4 is in powder or particulate form and is mixed with the expansion material 3. The additive 4 may be artificial graphite, high thermal conductivity graphite having a thermal conductivity of at least XS / m, and / or boron nitride. Further, the expansion material member has a working piston 6 isolated from the expansion material 3 by a flexible diaphragm 7. The working piston 6 is guided within the guide opening 13 of the closing member 14, whereby the working piston 6 can be covered within the guide opening 13 by the expansion material 3.

[0026] Figure 2 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the expansion material member 1 at the second temperature. Since the second temperature is higher than the first temperature, the expansion material 3 has expanded compared to the state shown in Figure 1 and has pushed the working piston 6 a predetermined distance from the guide opening 13. When the temperature drops, the volume of the expansion material 3 contracts, so that the working piston 6 can be returned, for example, via a return spring (not shown here).

[0027] Figure 3 shows, for example, a sanitary faucet 8 that can be used for a shower in a longitudinal sectional view. The sanitary faucet 8 has a faucet casing 12 provided with a thermostat mixing valve 2 having the expansion material member 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a valve 15. The faucet casing 12 can supply cold water via a cold water supply section 16 and can supply hot water via a hot water supply section 17. The cold water and the hot water can be supplied to the thermostat mixing valve 2 via a plurality of liquid passages formed in the faucet casing 12. The cold water and the hot water can be mixed by the thermostat mixing valve 2, whereby mixed water having a predetermined mixed water temperature is formed. The thermostat mixing valve 2 is (substantially) formed in a tubular shape and has a casing member 9 extending along the longitudinal axis 18 of the thermostat mixing valve 2 or the faucet casing 12 of the sanitary faucet 8. In the cartridge head member 19 of the thermostat mixing valve 2, at least one hot water inflow section 20 and at least one cold water inflow section 21 are formed. The embodiment of the thermostat mixing valve 2 shown here has a plurality of hot water inflow sections 20 and a plurality of cold water inflow sections 21 that are distributed and arranged in the circumferential direction centered on the longitudinal axis 18 of the cartridge head member 19. The hot water can be introduced into the mixing chamber 10 of the thermostat mixing valve 2 via the hot water inflow section 20, and the cold water can be introduced into the mixing chamber 10 via the cold water inflow section 21. That is, the mixing chamber 10 is arranged on the downstream side of the hot water inflow section 20 and the cold water inflow section 21 in the water flow direction. The hot water and the cold water can be mixed in the mixing chamber 10 to form mixed water having a predetermined mixed water temperature. A mixed water outflow section 22 is arranged on the downstream side of the mixing chamber 10 in the water flow direction, and the mixed water having the mixed water temperature can flow out of the thermostat mixing valve 2 through the mixed water outflow section 22. The mixed water can be supplied from the mixed water outflow section 22 to the valve 15, and the supply amount of the mixed water from the sanitary faucet 8 can be controlled by the valve element 23 of the valve 15.

[0028] The temperature of the mixed water is determined by the mixing ratio of the hot water and the cold water, as well as the mixing ratio of the temperature of the hot water and the temperature of the cold water. To adjust the mixed water temperature, the thermostat mixing valve 2 has an operating member 24. The operating member 24 has an operating grip portion 25, and the operating grip portion 25 is non-rotatably coupled to the adjusting nut 26 of the overload unit 27. That is, the operating grip portion 25, together with the adjusting nut 26, is rotatable about a rotation axis 28 corresponding to the longitudinal axis 18 here. When the operating grip portion 25 is rotated, the spring sleeve 29 is displaced in the axial direction 30, that is, parallel to the longitudinal axis 18. The movement of the spring sleeve 29 in the axial direction 30 is transmitted to the expansion material member 1, and the expansion material member 1 also moves the adjustment member 11 in the form of an adjustment slider in the axial direction 30. Depending on the position of the adjustment member 11 in the axial direction 30, the adjustment member 11 alternately opens and closes a hot water adjustment gap (not distinguishable here) and a cold water adjustment gap (not distinguishable here). Depending on the position of the adjustment member 11, a corresponding amount of hot water and cold water are introduced into the thermostat mixing valve 2 through the hot water adjustment gap and the cold water adjustment gap, and the hot water and the cold water are mixed to form mixed water having a corresponding mixed water temperature. Due to the expansion material 3 of the expansion material member 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the adjustment member 11 is also operable via the working piston 6 of the expansion material member 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereby the mixed water is maintained at a (substantially) constant mixed water temperature. For example, when an excessive amount of hot water or an excessive amount of cold water flows into the thermostat mixing valve 2, the expansion material 3 of the expansion material member 1 is heated and expands, whereby the expansion material member 1 displaces the adjustment member 11 in the axial direction 30 towards the mixed water outlet portion 22. As a result, the hot water adjustment gap is reduced and the cold water adjustment gap is enlarged. That is, less hot water and more cold water will flow into the mixing chamber 10. On the contrary, for example, when an excessive amount of cold water or an excessive amount of hot water flows into the thermostat mixing valve 2, the expansion material 3 of the expansion material member 1 contracts, whereby the expansion material member 1 moves the adjustment member 11 in a direction away from the mixed water outlet portion 22. As a result, the hot water adjustment gap is enlarged and the cold water adjustment gap is reduced.That is, more hot water and less cold water will flow into the mixing chamber 10.

[0029] According to the present invention, a particularly high reaction rate of the expansion material member can be achieved.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0030] 1 Expansion material member 2 Thermostatic mixing valve 3 Expansion material 4 Additive 5 Casing 6 Working piston 7 Diaphragm 8 Sanitary faucet 9 Casing member 10 Mixing chamber 11 Adjusting member 12 Faucet casing 13 Guide opening 14 Closing member 15 Valve 16 Cold water supply section 17 Hot water supply section 18 Longitudinal axis 19 Cartridge head member 20 Hot water inlet section 21 Cold water inlet section 22 Mixed water outlet section 23 Valve body 24 Operating member 25 Operating grip section 26 Adjusting nut 27 Overload unit 28 Axis of rotation 29 Spring sleeve 30 Axial direction

Claims

1. An expansion material member (1) for a thermostatic valve or a thermostatic mixing valve (2), comprising: The invention has an expansion material (3) containing an additive (4) of powdered and / or granular artificial graphite, The additive (4) has an average particle size D50 of 0.4 μm to 550 μm.

2. The expansion material element (1) according to claim 1, wherein the mass fraction of the additive (4) in the expansion material (3) is between 50% and 80%.

3. 3. The expansion material element (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the expansion material (3) is arranged in a casing (5) of the expansion material element (1).

4. 4. The expansion material element (1) according to claim 1, wherein the expansion material (3) is capable of driving a working piston (6) of the expansion material element (1).

5. 5. The expansion material element (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that a diaphragm (7) is arranged between the expansion material (3) and the working piston (6).

6. A thermostatic mixing valve (2) for a sanitary tap (8), comprising at least - a casing member (9) provided with a mixing chamber (10) for mixing cold water and hot water to form a mixed water; - an adjusting member (11) for adjusting the mixing ratio of cold water and hot water in the mixing chamber (10); - an expansion material member (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, capable of manipulating said adjustment member (11); A thermostatic mixing valve (2).

7. A sanitary tap (8) comprising at least a tap casing (12) and a thermostatic mixing valve (2) according to claim 6.

Images