Butterfly Valve Stopper Structure for Seat Wear and Flow Obstruction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional butterfly valves experience excessive wear on the valve seat due to contact friction during disc rotation, leading to increased opening force requirements and flow obstructions caused by the stopper design, which obstructs polishing and fluid flow.
Innovation Solution
A butterfly valve design featuring a stopper with a second engaging portion and a protruding portion that abuts against a flange, preventing over-rotation of the disc and optimizing the opening force while minimizing wear on the valve seat, with the stopper and disc optionally being one-piece formed and having specific cross-sectional profiles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional one-piece casted stopper is used to block continuing rotation of the disc, then the valve seat is protected from excessive wear, but the stopper causes obstruction during grinding and polishing of the valve chamber, leading to low polishing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper is divided into two separate parts: a stopper body and a stopper core. The stopper core is removably received within the stopper body, allowing the stopper core to be extracted for polishing operations while the stopper body remains to provide structural support and wear protection for the valve seat.
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper core is extracted from the stopper body during polishing operations, removing the obstruction from the valve chamber while maintaining the protective function of the stopper body. The stopper core can be reinserted when polishing is complete to restore full stopper functionality.
2Reliability
If a conventional one-piece casted stopper is used to block continuing rotation of the disc, then the valve seat is protected from excessive wear, but the stopper causes obstruction to the flow of fluids passing through, and suspended matters are easily accumulated onto the stopper
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper is segmented into a stopper body and a stopper core, where the stopper core can be removed to eliminate flow obstruction. When removed, fluid flow is no longer blocked by the stopper components, preventing accumulation of suspended matters while the stopper body remains to protect the valve seat during operation.
3Reliability
If the stopper is designed with certain volume to bear the impact brought by the disc, then the stopper can effectively prevent over-rotation, but the stopper causes obstruction during grinding and polishing of the valve chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper is segmented into a stopper body that provides impact resistance and a removable stopper core that can be extracted for polishing operations, combining the benefits of impact protection with manufacturing accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper core is preliminarily designed to be removably received within the stopper body, enabling easy extraction before polishing operations and reinsertion afterward, simplifying the manufacturing process without compromising the stopper's impact-bearing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A butterfly valve includes a valve body, a stem, a disc, and a stopper. The valve body has a first through hole, a second through hole and a flange. An axial central line of the second through hole and an axial central line of the first through hole are perpendicular to each other. The flange radially extends from a surface surrounding the first through hole and extends into an inner side of the first through hole. The stem is accommodated inside the second through hole and extends into the first through hole. The disc is formed on a surface thereof with a first engaging portion while the stopper is formed with a second engaging portion. The first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are respectively embedded with a first part and a second part of the stem. The stopper is rotated by the stem and abuts against the flange when the disc closes an open end of the first through hole and continues to rotate.