Dual-Flapper Check Valve Layout for Vibration Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing check valves experience vibration transfer between flappers due to common hinge pin mounting, leading to potential damage upon impact with the stop pin or valve housing, which is not effectively mitigated in current designs.
Innovation Solution
The check valve design features separate axes of rotation for each flapper and mounts them via flapper spindles at their extreme edges, with secondary flapper elements that open before primary ones to reduce inertia and impact forces, and incorporates a stop pin with resilient tongues to minimize damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If flappers are hingedly supported on a common hinge pin, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but vibrations are transferred between flappers causing potential damage on impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the hinge support system into separate components: each flapper has its own spindle mounted to the valve housing, rather than sharing a common hinge pin. This segmentation isolates vibration between flappers, preventing damage while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular assembly of spindles and flappers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces resilient bumpers as intermediary elements between the flappers and the stop pin/valve housing. These bumpers absorb impact energy and reduce vibration transmission during closing operations, protecting the flappers from damage while allowing the simple hinged structure to remain
2Reliability
If flappers are mounted at extreme edges via spindles, then vibration transmission is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By mounting each flapper on its own spindle at the extreme edge rather than using a central common hinge, the patent segments the rotational support points. This reduces vibration coupling between flappers during operation while the modular spindle design keeps manufacturing and assembly relatively simple
Solution Approach 2:
The spindles are pre-mounted to the valve housing before flapper installation, and the flappers are pre-equipped with resilient bumpers. This preliminary preparation allows the final assembly to be straightforward despite the increased number of components, as each element is ready for installation in its final position
3Force
If secondary flapper elements open before primary ones, then inertia and impact forces are reduced, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments each flapper into primary and secondary elements that can open independently. The secondary elements are designed to open first, reducing the moment of inertia during the opening transition and thereby reducing impact forces on the spindles and housing, while standard manufacturing tolerances can accommodate the segmented design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic opening sequence where secondary flapper elements are positioned and dimensioned to open before primary elements. This dynamic behavior reduces impact forces during operation, and the design uses standard geometric relationships that can be manufactured with conventional precision
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design significantly reduces vibration transmission and impact forces, minimizing the risk of flapper damage and enhancing the operational reliability of the check valve by distributing forces symmetrically and using resilient elements to absorb impacts.
Implementation Method 1
incorporates a stop pin with resilient tongues to minimize damage
Data Source
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AI summary
A check valve (2) comprising a valve housing (4) defining a first valve opening (6A) and a second valve opening (6B); a first flapper (14) pivotably mounted around a first axis for rotation relative to the housing (4) between an open position in which it permits fluid flow (F) through the first valve opening (6A) and a closed position in which it prevents fluid flow (F) through the first valve opening (6A); and a second flapper (16) pivotably mounted around a second axis for rotation relative to the housing (4) between an open position in which it permits fluid flow (F) through the second valve opening (6B) and a closed position in which it prevents fluid flow (F) through the second valve opening (6B), wherein the first axis is spaced laterally from to the second axis.