Flexible Wedge Gate Valve Structure for Compact Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wedge gate valves are large and heavy, requiring multiple bolts for securement, and necessitate tight dimensional tolerances for reliable sealing, which complicates manufacturing and assembly.
Innovation Solution
A flexible wedge gate valve design with a concave slot in the gate channel and a convex ridge on the gate, allowing for reduced size and weight, improved structural strength, and enhanced sealing functionality with fewer bolts required for assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid wedge portion with sharp transition is used in conventional gate valves, then sealing is achieved, but the valve becomes large and heavy requiring multiple bolts for securement
Solution Approach 1:
The gate is designed with a flexible thin-walled structure that can elastically deform under pressure to maintain sealing contact with the seat. The flexible gate eliminates the need for a large rigid wedge portion, significantly reducing valve weight and size while maintaining reliable sealing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the gate from rigid to flexible, and from thick-walled to thin-walled. This parameter change allows the gate to achieve sealing through elastic deformation rather than rigid geometric contact, reducing the required gate dimensions and consequently the valve size and weight.
2Reliability
If tight dimensional tolerances are specified for the rigid wedge portion, then reliable sealing is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible gate structure inherently compensates for dimensional variations and manufacturing tolerances through elastic deformation. The flexibility allows the gate to conform to the seat geometry even with moderate manufacturing tolerances, eliminating the need for tight dimensional controls required by rigid wedge designs.
Solution Approach 2:
Changing from a rigid to a flexible gate structure fundamentally alters the sealing mechanism from geometry-dependent to elasticity-dependent. This parameter change shifts the critical factor from dimensional precision to material elastic properties, which are less sensitive to manufacturing variations.
3Ease of operation
If a large gate channel width is used to accommodate the wedge portion, then the valve functions properly, but the overall valve size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible thin-walled gate requires a much narrower gate channel width compared to rigid wedge gates. The flexibility allows the gate to bend and seal effectively in a confined space, reducing the gate channel dimensions and consequently the overall valve volume while maintaining proper operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the gate wider to achieve sealing (as in rigid wedge designs), the invention inverts the approach by making the gate narrower and relying on elastic deformation perpendicular to the flow direction to achieve sealing. This inversion of the sealing mechanism allows for compact valve dimensions.
Data Source
AI summary
A gate for a gate valve includes a first disc-shaped side and a second disc-shaped side. The first disc-shaped side includes a first center guide and a first diameter, the first center guide being a convex ridge extending across the first diameter.