Flush Valve Cleaning Pin and Flow Head for Water Hammer Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial flush valves face challenges in downsizing due to bulky coil spring mechanisms in cleaning pins and often experience water hammer effects during closure, leading to instability and potential pipe damage.
Innovation Solution
A pin design that eliminates the coil spring mechanism while allowing for up-and-down motion and rotation for cleaning, combined with a flow head featuring notches to throttle water flow and minimize pressure spikes during closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a coil spring mechanism is used in the cleaning pin, then the cleaning pin can move up and down to clean the hole, but the flush valve cannot be downsized due to the bulky mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the coil spring mechanism from the cleaning pin design, eliminating the bulky component while retaining the essential cleaning function. The cleaning pin becomes a simple rod that moves up and down within the hole without requiring a spring mechanism, thereby enabling downsizing of the flush valve.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making the cleaning pin simple and minimal in structure, focusing only on the essential cleaning action at the hole location. The pin is designed as a straightforward rod that fits into the refill orifice hole, providing cleaning through its motion without the need for complex mechanisms elsewhere in the system.
2Productivity
If the valve closes abruptly to end the flush cycle, then the flush cycle ends quickly, but a water hammer effect occurs causing pressure spikes and potential pipe damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a flow head with notches that provides beforehand cushioning by allowing controlled water flow during the valve closing process. The notches in the flow head create a gradual pressure reduction, cushioning the system against the water hammer effect before it can fully develop, thus protecting the piping system while maintaining efficient flush cycle completion.
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
Enables the downsizing of flush valves without compromising functionality and reduces the water hammer effect, minimizing noise, vibrations, and pipe damage.
Implementation Method 1
a pin comprising a straight portion inserted into the hole to clean the hole by relative motions of the hole and the straight portion
Implementation Method 2
a flow head featuring notches to throttle water flow and minimize pressure spikes during closure
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are valve devices and flow heads for a valve device. A valve device can include a valve body (30) that opens and closes a valve hole (15a) to allow communication between a primary flow path (17a) and a secondary flow path (17b), a back pressure chamber (7) defined at the back side of the valve body, a small hole (51) that is provided in the valve body to allow the primary flow path of and the back pressure chamber to communicate with each other, and a pin (6) that has a straight portion inserted into the small hole to clean the small hole by relative motions of the small hole and the straight portion. A flow head (34) may be annular and include one or more notches along a perimeter and be configured to engage with an inner peripheral surface of an upper end portion of an inner barrel of the valve device.