Line Stopping Valve Disc With Stepwise Support for Low-Torque Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional line stopping valves face challenges in water stopping performance due to foreign substance accumulation on the inner pipe surface, requiring higher torque for operation and leading to performance degradation over time.

Innovation Solution

A low-torque water shutoff-type line stopping valve using stepwise pressure point support, featuring a multistage disc with a rubber member and casting member that initially contacts the pipe at two points, sweeps the surface to remove foreign substances, reducing the required torque for water stoppage and enhancing airtightness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the valve disc uses the inner wall of the pipe as a water stopping surface, then the valve can stop water effectively, but foreign substances accumulate on the inner surface causing performance degradation over time

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewater stopping performanceVSAvoidservice life
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by equipping the valve disc with a cleaning mechanism that actively removes foreign substances from the pipe inner surface before they can accumulate and degrade performance. The cleaning action occurs during the valve operation cycle, preventing the buildup that would otherwise occur over time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The valve disc performs self-service by incorporating a cleaning function that allows it to maintain its own water stopping performance. The disc cleans the pipe inner surface during operation, ensuring continuous effective sealing without requiring external maintenance or intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If the valve disc presses against the pipe inner surface to achieve water stoppage, then sealing is improved, but higher torque is required for operation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidoperating torque
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the valve disc pressing force adjustable and variable during operation. The disc can exert higher force when sealing is needed, then reduce the force during operation to lower the torque requirement. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to achieve both strong sealing and ease of operation at different stages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The valve disc employs periodic action by cycling between pressing against the pipe surface for sealing and releasing or reducing pressure for operation. This periodic pressing-releasing pattern allows effective water stoppage when needed while minimizing the torque required during the operation phase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

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

The solution enables effective water stoppage with lower torque, improves support power and airtightness by removing foreign substances, and prevents pipe damage during operation, addressing the performance degradation issues of conventional valves.

Implementation Method 1

a rubber member (10) and a casting member (20)... when the multi-stage disc comes into contact with the inner surface of a pipe so as to block a flow path, two points of the multi-stage disc initially come into contact with and are supported by the inner surface of the pipe, then the two points supported by pressure sweep the inner surface of the pipe outwards

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP3919787B1Low-torque water shutoff-type line stopping valve using stepwise pressure point support
Publication Date: 2024.10.09 KIM E E
  • EP3919787B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3919787B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3919787B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a low-torque water shutoff-type line stopping valve using stepwise pressure point support and, particularly, to: a line stopping valve for a line stopping method, the valve being used for the line stopping method enabling construction without shutting off water when a pipe is replaced or repaired; and a disc for low-torque water shutoff, to be used for the line stopping valve. Normally, foreign material is inevitably generated on the inner wall inside a pipe as time passes, and the foreign material is unavoidably generated during an operation such as pipeline repair. The foreign material floats in the pipe because of external impact applied to the pipe, the flow of fluid or the like, and a large amount of the foreign material accumulates on the inner bottom of the pipe because of gravity. Therefore, the water stopping performance of the valve disc mounted in the pipe decreases, and performance degradation worsens according to the elapse of time after the disc is mounted. Specifically, unlike a conventional valve providing method using a water stopping surface of the disc as a main body of the valve, the line stopping valve using the inner wall of the pipe as the water stopping surface, as in the present invention, has a more serious problem of water stopping performance degradation due to the foreign material. However, the disc, according to the present invention, is supported while removing the foreign material formed on the inner surface of the pipe, so as to improve support power and airtightness since, when the disc comes in contact with the inner side of the pipe so as to block a flow path, first two points initially come in contact with and are supported by the inner surface of the pipe, and then the two points supported by pressure sweep the inner surface of the pipe outward, thereby finally achieving surface contact with and support by same, and protrudes to support the pipe in the center after making surface contact and being supported, thereby enabling airtightness to be more improved. Therefore, a multi-stage type disc according to the present invention can have effects of enabling water stopping while sweeping out the foreign material, which disrupts water stopping, by using horizontally dispersed power, according to the interaction of an auxiliary groove part (24a) and a sweeping groove part (12a) from the time point at which the disc comes in contact with the bottom surface of the pipe; reducing the power required for water stopping to be lower than that of a conventional disc so as to be capable of stopping water by using lower torque, so that a low-torque water shutoff-type disc can be provided; and enabling the problem of water stopping performance degradation caused by the foreign material to be resolved.