Overmolded Valve Member With Integrated Gasket for Seal Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve assemblies for thermoplastic materials, such as butterfly and ball valves, are laborious to assemble due to multiple manual steps and are prone to seal integrity issues with O-ring gaskets, often requiring additional components like bonnets for assembly.
Innovation Solution
A valve assembly design where a disc- or ball-shaped rigid component is overmolded with a flexible component to form a ring gasket section, reducing assembly steps and components, and integrating the seal gland directly onto the valve member through a 2-component injection molding process, using thermoplastic or thermoset materials for the rigid component and elastomers for the flexible component.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional butterfly or ball valves are assembled with separate O-ring gaskets, then the seal function is achieved, but the assembly process becomes laborious and requires multiple manual steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the gasket function and valve member function into a single integrated component. The valve member is manufactured with an integrated gasket section that is directly formed as part of the valve member body, eliminating the need for separate O-ring gaskets and manual assembly steps. This merging of functions resolves the contradiction by maintaining seal integrity while dramatically simplifying the assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve member is designed to be self-sealing through its integrated gasket section. The gasket is automatically positioned and secured as part of the valve member structure, requiring no separate assembly actions. The valve member itself provides the sealing function through its own structure, eliminating the need for external gasket installation and reducing assembly complexity.
2Ease of operation
If O-ring gaskets are used in traditional valve assemblies, then sealing is achieved, but the gaskets are prone to dislocation compromising seal integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket section is merged with the valve member into a single monolithic structure. The gasket material is directly formed as an integral part of the valve member body, eliminating the interface between separate components. This integration prevents dislocation entirely, as there is no separate gasket that can shift or become mispositioned, thereby ensuring consistent seal reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve member is constructed using composite material technology, combining a rigid base material with a flexible gasket material in a single molded component. This composite structure allows the gasket section to maintain its sealing properties while being permanently bonded to the valve member body, preventing dislocation and ensuring stable positioning throughout operation.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional valve assembly methods are used, then the valve functions are achieved, but additional components like bonnets are required for assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the bonnet component from the traditional valve assembly. By designing the valve member with an integrated gasket section that can be directly installed into the valve body, the bonnet is no longer needed to facilitate gasket assembly. This removal of unnecessary components simplifies the overall valve structure and reduces the number of parts that need to be manufactured and assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve member and gasket functions are merged into a single integrated component, eliminating the need for separate assembly facilitators like bonnets. This consolidation reduces the total component count and simplifies the manufacturing process, as fewer distinct parts need to be produced, inventory managed, and assembled during valve construction.
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 simplifies the assembly process, reduces the number of components, and ensures a fluid-tight seal without additional parts, enhancing manufacturing efficiency and seal integrity by integrating the seal gland directly onto the valve member.
Implementation Method 1
The valve member comprises a disc- or ball-shaped rigid component, which is overmolded with a flexible component and which at least partially encompasses the rigid component in a circumferential direction to form a ring gasket section
Data Source
AI summary
A valve assembly has a stationary valve body and a valve member that is movable relative to the valve body at least from a closed position, in which the valve member cooperates with a valve seat to completely obstruct a fluid path formed through the valve body, to an open position, which allows fluid to flow through the fluid path. The valve member has a disc- or ball-shaped rigid component that is overmolded with a flexible component and at least partially encompasses the rigid component in a circumferential direction to form a ring gasket section.