Pump Check Valve Structure for Fast Maintenance and Lower Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Check valves for centrifugal pumps are complex to maintain and replace, requiring disassembly and having acute angles that wear out the valve member, leading to increased downtime and fabrication time.
Innovation Solution
A check valve design with a valve body and a flexible valve member featuring a flap disk-shaped blocking portion with a metal core, a locking portion without metal, and an outer lid that allows external inspection and maintenance without disassembly, enabling quick and simple maintenance and reducing wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the inspection opening has smaller dimensions than the valve member, then the valve body structure is compact, but the valve member cannot be replaced without disassembling the valve bodies
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is divided into two separable parts: a first valve body containing the guiding duct and a second valve body containing the seat and inspection opening. This segmentation allows the valve member to be accessed and replaced through the inspection opening without disassembling the entire valve assembly, resolving the contradiction between compact structure and ease of repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve member is designed to be insertable through the inspection opening and nestle within the valve body structure. The first valve body is positioned within or adjacent to the second valve body, creating a nested arrangement that allows compact overall structure while maintaining access to the valve member for replacement.
2Reliability
If the seat is formed on both valve bodies, then the sealing is improved, but the fabrication time is considerably extended
Solution Approach 1:
The seat function is extracted from the first valve body and concentrated solely in the second valve body. The second valve body contains the complete seat structure with the inspection opening, eliminating the need to form seats on both valve bodies while maintaining the sealing function through the mating interface between the two valve bodies.
3Ease of operation
If the seat has acute angles, then the valve member can be held securely, but the outer surface of the valve member wears out quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The seat in the second valve body is designed with specific local geometric features that provide secure holding of the valve member without acute angles. The seat includes a locking portion engagement area with optimized curvature and angle specifications that maintain secure positioning while distributing contact stresses to prevent premature wear of the valve member outer surface.
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 design simplifies maintenance, reduces maintenance time, and increases the durability of the valve member, allowing direct on-site inspection without disassembly and minimizing the complexity of assembly and fabrication.
Implementation Method 1
a valve member (18) associated with the valve body (4) and made of a flexible material, and adapted to move between an open position and a position in which it automatically blocks the guiding duct (7)
Implementation Method 2
the blocking portion (22) comprises a core (23) made of a metal material
Data Source
AI summary
A check valve for a pump delivery port includes a body having inlet and outlet portions joined by a duct and an opening; a curve having an inlet end to be connected to the delivery port and an outlet end to be connected to the body; and a valve member having a disk-shaped locking portion sealingly interacting with an edge of the curve and a locking portion secured in a seat by a lid of the opening. The valve member moves between open and closed positions and has a metal core made while the locking portion is metal-free. The lid cooperates with the locking portion through a protrusion or a cavity and pushes the valve member toward the curve to the closed position and allows the valve member to deflect to the open position under pressure of a working fluid in equilibrium with the weight of the blocking portion.