Split-Body Rotary C-Gate Vacuum Valve for Tool-Free Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valves for food processing are limited in their ability to be quickly disassembled and cleaned, particularly in vacuum systems, as they often require tools and may not provide a reliable vacuum seal during disassembly.
Innovation Solution
A split body, rotary C gate valve with removable stem and handle extensions that allow for hand disassembly and reassembly, featuring a gasketless gate with axles and a food-grade material selection for compatibility and ease of cleaning, ensuring a vacuum seal without additional gaskets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional valves are used in food processing, then vacuum seal is maintained, but disassembly and cleaning require tools and time
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is divided into multiple separable components including endcaps, a C-shaped gate, axles, and handle extensions. These segmented parts can be easily detached from each other without tools, allowing rapid disassembly for cleaning and quick reassembly afterward, directly reducing cleaning time while maintaining vacuum seal integrity through precision-machined mating surfaces.
2Ease of operation
If traditional valves are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but disassembly requires tools
Solution Approach 1:
The valve incorporates pre-engineered features such as external threads on endcaps, depth stops for proper alignment, and handle extensions that protrude beyond the valve body. These preliminary design elements enable tool-free manual manipulation and disassembly while maintaining structural integrity through precision-machined mating surfaces and vacuum-seal-capable interfaces.
3Reliability
If gaskets are added for sealing, then vacuum seal is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for separate gaskets or sealing components by incorporating integral sealing surfaces directly into the valve body, endcaps, and C-shaped gate. The precision-machined mating surfaces and vacuum-seal-capable interfaces provide reliable sealing without additional gasket layers, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining vacuum seal reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A split body, rotary C gate, removeable stem vacuum valve using an input assembly with handle extensions that allow for hand movement of the incoming pipe to access an inner aperture body with a curved sealing face that directly seals to a C shaped gasketless gate that can be rotated into and out of the inner body aperture for easy cleaning. The gasketless gate is held in position using gate axles with an outer axle stem connected to a polygon lower body that mates into a matching polygon aperture on the gasketless gate. The middle valve assembly's gasketless housing body defines upper and lower axle washer pockets for locating the axles for proper operation and simple axle pins for securing the axles in position.