Tide Gate Check Valve Annular Wall Sealing for Tolerance Fit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tide gate check valves require precise dimensional control of the valve body and conduit, leading to high manufacturing costs and a time-consuming installation process due to limited dimensional tolerance.
Innovation Solution
A check valve design featuring a tubular valve body with an enlarged integral annular wall thickness that can compress to form a leak-tight seal with a conduit, allowing for greater dimensional tolerance and easier installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If precise dimensional control is used to ensure proper fit between valve body and conduit, then sealing reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body incorporates an expandable section that can change its outer diameter parameter dynamically. During installation, the expandable section is compressed to a smaller diameter for easy insertion into the conduit, then expanded to match the conduit's inner diameter to form a tight seal, eliminating the need for precise pre-matching of dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
The valve body transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one with an expandable section that can adapt its dimensions. This dynamic capability allows the valve to adjust its outer diameter during installation and operation, enabling both easy insertion and reliable sealing without requiring precise dimensional control
2Reliability
If precise dimensional control is used to ensure proper fit between valve body and conduit, then sealing reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable section allows the valve body's outer diameter to be changed after manufacturing. This means the valve can be manufactured with standard tolerances and then expanded in situ to achieve the precise fit required for sealing, significantly reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining sealing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable section is pre-configured within the valve body structure during manufacturing, but its expansion action is deferred until installation. This preliminary preparation allows the valve to be manufactured with relaxed tolerances, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost, while still achieving the required sealing performance when expanded
3Reliability
If expansion clamps are used to expand the valve body against the conduit, then sealing is achieved, but the installation process becomes time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body itself becomes dynamic with an integrated expandable section that can change dimensions without external clamps. This self-expanding capability eliminates the time-consuming process of installing and adjusting external expansion clamps, while still achieving reliable sealing against the conduit
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable section is extracted as a separate functional component within the valve body structure. This allows the expansion function to be performed independently by the valve body itself, removing the need for separate expansion clamps and simplifying the installation process
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 reduces manufacturing costs and simplifies the installation process by allowing for greater dimensional tolerance between the valve body and conduit, while maintaining a reliable leak-tight seal.
Implementation Method 1
The enlarged integral annular wall thickness is configured to compress against and form a leak tight seal with a first or second end of a receiving conduit
Data Source
AI summary
A check valve that includes: (a) a tubular valve body having a downstream end and an upstream end and (b) a tubular sleeve positioned within the valve body. The tubular sleeve bounds a longitudinally-extending flow-through passage for fluids, and has an upstream fluid inlet region and a downstream fluid outlet region. The downstream end or upstream end of the tubular valve body includes an enlarged integral annular wall thickness having an outside diameter that is greater than the outside diameter of the remaining portions of the tubular valve body. The enlarged integral annular wall thickness is configured to compress against and form a leak tight seal with a first or second end of a receiving conduit, and the remaining portions of the tubular valve body are configured to extend into the receiving conduit.