Valve Operator Housing Structure for High-Pressure Plastic Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve operator assemblies face challenges in handling high fluid pressures and maintaining structural integrity while using lighter materials, such as plastic, without compromising strength or stability, and ensuring operation in submerged environments.
Innovation Solution
A valve operator assembly design featuring a housing with a plastic body and cover, incorporating a yoke and yoke nut mechanism with stoppers to restrict linear motion, which increases structural integrity and allows for high-pressure handling, and includes a handle and indicator for operational status, enabling efficient rotation of the valve stem and reducing stress on the housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If lighter materials like plastic are used for the housing body and cover, then weight is reduced and corrosion resistance is improved, but structural strength and stability under high fluid pressure deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses plastic material for the housing body and cover to achieve weight reduction and corrosion resistance while maintaining structural integrity under high pressure conditions. The plastic material serves as a composite solution that balances lightweight requirements with strength requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing body is designed with a substantially spherical shape, which distributes stress evenly across the structure when subjected to high fluid pressures. This geometric principle allows the use of lighter plastic materials while maintaining structural strength, as the spherical form naturally resists pressure better than angular shapes.
2Strength
If the cover side portion extends downwards to overlap the sidewall, then structural integrity and strength are increased, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover's side portion extending downwards to overlap the sidewall creates an integrated structural design that reinforces the housing. This merging of the cover and body structures provides additional strength and rigidity while maintaining a relatively simple overall design approach.
3Reliability
If stoppers are added to restrict linear motion of the yoke nut, then reliability is improved by preventing over-travel, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stoppers are pre-positioned within the housing to restrict the linear motion of the yoke nut before excessive travel can occur. This preliminary constraint mechanism prevents over-travel and potential damage without requiring complex active control systems, achieving reliability through simple preventive design.
4Ease of operation
If the yoke nut is made linearly movable upon shaft rotation, then ease of operation is improved by converting rotational motion to linear motion, but stress on the housing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The yoke nut acts as an intermediary mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the shaft into linear motion to actuate the valve. This mechanical conversion provides ease of operation while the stoppers and housing design work together to manage and distribute the resulting stresses, preventing excessive stress concentration on the housing structure.
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 effectively manages high fluid pressures, reduces stress on the housing, and allows for the use of lighter materials like plastic, enhancing stability, corrosion resistance, and operational capability in submerged conditions while maintaining cost-effectiveness and structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
The yoke nut may include a yoke nut shaft bore to receive the shaft, and may be linearly movable upon rotation of the shaft, the linear motion of the yoke nut producing a rotational motion of the yoke
Data Source
AI summary
A valve operator assembly may include a housing, a yoke, and one or more stoppers. The housing is mountable on a valve, and includes a body having a sidewall including a shaft bore, to receive a shaft rotatable within the housing, and a cover having a top member mountable on a top portion of the body and a side portion extending downwards adjacent to and partially overlapping the sidewall. The yoke is operably coupled by a yoke nut to the shaft to impart rotation to a valve stem of the valve when the shaft is rotated. The one or more stoppers are disposed within the housing to restrict the linear motion of the yoke nut.