Valve Linear Drive Spring Chamber Layout for Seat Tightness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve linear drives, particularly in normally closed (NC) valves, face challenges in ensuring long-lasting and reliable sealing due to temperature-related, service life-related, or manufacturing-related changes, which can lead to impaired return of the actuating means to a defined valve position.
Innovation Solution
A valve linear drive with a spring device comprising multiple springs, each housed in its own spring chamber, distributes load and minimizes transverse forces, ensuring a defined valve position by compensating these forces and providing an optimal arrangement with the valve seat, while the receiving unit allows for low assembly effort and a compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single spring is used in the spring device, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of the valve position and seat tightness deteriorates due to transverse forces impairing the return to defined valve position
Solution Approach 1:
The spring device is segmented into multiple independent springs (at least three) instead of using a single spring. Each spring is housed in its own spring chamber formed in the receiving unit. This segmentation distributes the load among multiple springs, allowing transverse forces to compensate each other and minimizing resultant transverse forces, thereby ensuring reliable return to the defined valve position and maintaining seat tightness.
2Reliability
If multiple springs are used in the spring device, then the reliability of the valve position improves by minimizing transverse forces, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple springs and their individual spring chambers are merged into a single integrated receiving unit. The receiving unit serves as a common housing that contains all spring chambers, providing a unified structure that reduces overall device complexity while still accommodating the multiple springs needed for reliable valve position control.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving unit performs multiple functions: it houses the spring chambers for the springs, provides guiding surfaces for the actuating means, and serves as a structural component of the valve linear drive. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining the reliability benefits of multiple springs.
3Reliability
If spring chambers are provided for each spring, then the arrangement of springs is optimized and transverse forces are limited, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each spring chamber is designed with specific local qualities including guiding surfaces and dimensional tolerances tailored to the requirements of the spring it houses. The spring chambers are formed with precise local features that ensure proper spring alignment and movement, optimizing the arrangement of springs and limiting transverse forces while maintaining manufacturability through localized precision features rather than requiring high precision throughout the entire component.
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 solution effectively improves seat tightness in NC valves by reducing transverse forces, ensuring a reliable and defined valve position, even in the event of drive unit failure, and maintains a high degree of tightness and compactness.
Implementation Method 1
The spring device includes a plurality of springs and a receiving unit for the springs. Here, each spring has its own spring chamber formed in the receiving unit, in which the associated spring is inserted.
Implementation Method 2
By providing a spring device having a plurality of springs, the load is distributed among the springs and transverse forces occur in each spring. In contrast to a single spring, these transverse forces can at least partially compensate each other, whereby the resulting transverse forces are minimized
Implementation Method 3
The spring chambers ensure an optimum arrangement of the springs in relation to each other and with respect to the valve seat. Also, the spring chambers act as a guide and can thus limit the transverse forces occurring in the springs.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve linear drive provided for connection to a valve body having a valve seat includes a drive housing, a valve closure member, an actuator, and a spring device. The valve closure member is adjustable along an adjustment axis (V) between an open position and a closed position by means of the actuator and an actuating means. The spring device urges the actuating means into the open position or into the closed position. Further, the spring device includes a plurality of springs and a receiving unit for the springs. Here, each spring has its own spring chamber formed in the receiving unit, in which the associated spring is inserted. Furthermore, a valve having such a valve linear drive is provided.