GB2594589A - Butterfly valve adaptor and butterfly vale-pipe assembly including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A butterfly valve adaptor 10 comprises a cylindrical body portion 11 and a head portion 12 communicating with the body portion 11 and having an outer diameter larger than that of the body portion 11. A hollow connection portion 13 is located between the head portion 12 and the body portion 11, having one end coupled with the body portion 11 and the other end coupled with the head portion 12, and includes a portion having an outer diameter larger than that of the body portion 11 and smaller than that of the head portion 12. An inner wall of the head portion 12 includes a curved portion (12c, Fig. 3) that has a constant longitudinal radius of curvature over its entire circumference.

Description

BUTTERFLY VALVE ADAPTOR AND BUTTERFLY VALE-PIPE ASSEMBLY

INCLUDING THE SAME

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0048853, filed on April 22, 2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

[0001] One or more embodiments relate to a butterfly valve adaptor and a butterfly valve-pipe assembly. More particularly, one or more embodiments relate to a butterfly valve adaptor configured to avoid friction with a valve disk during operation of a butterfly valve, and a butterfly valve-pipe assembly.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] A butterfly valve is a valve that opens and closes as a disk rotates around a center line of the disk. Since the butterfly valve simply opens and closes, its operation is fast, and it is widely used for high-pressure water, steam, air, and gas as well as low-pressure water, steam, air, and gas.

[0003] Generally, a butterfly valve adaptor should be configured to avoid friction with a valve disk during operation of a butterfly valve. Thus, the present inventors have developed a butterfly valve adaptor that is completely different in structure from a conventional butterfly valve adaptor.

SUMMARY

[0004] One or more embodiments provide a butterfly valve adaptor configured to avoid friction with a valve disk when operating a butterfly valve.

[0005] One or more embodiments provide a butterfly valve-pipe assembly including the butterfly valve adaptor.

[0006] Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments of the disclosure.

[0007] According to one or more embodiments, a butterfly valve adaptor includes: [0008] a cylindrical body portion; [0009] a head portion communicating with the body portion and having an outer diameter larger than that of the body portion; and [0010] a hollow connection portion located between the head portion and the body portion, having one end coupled with the body portion and the other end coupled with the head portion, and including a portion having an outer diameter larger than that of the body portion and smaller than that of the head portion, [0011] wherein an inner wall of the head portion includes a curved portion formed to have a constant longitudinal radius of curvature over the entire circumference.

[0012] A minimum thickness of the head portion may be greater than an average thickness of the body portion.

[0013] The connection portion has an outer surface that is tapered such that an outer diameter of one end of the connection portion is equal to an outer diameter of the head portion and an outer diameter of the other end of the connection portion is equal to an outer diameter of the body portion.

[0014] An outer diameter of the head portion may be greater than a maximum outer diameter of the connection portion, the maximum outer diameter of the connection portion may be greater than an outer diameter of the body portion, and the outer diameter of the body portion may be greater than 2 times a longitudinal radius of curvature of an inner wall of the head portion.

[0015] The ratio of the radius of curvature of the inner wall of the head portion with respect to the outer diameter of the body portion may be about 0.45 to about 0.5.

[0016] The head portion has a contraction or expansion length of about 0.4 mm to about 2.1 mm when the temperature thereof changes by 30°C.

[0017] The body portion, the connection portion, and the head portion may be integrally formed of a polyethylene material.

[0018] According to one or more embodiments, a butterfly valve-pipe assembly includes: [0019] the butterfly valve adaptor; [0020] another butterfly valve adaptor having the same configuration as the butterfly valve adaptor; and [0021] a butterfly valve interposed between the pair of butterfly valve adaptors and coupled therewith.

[0022] A diameter of a valve disk of the butterfly valve may be greater than a minimum inner diameter of the head portion of each of the butterfly valve adaptors.

[0023] When the butterfly valve is closed, the head portion may be configured such that a gap between the valve disk and the inner wall of the head portion is about 4 mm to about 10 mm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a butterfly valve adaptor according to an embodiment; [0026] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a cut portion obtained by cutting the butterfly valve adaptor according to the embodiment in two halves along a length direction as viewed from a head portion; [0027] FIG. 3 is a side view of the cut portion of FIG. 2, where the inside thereof is visible; [0028] FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a state in which a butterfly valve is coupled between the cut portion of FIG. 2 and a cut portion of an adaptor according to the Reference Example, where the inside thereof is visible; [0029] FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a state in which a butterfly valve is coupled between the cut portion of FIG. 2 and a cut portion of an adaptor according to the Reference Example, where the outside thereof is visible; and [0030] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a butterfly valve adaptor according to the embodiment in the length direction, which illustrates a relative arrangement structure of the butterfly valve adaptor with respect to a valve disk.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are merely described below, by referring to the figures, to explain aspects of the present description. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as "at least one of," when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

[0032] Hereinafter, a butterfly valve adaptor according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] As used herein, the term "hollow" refers to a form that is penetrated in one direction so that a fluid flows.

[0034] As used herein, the term "longitudinal direction" refers to a direction perpendicular to a circumference.

[0035] As used herein, the term "longitudinal radius of curvature" refers to a radius of an arc when a small part of a curve extending in the longitudinal direction among curves located on a curved surface extending in the longitudinal and transverse directions is regarded as the arc.

[0036] As used herein, the term "constant longitudinal radius of curvature" means that the "longitudinal radius of curvature" is constant without changing depending on the position on the circumference.

[0037] As used herein, the term, "interference avoidance stability" refers to a degree to which a valve disk is stably maintained in a state that does not contact the inner wall of a head portion of a butterfly valve adaptor even when the valve disk is reversibly or irreversibly deformed or its position changes due to fluid pressure or external force.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a butterfly valve adaptor 10 according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a cut portion obtained by cutting the butterfly valve adaptor 10 according to the embodiment in two halves along a length direction as viewed from a head portion 12, FIG. 3 is a side view of the cut portion of FIG. 2, where the inside thereof is visible, FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a state in which a butterfly valve 20 is coupled between the cut portion of FIG. 2 and a cut portion of an adaptor according to the Reference Example, where the inside thereof is visible, FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a state in which a butterfly valve 20 is coupled between the cut portion of FIG. 2 and a cut portion of an adaptor according to the Reference Example, where the outside thereof is visible, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a butterfly valve adaptor 10 according to the embodiment in the length direction, which illustrates a relative arrangement structure of the butterfly valve adaptor 10 with respect to a valve disk 22. [0039] Referring to FIG. 1, a butterfly valve adaptor 10 according to an embodiment includes a cylindrical body portion 11, a head portion 12, and a hollow connection portion 13.

[0040] The cylindrical body portion 11 may be extend in one direction.

[0041] The head portion 12 communicates with the body portion 11 and has an outer diameter larger than that of the body portion 11. Accordingly, a flange (31 in FIG. 4) may be tightly coupled to the bottom surface of the head portion 12.

[0042] The connection portion 13 is located between the head portion 12 and the body portion 11, has one end coupled with the body portion 11 and the other end coupled with the head portion 12, and includes a portion having a larger outer diameter that is larger than that of the body portion 11 and smaller than that of the head portion 12. As such, since the connection portion 13 includes a portion having an outer diameter that is larger than that of the body portion 11 and smaller than that of the head portion 12, it is possible to prevent cracks from occurring at the interface between the head portion 12 and the body portion 11 due to internal fluid pressure or external force.

[0043] For example, the outer surface of the connection portion may be tapered such that the outer diameter of one end of the connection portion is equal to the outer diameter of the head portion 12 and the outer diameter of the other end of the connection portion is equal to the outer diameter of the body portion 11.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the head portion 12 includes a curved portion 12c formed such that the inner wall of the curved portion 12c has a constant longitudinal radius of curvature over the entire circumference.

[0045] Specifically, the head portion 12 includes an annular surface portion 12a, an annular base portion 12b, and an annular curved portion 12c.

[0046] The annular curved portion 12c is located between the annular surface portion 12a and the annular base portion 12b.

[0047] Also, the annular curved portion 12c includes a curved surface formed in the thickness direction of the head portion 12, and the curved surface may have a radius of curvature of about 50 mm to about 320 mm. However, this is exemplary, and the radius of curvature of the curved surface included in the annular curved portion 12c is not limited thereto. For example, the radius of curvature of the curved surface may be 50 mm or less and 320 mm or more.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 6, the minimum thickness t3 of the head portion 12 may be greater than the average thickness ti of the body portion 110.

[0049] In an embodiment, the minimum thickness t3 of the head portion 12 may be 1.1 times or more the average thickness ti of the body portion 11. When the minimum thickness t3 of the head portion 12 is less than 1.1 times the average thickness ti of the body portion 11, the force to withstand internal fluid pressure or external force may be weak in the corresponding portion.

[0050] In an embodiment, the minimum thickness t3 of the head portion 12 may be 1.3 times or less the average thickness ti of the body portion 11. When the minimum thickness t3 of the head portion 12 is more than 1.3 times the average thickness ti of the body portion 11, the flow of a fluid may be impeded by inward protrusion.

[0051] However, this is exemplary, and the minimum thickness t3 of the head portion 12 in the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0052] Further, referring to FIG. 6, the ratio of the radius re of curvature of the curved portion 12c of the inner wall of the head portion 12 with respect to the outer diameter db of the body portion 11 may be 0.45 or more. When the ratio of the radius re of curvature of the curved portion 12c of the inner wall of the head portion 12 with respect to the outer diameter db of the body portion 11 may be less than 0.45, the interference avoidance stability with respect to a valve disk 22 may be deteriorated.

[0053] Further, the ratio of the radius re of curvature of the curved portion 12e of the inner wall of the head portion 12 with respect to the outer diameter db of the body portion 11 may be 0.5 or less. When the ratio of the radius re of curvature of the curved portion 12c of the inner wall of the head portion 12 with respect to the outer diameter db of the body portion 11 is more than 0.5, the thickness of the head portion 12 may decrease, and thus the force to withstand internal fluid pressure or external force may be weakened.

[0054] However, this is exemplary, and the ratio of the radius re of curvature of the curved portion 12c of the inner wall of the head portion 12 with respect to the outer diameter db of the body portion 11 is not limited thereto.

[0055] The body portion 11, the connection portion 13, and the head portion 12 may be integrally formed of a polyethylene material. That is, the entire butterfly valve adaptor 10 may be integrally formed of a polyethylene material.

[0056] The polyethylene may include low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), or a combination thereof.

[0057] Meanwhile, the head portion 12 may have a contraction or expansion length of about 0.4 mm to about 2.1 mm when the temperature thereof changes by 30°C. When the contraction or expansion length thereof is within the above range, the force to withstand internal fluid pressure or external force may be maintained at a high level even when external environments change.

[0058] The butterfly valve adaptor 10 according to the present disclosure may have advantages in the manufacturing process to be described below in addition to the above-described technical effects. The butterfly valve adaptor 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be manufactured by fabricating an unprocessed butterfly adaptor having the same configuration as the butterfly valve adaptor 10 except for having no curved portion and then cutting the inner wall of the head portion of the unprocessed butterfly valve adaptor to form a curved portion. Accordingly, since the butterfly valve adaptor 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure only needs to add a cutting process without changing the existing adaptor manufacturing process, mass production is possible at relatively low cost by utilizing existing facilities.

[0059] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a butterfly valve-pipe assembly. [0060] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the butterfly valve-pipe assembly includes a butterfly valve adaptor 10, another butterfly valve adaptor (not shown) having the same configuration as the butterfly valve adaptor 10, and a butterfly valve 20 interposed between the pair of butterfly valve adaptors and coupled therewith. That is, in FIGS. 4 and 5, when a butterfly valve adaptor 10' according to Reference Example is replaced by another butterfly valve adaptor (not shown) having the same configuration as the butterfly valve adaptor 10, the butterfly valve-pipe assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be obtained. Here, "having the same configuration" means that both materials and structures are the same.

[0061] FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a butterfly valve adaptor 10' according to Reference Example instead of another butterfly valve adaptor (not shown) having the same configuration as the butterfly valve adaptor 10. This is to describe the features of the butterfly valve adaptor 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure differentiated from the butterfly valve adaptor 10' according to Reference Example.

[0062] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the butterfly valve 20 is interposed between the butterfly valve adaptor 10 and the butterfly valve adaptor 10' and is coupled with them through a fastening unit 30.

[0063] The butterfly valve 20 includes a valve body 21 and a valve disk 22 [0064] The valve body 21 corresponds to an outer frame, and includes a driving unit (handle, or the like).

[0065] The valve disk 22 is a disc-shaped component disposed in the valve body 21 and is opened and closed using an axis perpendicular to the flow of a fluid as a rotation axis. [0066] The fastening means 30 includes a pair of flanges 31 and a pair of bolts 32.

[0067] The inner wall of the head portion 12 of the butterfly valve adaptor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a curved portion 12c, whereas the inner wall of the head portion 12' of the butterfly valve adaptor 10' according to Reference Example has an intermediate planar portion 12c', not the curved portion.

S

[0068] As described above, since the inner wall of the head portion 12 of the butterfly valve adaptor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention has the curved portion 12c, interference avoidance stability with respect to the valve disk 22 is excellent. In contrast, since the inner wall of the head portion 12' of the butterfly valve adaptor 10' according to Reference Example has the intermediate planar portion 12d, not the curved portion, the interference avoidance stability with respect to the valve disk 22 is remarkably deteriorated.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 6, the diameter de of the valve disk 22 of the butterfly valve 20 may be larger than the minimum inner diameter (= the inner diameter of the body portion 11) of the head portion 12 of the butterfly valve adaptor 10. When the diameter de of the valve disk 22 of the butterfly valve 20 is smaller than the minimum inner diameter of the head portion 12 of the butterfly valve adaptor 10, the inner wall of the head portion 12 of the butterfly valve adaptor 10 does not need to have the curved portion 12c.

[0070] When the butterfly valve 20 is opened, the head portion 12 may be configured such that the gap g between the valve disk 22 and the inner wall of the head portion 12 is constant (that is, the gap g does not change depending on the position).

[0071] In an embodiment, when the butterfly valve 20 is opened, the head portion 12 may be configured such that the gap g between the valve disk 22 and the inner wall of the head portion 12 is 4 mm or more. When the gap g is less than 4 mm, the interference avoidance stability with respect to the valve disk 22 may be deteriorated.

[0072] In an embodiment, when the butterfly valve 20 is opened, the head portion 12 may be configured such that the gap g between the valve disk 22 and the inner wall of the head portion 12 is 10 mm or less. When the gap g is more than 10 mm, the fluid blocking ability of the valve disk 22 may be deteriorated.

[0073] However, this is exemplary, and when the butterfly valve 20 is opened, the gap g between the valve disk 22 and the inner wall of the head 12 is not limited thereto.

[0074] Meanwhile, the maximum outer diameter dm of the connecting portion 13 may be smaller than the outer diameter dh of the head portion 12 and larger than the outer diameter dh of the body portion 11.

[0075] Further, the outer diameter dh of the head portion 12 may be larger than each of the diameter de of the valve disk 22, the longitudinal radius re of curvature of the inner wall of the head portion 12, the maximum outer diameter dm of the connection portion 13, and the outer diameter dh of the body portion 11. Specifically, it may be in order of the outer diameter dh of the head portion 12> the maximum outer diameter dm of the connection portion 13> the outer diameter de of the body portion 11> the longitudinal radius re of curvature of the inner wall of the head portion 12 x2>the diameter de of valve disc 22.

[0076] The butterfly valve adaptor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure not only has an advantage of avoiding friction with the valve disk during operation of the butterfly valve, but also has an advantage of high interference avoidance stability without blocking the flow of a fluid.

[0077] It should be understood that embodiments described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments. While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims.

Claims (8)

1. WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A butterfly valve adaptor comprising: a cylindrical body portion; a head portion communicating with the body portion and having an outer diameter larger than that of the body portion; and a hollow connection portion located between the head portion and the body portion, having one end coupled with the body portion and the other end coupled with the head portion, and including a portion having an outer diameter larger than that of the body portion and smaller than that of the head portion, wherein an inner wall of the head portion includes a curved portion formed to have a constant longitudinal radius of curvature over the entire circumference.
2. 2. The butterfly valve adaptor of claim 1, wherein a minimum thickness of the head portion is greater than an average thickness of the body portion.
3. 3. The butterfly valve adaptor of claim 1, wherein the connection portion has an outer surface that is tapered such that an outer diameter of one end of the connection portion is equal to an outer diameter of the head portion and an outer diameter of the other end of the connection portion is equal to an outer diameter of the body portion.
4. 4. The butterfly valve adaptor of claim 1, wherein an outer diameter of the head portion is greater than a maximum outer diameter of the connection portion, the maximum outer diameter of the connection portion is greater than an outer diameter of the body portion, and the outer diameter of the body portion is greater than 2 times a longitudinal radius of curvature of an inner wall of the head portion.
5. 5. The butterfly valve adaptor of claim 1, wherein the body portion, the connection portion, and the head portion are integrally formed of a polyethylene material.
6. 6. A butterfly valve-pipe assembly comprising: the butterfly valve adaptor of any one of claims 1 to 5; another butterfly valve adaptor having the same configuration as the butterfly valve adaptor; and a butterfly valve interposed between and the pair of butterfly valve adaptors and coupled therewith.
7. 7. The butterfly valve-pipe assembly of claim 6, wherein a diameter of a valve disk of the butterfly valve is greater than a minimum inner diameter of the head portion of each of the butterfly valve adaptors.
8. 8. The butterfly valve-pipe assembly of claim 7, wherein, when the butterfly valve is opened, the head portion is configured such that a gap between the valve disk and the inner wall of the head portion is constant.