US2368120A - Fuel drain valve - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 30, 1945. T, DQWNEY 2,368,120

FUEL DRAIN VALVE Filed Feb. 24,1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 GZLDO zrney Patented Jan. 30, 1945 FUEL DRAIN VALVE George T. Downey,

Supply Mfg.

Corry, Pa., assignor to Aero Co. Inc., Corry, Pa.

Application February 24, 1944, Serial No. 523,704

3 Claims. (Cl. 251-43) This invention relates to drain valves designed to drain fluids.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved drain valve which will permit draining of fluid from one side of the valve without creation of any air pockets in the other side of the valve. In practice this drain valve has been designed to be interposed in a fuel supply line between an internal combustion engine and a supply tank so that the tank can'be drained at will and any fuel in the line between the valve and venting creation of air pockets when the drain side of the valve has been closed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drain valve which is formed of a housing having an inlet port and two outlet ports, a selected one of the outlet ports being closed by meansof a pivoted or swinging valve plug. i

This invention further aims to provide a drain valve embodying a swinging valve plug of spherical configuration, and means whereby the valve plug may be firmly held in a, selected port closing position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a drain valve which embodies the use of a rub her or yieldable plug so that the plug need not be ground to the valve seat and will inherently conform to the valve eat.

With the foregoing objects in view, and others which may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more specifically described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein are shown em;- bodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention, as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a detail side elevation of a drain valve constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan of the device.

Figure 3 is a detail end elevation of the device.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-4 of Figure 3.

Figure is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings the numeral Ill designates generally a housing which is polygonal in transverse section, and is provided with a plurality of mounting lugs ll, I2 and I3 whereby the housing may be firmly mounted on a suitable support. The housing In is provided with an inthe engine will be retained therein, thereby preto the opposite end of take port 14 at one end thereof an outlet port 1 5, at the opposite end thereof, and with a second outlet port 16 between the ports l4 and I5at right angles to the port l5. The housing 10 is open at each end thereof and the intake end is closed by means of a plate l1 secured by fastening members l8.-

A nipple I9 is carried by vides a means whereby a hose or connection may be secured to the plate admitting fluid into the interior of the housing In.

A plate 20 is secured by fastening members 2| the housing l0, and has formed integral therewith a coupling nipple 22 whereby a hose or tubular duct may be connected to the outlet end of the housing It). A plate 23 is secured by fastening members 24 to the lower side of the housing 10 and has formed integral the plate 18 and proother tubular IQ for therewith an outlet or drain nipple 25 by means of which a drain hose or tubular member may be connected with the housing Ill.

The nipple 22, as shown in Figure 4, is provided with a tubular extension 26 extending into the housing In, and formed at its inner end with a valve seat 21. The inner end of the nipple 25 is also formed with a valve seat 28.

A spherical valve plug 29 is positioned within the housing 10, being swingable from the full line position hown in Figure 4, to the dotted line position shown in the same figure, so that the plug 29 may be positioned for selectively closing either outlet port l5, or outlet port l6.

' The plug 29 is of inherently yieldable construction being preferably formed of rubber or rubber composition, and is mounted on an arm 30 which extends loosely into a or plug 29. A bolt 32 is extended through an opening 33 formed in the plug 29 at right angles to the slot 3|, and engages through the arm 30 so as to secure the plug 29 on the arm 30. The

arm 30 is provided with a, right angular intermediate portion 34, as shown in Figure 5, and also includes a hub or hearing portion 35 having a square or polygonal opening 36. A plug operating shaft 31 is journalled through the forward wall 38 of the housing l0, and is formed with a reduced inner end portion 39 which is journalled in a bearing 49 formed in the opposite side wall 4| of the housing It). A splitlocking ring 42 is removably mounted in an annular groove 43 formed in the shaft 31, and is adapted to bear against the bearing boss 44 which is formed in the wall 38.

The shaft 31, at the junction between the reduced portion 39 and the larger portion of the slot 3| formed in the ball bearing 40. A second spring 49 is disposed about the shaft 31 within the housing In and bears at. one end against the hub 35 and at the other end against a cup-shaped washer'50; A compressible gasket is interposed between the washer 5|]- and the inner side of the housing In so that.

pressure of the spring 49 will coact not only with the spring 48 in holding the shaft 3'! against endwise. movement, but the. sprin 49 will also compress:the gasket 50 so as toseal-the shaft 31 with respectito the housing I0; v

The shaft 3Thas secured thereto a right angularly disposed bolt 52 and a locking eye-bolt 53 has the eye 54 thereof'engaged'about the bolt 52. A sleeve 55 is interposed between the eye 54 and the shaft 3'! so that. thebolt 52 will be held against endwise movement. The eye-bolt 53 ineludes a threaded shank '56 having a wing nut STthreaded. thereon. The shank 56, in one position of the plug 29, is'adapted'to' engage a slotted" arm.58' which includes a right angularly disposed extension 59 formed integral with a holding bar 60. The bar 60 is secured to theouter side of the plate I! by the fastening members l8;

The. arm 58, as shown in Figures'l and 2, extends inwardly from the adjacent ends of the housing I 0; and holds the bolt 52 at substantially 'rightangles to the length of the housing H]. In-

the full line position of the bolt 52, shown in Figure 1, the .plug 29 is engaged with the valve seat-21. 'I'he'plug 29 may be swung downwardly to'engage the seat 28 by loosening the wing nut 51 andengaging' this nut with a slotted arm 6| which is'carried' by a bar 62;

members 24-.

In' the full line position of the plug 29, shown in Figure 4, the plug-is in the draining positionso that the fluid will drain fromthe housing In through the drain port I6. In the operative position of the plug 29, where the intake port I4 is to be' in communication with the outlet port l5, and in which position the plug 29 will be in its normal position the plug 29 will be swung downwardly to the dotted line-position shown in Figure 4' g to engage the valve seat 29. In this latter normal The bar 62 is se-' cured to the plate 23 by apair'of fastening position the eye-bolt 53 will be engaged with the slotted arm 6|.

With a construction as hereinbefore described, when it is desired to drain the fuel from a tank or to drain other liquids from a supply source the valve plug 29 is shifted from the valve seat 28 and engaged with the valve seat 21. Any liquid in the outlet nipple 22 and the pipe or hose connection coupled to the nipple 22 will be retained in the nipple and the duct so that no airpockets will be formed in the fuel line between the housme Ill and the engine or other element with which the drain valve is connected.

Byusing a resilient ball shaped valve plug the plug will inherently seat on the selected valve seatso-that' it is not necessary to grind the plug to the valve seatand the selected port will be tightly closed when the plug 29 is swung to such selected port.

In practice, the drain valve hereinbefore disclosed isdesigned for positioning in the fuel supply line between the tank and the engine so that the tank may be drained without draining the fuel between the valve and the engine.

I'claim:

1. A drain valve comprising a housing having aninlet ports, and a pair of outlet ports, a valve seat at the inner end of each outlet port, a shaft rotatably carried by said housing, a right angularly disposed arm on said shaft within said hous-- ing, a ball-shaped plug carried by said arm andengageable with a selected outlet port,- a rightangularly disposed member fixed'to said shaft exteriorly of said housing, an eye-bolt loosely carried by said member, and a pair of slotted arms fixed to said housing at right angles to each} other, and engageable by said eye-bolt for locking said plug in selected seat engaging position.

2. A drain valve asset forth in claim 1, includ-- ing a pair of springs about said shaft in said housing on opposite sides of said first arm for holding said plug centrally of said housing.

3. A drain valve comprising a housing havingv an inlet port and a pair of outlet ports, a valve seat at the inner end of each outlet port, a shaft rotatably carried by said housing, a right angularly disposed arm on said shaft within said housing, a valve plug carried by said arm and engageable with a selected outlet port, a right angularly' disposed member fixed to said shaft exteriorly of said housing, an eye-bolt loosely carried by said" member, and a pair of slotted arms fixed to said" housing at right angles to each other, and en-- gageable by said eye-bolt for locking said plug in i selected seat engaging position.

GEORGE T. DOWNEY."

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