Valves for roasting apparatus and other applications

Claim 2

A valve comprising: a valve body having an axially aligned inlet and outlet therein; a passage in said valve body providing communication between said inlet and said outlet; a centrally apertured valve seat in said valve body between said inlet and said outlet and surrounding the passage therebetween whereby fluid must flow through the central aperture in said valve seat to reach said outlet from said inlet, said valve seat being oriented with its longitudinal axis at an angle to the axis along which the inlet and outlet are aligned; a valve stem mounted for rectilinear movement in said valve body toward and away from the valve seat along a path extending in the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the valve seat; a centrally apertured valve member mounted on said stem with the stem extending through the aperture in the valve member, said valve member being engageable with said valve seat and having a surface facing said valve seat which has an area greater than that of the aperture in said seat whereby, when said valve member is engaged with said seat, the flow of fluid through the passage between the inlet and outlet is precluded; and abutment means on said stem engageable by the side of said valve member opposite that facing the valve seat, the area of the aperture through the valve member being greater than the area of that portion of the valve stem on which said member is mounted to thereby provide a clearance between said valve member and said valve stem and said valve including means resiliently biasing said valve member against said abutment means, whereby said valve member can tilt relative to said valve stem to engage said seat with uniform pressure over the area of contact therebetween.

Claim 3

The valve of claim 1, wherein the means resiliently biasing the valve member against the abutment means on the valve stem comprises at least one spring engageable with the side of the valve member facing the valve seat, said valve member being located adjacent one end of the valve stem, said one end of said valve stem being threaded, and there being a retainer threaded on said valve stem end and movable therealong for retaining the valve member and spring thereon and for varying the pressure with which the valve member is held against the abutment means on the valve stem.

Claim 4

The valve of claim 1, wherein said valve member has an integral knife edge on the side of the member facing the valve seat, said knife edge being dimensioned to surround the central aperture in the valve seat and to engage said seat when the valve member is moved theretoward, whereby a high unit contact pressure can be developed between said valve seat and said valve member to produce a tight seal therebetween.

Claim 5

A valve comprising: a valve body having an inlet and an outlet therein; a passage in said valve body providing communication between said inlet and said outlet; a centrally apertured valve seat in said valve body between said inlet and said outlet and surrounding the passage therebetween whereby fluid must flow through the central aperture in said valve seat to reach said outlet from said inlet; a valve stem mounted for rectilinear movement in said valve body toward and away from the valve seat along a path extending in the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the valve seat; a valve member mounted on and movable with said stem, said valve member being engageable with said valve seat and having a surface facing said valve seat which has an area greater than that of the aperture in said seat whereby, when said valve member is engaged with said seat, the flow of fluid through the passage between the inlet and outlet is precluded; there being an aperture in said valve body aligned with the longitudinal axis of the valve seat and means for moving the valve stem and valve member toward and away from the valve seat comprising a fluid-actuated cylinder having a barrel, a cylinder head, and a piston rod protruding from one end of said barrel through said cylinder head and extensible and retractable relative to said barrel, said piston rod being axially aligned with and connected to said valve stem with said aperture in said valve body providing communication between the interior and exterior of the valve body for said valve stem and the piston rod of the fluid-actuated cylinder and there being means fixing the fluid-actuated cylinder to said valve body with the cylinder head of said fluid-actuated cylinder in spaced relation to said valve body.

Claim 6

A valve comprising: a valve body having an inlet and an outlet therein; a passage in said valve body providing communication between said inlet and said outlet; a centrally apertured valve seat in said valve body between said inlet and said outlet and surrounding the passage therebetween whereby fluid must flow through the central aperture in said valve seat to reach said outlet from said inlet; a valve stem mounted for rectilinear movement in said valve body toward and away from the valve seat along a path extending in the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the valve seat; a valve member mounted on and movable with said stem, said valve member being engageable with said valve seat and having a surface facing said valve seat which has an area greater than that of the aperture in said seat whereby, when said valve member is engaged with said seat, the flow of fluid through the passage between the inlet and outlet is precluded; there being an aperture in said valve body aligned with the longitudinal axis of the valve seat and means for moving the valve stem and valve member toward and away from the valve seat comprising a fluid-actuated cylinder having a barrel, a cylinder head, and a piston rod protruding from one end of said barrel through said cylinder head and extensible and retractable relative to said barrel, said piston rod being axially aligned with and connected to said valve stem with said aperture in said valve body providing communication between the interior and exterior of the valve body for said valve stem and the piston rod of the fluid-actuated cylinder and there being means fixing the fluid-actuated cylinder to said valve body with the cylinder head of said fluid-actuated cylinder in spaced relation to said valve body.

Claim 7

The valve of claim 4, wherein said valve includes a cover member and wherein the aperture providing communication between the interior and exterior of the valve body for the valve stem and piston is formed in said cover member, said valve further including sealing means disposed in the aperture in the valve body in surrounding relationship to the piston rod of the fluid-actuated cylinder to keep fluid from leaking past said piston rod to the exterior of the valve body and a member fixed to the exterior of the cover member for keeping the sealing means in place.

Claim 8

The valve of claim 4, wherein said valve body includes a detachable cover member in which the aperture providing communication between the interior and exterior of the valve for the valve stem and piston rod is formed and wherein the means for fixing the fluid-actuated cylinder to the valve body comprises retainers extending through the head of the fluid-actuated cylinder and threaded into the cover member.

Claim 9

A valve comprising: a valve body having an inlet and an outlet therein; a passage in said valve body providing communication between said inlet and said outlet; a centrally apertured valve seat in said valve body between said inlet and said outlet and surrOunding the passage therebetween whereby fluid must flow through the central aperture in said valve seat to reach said outlet from said inlet; a valve stem mounted for rectilinear movement in said valve body toward and away from the valve seat along a path extending in the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the valve seat; and a valve member mounted on said stem, said valve member being engageable with said valve seat and having a surface facing said valve seat which has an area greater than that of the aperture in said seat whereby, when said valve member is engaged with said seat, the flow of fluid through the passage between the inlet and outlet is precluded, there being a recess in said valve body providing a ledge surrounding the passage therethrough and facing the valve member and a seal seated on said ledge, said valve seat being seated on said seal, there being a peripheral groove in the valve seat nearer that edge of the seat facing the valve member than the opposite edge thereof facing said ledge, and said valve including means extending normally to the longitudinal axis of the valve seat and engaging said seat at intervals around its periphery and in said groove for biasing said seat against said seal and for retaining said seat in place.

Claim 10

A valve comprising: a valve body having an inlet and an outlet therein; a passage in said valve body providing communication between said inlet and said outlet; a centrally apertured valve seat in said valve body between said inlet and said outlet and surrOunding the passage therebetween whereby fluid must flow through the central aperture in said valve seat to reach said outlet from said inlet; a valve stem mounted for rectilinear movement in said valve body toward and away from the valve seat along a path extending in the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the valve seat; and a valve member mounted on said stem, said valve member being engageable with said valve seat and having a surface facing said valve seat which has an area greater than that of the aperture in said seat whereby, when said valve member is engaged with said seat, the flow of fluid through the passage between the inlet and outlet is precluded, there being a recess in said valve body providing a ledge surrounding the passage therethrough and facing the valve member and a seal seated on said ledge, said valve seat being seated on said seal, there being a peripheral groove in the valve seat nearer that edge of the seat facing the valve member than the opposite edge thereof facing said ledge, and said valve including means extending normally to the longitudinal axis of the valve seat and engaging said seat at intervals around its periphery and in said groove for biasing said seat against said seal and for retaining said seat in place.

Claim 11

A valve comprising: a valve body having an inlet and an outlet therein; a passage in said valve body providing communication between said inlet and said outlet; a centrally apertured valve seat in said valve body between said inlet and said outlet and surrounding the passage therebetween whereby fluid must flow through the central aperture in said valve seat to reach said outlet from said inlet; a valve stem mounted for movement in said valve body toward and away from the valve seat; a valve member mounted on said stem, said valve member being engageable with said valve seat and having a surface facing said valve seat which has an area greater than that of the aperture in said seat whereby, when said valve member is engaged with said seat, the flow of fluid through the passage between the inlet and outlet is precluded, there being an aperture in said valve body and means for moving the valve stem and valve member toward and away from the valve seat comprising a fluid-actuated cylinder having a barrel, a cylinder head fixed to said barrel, and a piston rod protruding from one end of said barrel through said cylinder head, said piston rod being extensible and retractable relative to said barrel and connected to said valve stem with said aperture in said valve body providing communication between the interior and exterior of the valve body for said valve stem and piston rod, and there being means fixing the fluid-actuated cylinder to said valve body.

Claim 12

A valve comprising: a valve body having an inlet and an outlet therein; a passage in said valve body providing communication between said inlet and said outlet; a centrally apertured valve seat in said valve body between said inlet and said outlet and surrounding the passage therebetween whereby fluid must flow through the central aperture in said valve seat to reach said outlet from said inlet; a valve stem mounted for movement in said valve body toward and away from the valve seat; a valve member mounted on said stem, said valve member being engageable with said valve seat and having a surface facing said valve seat which has an area greater than that of the aperture in said seat whereby, when said valve member is engaged with said seat, the flow of fluid through the passage between the inlet and outlet is precluded, there being an aperture in said valve body and means for moving the valve stem and valve member toward and away from the valve seat comprising a fluid-actuated cylinder having a barrel, a cylinder head fixed to said barrel, and a piston rod protruding from one end of said barrel through said cylinder head, said piston rod being extensible and retractable relative to said barrel and connected to said valve stem with said aperture in said valve body providing communication between the interior and exterior of the valve body for said valve stem and piston rod, and there being means fixing the fluid-actuated cylinder to said valve body.