Valve construction
This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 433,330, filed Jan. 14, 1974, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to valves for controlling the flow rate of a fluid in a conduit and more specifically to butterfly valves for use with fluids which experience significant changes in temperature. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Butterfly valves have been used extensively to control the flow rate of a fluid in a conduit or pipe. Such valves commonly include a housing which defines the flow passageway for the fluid and which has in cross section the configuration of a circle. A stem or shaft has been pivotally mounted on the housing to extend along the diameter of the circle. Damper means such as a circular disk have been disposed interiorly of the housing in a substantially fixed relationship with the stem. The pivoting of this stem has tilted the damper means to open and close the passageway and thereby control the flow rate of the fluid. 
     The disk has been attached to the stem by configuring the stem and the disk to define at least one keyway. Keys have been disposed in the keyways so that the relative movement between the disk and the stem has been inhibited. The keyways and the keys have typically been provided along lines substantially parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the stem. 
     This type of valve has had a particularly high failure rate when used for controlling the flow rates of fluids which undergo significant changes in temperature. This failure rate is primarily attributed to the different temperature ranges which are experienced by the stem and the disk. The disk is more directly exposed to the fluid and is exposed to a greater quantity of the fluid than the stem. As a consequence, the temperature of the fluid is substantially that experienced by the disk. The stem, which is exposed to a lesser quantity of fluid and is often isolated from the direct flow of the fluid, undergoes a different temperature change than the disk. As a consequence, even where the disk and the stem have had the same coefficient of thermal expansion, the elongation of the respective elements at their interface has been different. 
     Since the keys have maintained the respective elements in a substantially fixed relationship, the different elongation characteristics of the disk and the stem have resulted in buckling and warping of the disk with the consequent overstressing of parts. These characteristics have also produced a mechanical looseness which has caused the disk to flutter when the valve has been partially opened. This, of course, has resulted in a significant wear on the elements and an ultimate failure of the valve. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a valve is provided with a pivotal stem and a disk supported on the stem. Portions of the stem and the disk define at least one keyway and a pin or key disposed in the keyway maintains the stem and disk in a generally fixed relationship. The keyway and associated key are configured to inhibit angular movement between the disk and the stem. However, in response to a significant change in temperature, the disk and the stem, which will typically expand at different rates, are free to move with respect to each other both axially and radially of the stem. As a result, the overstressing of the parts which typically occurs under these circumstances is not a problem with the present invention. Furthermore, this relative movement occurs with the pin slidingly engaging the keyway so that the preload on the key is maintained and looseness does not develop at the interface between the disk and the stem. 
     The keyway defined by the disk and the stem is configured to provide a ramp which is inclined radially outwardly of the stem. The pin is provided with a plane which slidingly engages the ramp in the keyway. In a particular embodiment, a reference pin and keyway may also be provided to fix the relationship between the disk and the stem along a vertical center line of the valve. In such an embodiment, the ramp keyway is inclined with respect to the axis of the stem at an angle whose tangent is equal to the diameter of the stem divided by the distance of the ramp pin from the reference pin. The amount of thermal growth of the disk with respect to the stem will depend upon these respective dimensions. By providing the ramp of the keyway with this specific angle, contact between the ramp and the plane of the associated key is maintained even if there are differences between the thermal growth patterns of the disk and the stem. With the maintenance of this contact between the ramp pin and the ramp of the keyway, a slight preload can be maintained to insure that looseness or warping does not result from the differential in thermal growth. 
     In another embodiment, a pair of ramp pins and associated keyways may be provided on opposite sides of the vertical center line of the disk. In such an embodiment, differential thermal growth can be accommodated by either keyway. Such an embodiment may not include a reference pin. 
     By accommodating axial and radial movement of the disk with respect to the stem, differential thermal growth does not result in the overstressing of parts. Nonetheless a desirable preload can be maintained to inhibit angular movement between the disk and the stem. As a result, the valve of the present invention is particularly desirable for use with fluids which experience significant temperature changes which produce the differential thermal growth. 
     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent with a description of preferred embodiments of the invention and simultaneous reference to the associated drawings. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conduit for fluid and a valve of the present invention for controlling the flow rate of the fluid in the conduit; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the valve and conduit of FIG. 1, illustrating a stem and disk with attachment means including a ramp pin and a ramp keyway; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the valve taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the valve taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ramp pin and associated ramp keyway for attaching the disk to the stem; 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of a portion of the valve illustrating the movement of the ramp pin with respect to the ramp keyway; 
     FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a portion of the valve illustrating movement of the ramp keyway with respect to the ramp key; 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of an additional embodiment of the valve including a pair of the ramp pins and associated ramp keyways; and 
     FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of still a further embodiment of the valve wherein the ramp keyway is defined by the disk and the ramp pin is carried by the stem. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A portion of a conduit or pipe is shown generally in FIG. 1 and designated by the reference numeral 11. The pipe 11 can be used for conducting a fluid, such as liquid sodium, which is commonly used for cooling the reactors in nuclear power plants. To control the flow rate of the fluid, a valve 13 is commonly disposed along the pipe 11. The valve 13 typically includes a housing 15 which defines with the pipe 11 a flow passageway 17, illustrated by the dashed arrow referenced with the same numeral. The flow passageway 17 will typically have in cross section a circular configuration. 
     The valve 13 can be of the type commonly referred to as a butterfly valve and including a shaft or stem 19 supporting a damper means or disk 21. The disk 21 usually has a substantially planar configuration and a cross section which is similar to that of the flow passageway 17. In the embodiment illustrated, the disk 21 is circular in cross section and symmetrical about a vertical centerline 24. 
     The stem 19 is pivotally supported by the housing 15, typically in a plane substantially perpendicular to the flow passageway 17. If the pipe 11 has in cross section the configuration of a circle, the stem 19 will usually be supported along the diameter of the circle as illustrated in FIG. 1. 
     The disk 21 will typically be fixed to the stem 19 so that the pivoting of the stem 19 with respect to the housing 15 tilts the disk 21 within the flow passageway 17. When the stem 19 is pivoted such that the plane of the disk 21 is substantially perpendicular to the flow passageway 17, the disk 21 blocks the flow passageway 17 to inhibit fluid flow. When stem 19 is pivoted such that the disk 21 is tilted to a position substantially parallel to the flow passageway 17, the flow of the fluid is relatively unrestricted. Variations between these two positions, which result from the pivoting of the stem 19, provide the valve 13 with characteristics for controlling the flow rate of the fluid. In the embodiment illustrated, portions of the disk 21 define a cylindrical hole 22 through which the stem 19 extends. The angular relationship between the stem 19 and the disk 21 is substantially fixed by attachment means described in greater detail below. 
     The stem 19 is longitudinal in configuration and pivots with respect to the housing of 15 about an axis 23. Opposite ends of the stem 19 are supported by stem support means 25 which includes a Stellite washer 27. The stem support means 25 also includes a sleeve 29 which extends along at least a portion of the stem 19. 
     The sleeve 29 is slightly larger than the stem 19 so that a slight gap 31 exists therebetween. If the valve 13 is used to control the flow rate of a fluid, such as sodium, which has a melting temperature higher than the ambient temperature, a portion of the fluid will pass beyond the washer 27 and into the gap 31. In this region the portion of the fluid will freeze to provide what is commonly referred to as a frozen seal. Frozen sodium shears easily so that it does not significantly interfere with the pivoting of the stem 19 with respect to the housing 15. However, sodium oxides typically form over an extended period of time and these oxides make it more difficult to pivot the stem 19. For this reason, the stem 19 in proximity to the support means 25 is typically provided with at least one channel, such as the spiral channels 33, through which a hot gas can be blown to melt the frozen sodium and clean the stem support means 25. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the disk 21 is fabricated from a 304 stainless steel forging. The stem 19 is fabricated from wrought A-286 (SA 453 Grade 660) material. These materials are particularly compatible since they have mean coefficients of thermal expansion which are comparable at elevated temperatures. The stem 19 can be provided with a hardface bearing surface 34 of cobalt-chromium (Stellite 6) in the regions of the support means 25. This hardface material providing the surface 34 can be weld deposited and machined to provide the desired orientation after stress relieving. 
     The present invention is concerned primarily with the means for attaching the disk 21 to the stem 19. This attachment means can be particularly critical if the fluid is of the type which undergoes significant temperature transients. Such a fluid is the liquid sodium which is used for cooling nuclear reactors. In this environment, the liquid sodium can change in temperature from 300° F. to 1200° F. in a time of only one minute. The thermal growth of the valve elements, such as the stem 19 and the disk 21, in response to such a temperature transient can be significant. Of even greater concern is the fact that this growth may take place at different times for the stem 19 and the disk 21. 
     In accordance with the present invention, the attachment means between the stem 19 and the disk 21 provides for these differences in thermal growth so that these elements of the valve 13 are not significantly stressed. As a result, this disk 21 does not buckle and the disk flutter which usually results from the buckling is less likely to occur. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the attachment means includes a plurality of keyways 35, 37 and 39, each defined by portions of the stem 19 and the disk 21, and a plurality of keys 41, 43 and 45 each associated with one of the keyways 35, 37 and 39, respectively. The keys 41 and 43 can be pins longitudinal in configuration and tapered along their longitudinal dimension. The key 41 snuggly registers with the keyway 35 and provides a reference point for thermal expansion and preloading of other elements of the attachment means. For this reason, this key will be referred to hereinafter as the reference pin 41. 
     The key 43 is similar to the pin 41 except that it is provided with a flattened surface 46 which is substantially parallel to the axis of the key 43. The portions of the stem 19 which define the keyway 37 are also provided with a flat surface or ramp 47 which slidingly engage the flattened surface 46 of the key 43. In the following discussion of this attachment means, the key 43 and the associated keyway 37 will be referred to as the ramp pin 43 and the ramp keyway 37, respectively. The taper pins 41 and 43 can be welded to the disk 21 as shown by the weld joints 49 in FIGS. 3 and 4. 
     The key 45 and the associated keyway 39 can be positioned to extend substantially parallel to the axis 23 of the stem 19. In this position, the key 45 provides means for resisting the torque on the disk 21. Since the torque on the disk 21 of the valve 23 is unidirectional, the key 45 will usually be preloaded in a direction opposite to this torque. The key 45 will typically have a square cross section as shown in FIG. 4 and can be displaced from the plane of the disk 21 by an angle θ such as 60°. 
     In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the pin 41 and the ramp pin 43 are separated by a distance X. Also, the stem 19 has a diameter Y which is also approximately the diameter of the cylindrical hole 22. 
     It is well known that as materials increase in temperature or experience an &#34;up&#34; transient, they expand. In other words, the dimensions of objects, including the dimensions of holes formed by the objects, increase in response to an &#34;up&#34; transient. In like manner, the dimensions of objects decrease in response to a &#34;down&#34; transient. The amount of the dimensional increase is given by the following well known formula: 
     
         Δl = αl Δτ 
    
     where: Δl is the change in length; 
     α is the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material forming the object; 
     l is the length of the dimension in question; and 
     Δτ is the change in temperature. 
     With respect to the present invention, the dimensions of the stem 19 and the disk 21 can be expected to increase when the fluid, such as sodium, increases in temperature, or experiences an &#34;up&#34; transient. For the same reasons, these elements of the valve 13 can be expected to decrease in size when the fluid, such as sodium, decreases in temperature or undergoes a &#34;down&#34; transient. These dimensional changes are of particular importance at the interface between the stem 19 and the disk 21. 
     Even though the coefficients of thermal expansion of the stem 19 and the disk 21 may be similar, their growth characteristics in response to a change in temperature may still differ if the disk 21 responds to the temperature change more readily than the stem. This can be expected for several reasons. First, the disk 21 has a much greater surface area and therefore, provides a significant exposure to the fluid, such as sodium. Furthermore, in the embodiment illustrated, the portions of the disk 21 which define the hole 22 surround the stem 19 and effectually isolate the stem 19 from the fluid. As a result, the bulk temperature of the disk 21 tends to rise substantially to the new bulk temperature of the fluid before the stem 19 even begins to respond. As a consequence, differential expansion or contraction between the disk 21 and the stem 19 can be expected to occur. In the past, this differential expansion or contraction has resulted in deformation which in turn has produced joint looseness and a fretting action between the stem 19 and the disk 21. 
     In accordance with the present invention, the differential expansion or contraction at the interface between the stem 19 and the disk 21 is accommodated by providing the ramp keyway 37 and the ramp pin 43 with a capability for relative movement both axially and radially of the stem 19. For example, the ramp 47 can be defined to extend radially outwardly with progressive positions from the reference pin 41. With this orientation, the ramp 47 faces the reference pin 41 so that an extension of the ramp 47 at the interface between the disk 21 and the stem 19 does not intersect the center line 24. With respect to the axis 23 of the stem 19, the ramp is inclined at the angle φ. The surface 46 of the ramp pin 43 is in substantial contact with the ramp 47 and is therefore disposed at the same angle φ with respect to the axis 23. 
     The sliding relationship between the pin 43 and the keyway 37 can be better understood with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 wherein the keyway 37 is shown substantially enlarged to facilitate the explanation. In FIG. 6, the keyway 37 is assumed to be stationary while the pin 43 moves relative to the keyway 37. In FIG. 7, the pin 43 is assumed to be stationary while the keyway 37 moves relative to the pin 43. Although these relative movements may occur simultaneously, they proceed in the same direction, in the manner to be discussed, the therefore can be considered separately to facilitate the explanation. 
     In response to an &#34;up&#34; transient in the fluid, such as sodium, the disk 21 will tend to expand radially and axially of the stem 19 from any point or points at which the stem 19 and the disk 21 have a substantially fixed relationship. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the stem 19 and the disk 21 have an axially fixed relationship in proximity to the reference pin 41. Thus, in FIG. 6, the ramp pin 43 will move axially of the ramp keyway 37 a distance X&#39; dependent upon the distance X separating the ramp pin 43 and the reference pin 41, the coefficience of thermal expansion of the disk 21, and the change of the temperature of the disk 21 in response to the temperature change of the fluid. In FIG. 6, the distance X&#39; is illustrated by the horizontal arrow X&#39;. 
     In response to an &#34;up&#34; transient or an increase in temperature, the cylindrical hole 22 of the disk 21 will tend to expand. With respect to the axis 23 of the stem 19, this expansion will cause the pin 43 in FIG. 6 to move radially a distance Y&#39; dependent upon the diameter of the hole 22 (which is substantially the diameter Y of the stem 19), the coefficient of thermal expansion of the disk 21, and the change of the temperature of the disk 21 in response to the temperature change of the fluid. The distance Y&#39; is shown by the vertical arrow in FIG. 5. 
     The pin 43 will move the horizontal distance X&#39; and the vertical distance Y&#39; simultaneously, so that relative movement will actually take place along a vector R&#39; from a position shown by the solid outline 53 to a position shown by the dotted outline 55. The angle of the vector R&#39; with respect to the axis 23 is the angle φ&#39; whose tangent is equal to the quotient of the distance Y&#39; and the distance X&#39;. Since the coefficient of thermal expansion and the temperature change of the fluid affect both the distances X&#39; and Y&#39; to the same extent, the distances X&#39; and Y&#39; have the same ratio as the distances X and Y, respectively. Thus, it is apparent that the angle φ&#39; is also the angle whose tangent is the quotient of the distance Y and the distance X. In other words, the angle φ&#39; is the angle whose tangent is equal to substantially the diameter of the stem 19, divided by the axial separation of the ramp pin 43 and the reference pin 41. 
     Referring now to FIG. 7 it will be assumed that the thermal expansion of the disk 21 has occurred so that the pin 43 is substantially stationary and that the growth of the stem 19 is taking place in response to increase in temperature of the fluid. In response to this &#34;up&#34; transient, the stem 19 in FIG. 7 will expand axially from the reference pin 41 a distance X&#39; which is dependent upon the distance X, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the stem 19, and the change in the temperature of the stem 19 in response to the temperature change of the fluid. The keyway 37 defined by the stem 19 will also move radially of the axis 23 a distance Y&#34; which is dependent upon the diameter Y of the stem 19, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the stem 19, and the change in the temperature of the stem 19 in response to the temperature change of the fluid. 
     Movement of the keyway 37 the distance X&#34; and the distance Y&#34; will occur simultaneously. Thus with respect to the key 43, the keyway 37 will move along a vector R&#34; from a position shown by a solid outline 57 to a position shown by a dotted outline 59. The vector R&#34; is disposed with respect to the axis 23 at an angle φ&#34; whose tangent is equal to the quotient of the distance Y&#34; and the distance X&#34;. Since the coefficient of thermal expansion of the stem 19 and the change in the temperature of the fluid affect the distance X&#39; and Y&#34; to the same extent, it is apparent that the angle φ&#34; is the angle whose tangent is equal to the distance Y divided by the distance X. It has already been shown that the angle φ&#39; has this same relationship to the distances X and Y. Thus, the movement of the pin 43 with respect to the keyway 37, as shown in FIG. 6, and the movement of the keyway 37 with respect to the pin 43, as shown in FIG. 7, occur at the same angle with respect to the axis 23. Effectually, this means that whether these relative movements occur separately or simultaneously, the surface 46 of the pin 43 will slide along the ramp 47 of the keyway 37. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a similar analysis can be made to show that the pin 43 will slide in the opposite direction with respect to the ramp 47 in response to a &#34;down&#34; transient of the fluid. 
     In a further embodiment of the invention the ramp pin 43, keyway 37, and key 45 are provided substantially as illustrated in and described with reference to FIG. 2. In this particular embodiment, however, there is no reference pin, such as the pin 41 illustrated in FIG. 2. Rather, a second ramp pin 61 is provided which slidingly engages a ramp 63 in a keyway 65. The keyway 65 may be positioned radially on the same side of the stem 19 as the keyway 37 but the ramp 63 is defined to face the ramp 47. 
     In the absence of a reference pin, there is no fixed point of reference for axial expansion. As a result, the axial growth of the disk 21 with respect to the stem 19 will be divided between the ramp pins 43 and 61 depending upon the particular pin and ramp combination which offers the least resistance to sliding. In greater detail, the ramp 63 can be inclined relative to the axis 23 at an angle φ 1  which is equal to the arc tangent of Y 1  divided by X 1 . Similarly, the ramp 47 can be inclined with respect to the axis 23 at an angle φ 2  which is equal to the arc tangent of the dimensions Y 2  divided by X 2 . Without a reference pin, the dimensions X 1  and X 2  cannot be defined but in general it is apparent that their sum must be equal to a separation distance Z between the ramp pins 43 and 61. In such an embodiment, the angle φ 1  and φ 2  have the following relationship when Z = X 1   + X 2  : 
     
         φ.sub.1 = arctan Y.sub.1 /X.sub.1 = arctan (Y.sub.1 /Z -X.sub.2) 
    
     
         φ.sub.2 = arctan Y.sub.2 /X.sub.2 = arctan (Y.sub.2 /Z -X.sub.1) 
    
     in the embodiment illustrated, these pins 43 and 61 are disposed equidistant from the vertical center line 24 so that X 1  = X 2 . Since Y 1  = Y 2  in this embodiment, it follows that the angle φ 1  is equal to the angle φ 2 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 9, a further embodiment of the invention illustrates that a ramp keyway can be defined by the disk 21 and the associated ramp pin can be carried by the stem 19. In this embodiment, the reference pin 41 and key 45 perform the functions discussed with reference to previous embodiments. However, portions of the disk 21, rather than the stem 19, define a ramp keyway 69 including a ramp 71. A ramp pin 73 is provided with a substantially fixed relationship with the stem 19 rather than the disk 21. The ramp 71 is inclined with respect to the axis 23 of the stem 19 at an angle φ which can be determined in the manner previously discussed to provide the desired sliding relationship between the ramp 71 and the pin 73. 
     As was the case with the ramp 47, the ramp 71 extends radially outwardly of the axis 23 with progressive positions from the reference pin 41. However, with this orientation, the ramp 71 faces away from the reference pin 41 so that an extension of the ramp 71 at the interface between the stem 19 and the disk 21 intersects the center line 24. In the manner previously discussed, the ramp pin 73 of this embodiment will slide on the ramp 71 to accommodate radial and axial expansion between the stem 19 and the disk 21 while maintaining the desired preload on the key 45. 
     In all of these embodiments, the sliding relationship of the ramp key 43 and the associated ramp 47 is of particular advantage to the present invention since it accommodates relative movement between the stem 19 and the disk 21 in response to thermal expansion and contraction of these elements with respect to each other. Nonetheless, contact is maintained between the disk 21 and the pin 43, and the pin 43 and the stem 19, so that the preload on the pin 43 is maintained in spite of the differential expansion and contraction. Furthermore, there are no shearing forces on either the reference pin 41 or the ramp pins 43 and 61. These pins can therefor function primarily to maintain a preload on the key 45 which is positioned to more effectively resist the torque on the disk 21. The result is a valve which is capable of accommodating differences in thermal expansion while maintaining a substantially constant preload on the attachment means between the step 19 and the disk 21. As a result, there is no deformation of the disk 21 which heretofore has resulted in joint looseness and ultimate failure of the valve. These advantages can be particularly appreciated when the valve 13 is used to control the flow rate of fluids which undergo significant temperature changes. 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments and additional means including one or more ramp keyways, it will be apparent that the valve can be otherwise embodied so that the scope of the invention should be ascertained only with reference to the following claims: