Flush valve

Application filed December 8, 1927. Serial No. .238,516.

This invention pertains to flushing valves and more particularly to that type of valve having a piston valve reciprocable in a cylinder for opening and closing communication g between a water inlet and a water outlet and manually operable means for displacing the piston valve from its seat for opening the. outlet, the valve mechanism returning after a predetermined period to its closing position. 10 A valve and operating mechanism hereinafter more particularly disclosed is an improvement upon the valve and operating mechanism disclosed and claimed in my Reissue Patent No. 16,764, dated October 4, 15 1927.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide a valve mechanism of the above described character requiring no obstruction in the water outlet for facilitat2Q ing the closing movements of the valve whereby the water passing out of the valve, is permitted substantially free ‘ and unobstructed movement to the fixture and the fixture is given the full benefit of the quantity and 25 pressure of the water at the supply or source.

Another object is to provide a novel piston valve arrangement or valve of the above mentioned character which may easily be forced to its seat by the flow of water, between the 30 inlet and outlet, in its passage gripping a flange or projection preferably integrally formed on the lower , end of a part of the piston and a piston valve having accessible regulating and control mechanism which may 35 be easily and cheaply manufactured, assembled and operated. In this connection the cylinder in which the piston valve operates is arranged to project at least partially over and preferably substantially across the water 40 inlet but in spaced relation thereto in order to cause the water from the inlet in its flow path to the outlet to exert its force on. the flange or projection on the lower end of the piston and force the piston to its seat.

Another object is to provide a piston cylinder of peculiar construction and arrangement so that the cylinder forms a removable cap for the casing, yet is supported in the supply or valve chamber in a proper and cor50 rect manner. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the adjustable screw for limiting the rise of the piston is arranged in connection with the cylinder in a novel manner and lends to the accessibility, simplicity and economy of the whole. ₆₅

A further object is to provide an arrangement whereby the water flowing from the .inlet to the outlet is caused to react against the piston valve during a portion of its final travel or approach toward its seat, to slow it eo down and to give the water a chance to refill the water storage chamber and restore’the pressure therein, whereby chattering or hammering is minimized if not obviated and the quiet closing of the valve is assured. 65

A still further object of the invention is. to provide a novel and extremely advantageous arrangement for raising the piston valve from its seat and an arrangement for returning the manually operable means to its initial 70 inoperative position quickly, silently and effectively, the last mentioned arrangement including a spring never subjected to contact yith the water of. the valve and the former including an arrangement whereby the work- 75 ing parts of the valve may be operated by a direct lift but easily and quickly.

Many further objects, the advantages and uses of the invention, and the arrangement of the parts of a preferred form, the construe- so tion of such parts and their operation will be or should become readily appreciated after perusal of the following -description and claims and after viewing the drawings in which· . · 85

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a valve constructed in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is a section taken along the line 2—2 of Fig. 1, . so

Fig. .3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 3—3 of Fig. 1 showing the valve operating mechanism for the valve,

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the inside ₀₅surface of the handle,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the . lower end of the valve casing showing the construction for connection of the handle, and , io^a

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Fig. 6 is a detail elevational view of the handle pivot crank.

Considering for the time being Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the casing generally ₅ designated 2 is in this instance of elbow shape having an inlet water connection 3 and a water outlet connection 4 between which the casing is enlarged to provide a valve chamber 5. The water inlet connection is connected io through a thimble or sleeve 6 and shouldered ring nut 7 to the usual water shut-off valve, one type of which is generally designated 8 while the water outlet connection 4 is adapted to be connected to the usual closet or bowl or 15 other fixture inlet in the ordinary manner. The casing is also provided with an enlarged portion 9 adjacent its outlet end and below the chamber 5 for connection of the valve operating mechanism as will be later described. 20 Interiorly of the chamber 5, the casing 2 is provided with two, three (in this instance three) or more integrally formed guides 11 each of which has its interior face 12 formed as a segment of a cylinder concentric with a 2? portion of the piston valve to be hereinafter described for guiding the same. Above the guides a depending cylindrical flange 13.of a· cap member 14 which at its upper end is threadedly connected as at 15 in the upper 30 open end of the casing 2, provides a cylinder within which the piston end of the piston valve is arranged to reciprocate up and down, its upward Movement manually controlled, that is, positively induced by manual opera33 tion and its downward movement effected under the influences of gravity and the pull of the water passing from the inlet to the outlet while, of course suitable control mechanism is provided for regulating the closing 40 rate. Between cooperative shoulders 16 formed on the member 14 and casing 2 a washer or gasket 17 is placed to make these parts watertight.

The piston valve comprises a generally cy40 lindrical valve member 18 having a diaphragm or Avail 19 intermediate its valve seat encl 20 and its piston head end 21. A valve seat 22, preferably of rubber, is held in place in the end 20 between a depending flange on 50 the member 18 and a flanged head 23 on a spider plug 24 screwed into the bottom of the member 18 while the piston head end 21 is internally threaded to receive a water flow regulating chambered cap or piston head C0 member 25 betAveen a flange 26 of which and the end 21 a cup-shaped friction washer 27 is secured. The diaphragm 19 is spaced from the loAver end of the member 25 and from a ball seat 28 formed on a bridge portion 29 of c: member 25, to provide a chamber 30 Avhich has communication past a ball check valve 31 therein and through a valve seated opening 32 in the diaphragm 19, through one or more channels or openings 33 in a spider diaI.' phragm 34 provided in the valve member 18 and through openings 35 in the spider 36 of spider plug 24, with the outlet 4 whenever the ball 31 is raised from its seat by operating pin 37 which is journalled for sliding movements in spiders 34 and 36. The pin 37 is _?IIprevented from dropping doAvn by an integral flange 38. The chamber 30 also has communication at all times with the inlet through an orifice 39 formed in its side wall in a position where it wll be most efficent and effective ₇₅for its purpose.

The piston head member 25 is cored out to provide a chamber 40, a continuation of the chamber 30, an auxiliary chamber 41 and a passage 42 connecting them. The chamber ₈₀41 is open at its upper and lower ends, the upper end being accessibly closed by a screAV plug 43 and the lower end being closed by an interiorly seating ball check vah^re 44 except for a fluid bleed passage 45 therepast. g5 The check valves 31 and 44 are both adapted to be opened, the first mechanically through the manual operating mechanism including the pin 37 and the latter automatically through the action of the water Avhen the eo ball 31 is lifted.

The lower end of the casing 2 above the manual operating mechanism for the valve is formed or provided with a circumferentially extending water reactance shoulder s.’> 45', a circumferential depression 46 and a circumferential seat 47 upon which the piston valve seats when closed,. while circumferentially about the loAver end of the valve portion of the piston valve a circumferen- ioo tially extending water reactance shoulder 48 is provided. The purpose of these reactance shoulders and the depression 46 Avill be explained in connection with the operation of the valve. The guide surfaces 12 of the ribs 135 11 serve to guide the loAver portion of the piston valve in its up and down movements by engagement with the sides of the portion forming the circumferential shoulder 48 while the upper or piston portion of the pis- 110 ton valve is guided in the cylinder 13.

The extent to which the piston valve may rise in the casing is determined by an adjustment screAA⁷ 49 which is threadedly engaged in an opening 50 in the top of cap mem- 115 her 14 establishing communication between the interior of the member and a stuffing box recess. 51. Packing 52 is disposed about the screw 49 within the recess 51 and is compressed and held therein by stuffing gland v?o sleeve nut 53. A housing cap 54 protects these parts.

The manual operating mechanism for the valve is illustrated more in detail in Fig. 3 et seq. from which it Avill be observed that a 125 lever 55 arranged Avith one end directly beneath the pin 37 for direct upward thrust thereon is pivotally secured at its opposite end on a pivot 56 secured between a pair of lugs 57 formed in the enlargement 9 on To

1,803,418 3 the casing 2 and is operated through an oscillatable crank 68 one end 59 of which is pivoted in a screw cap 61 screwed into the casing and the other end 62 of which is piv₅ otally mounted through a stuffing box 60 and there surrounded by packing and stuffing box gland nut 63. The crank is in turn oscillated by means of a suitable handle 64 secured on the extended encl 65 of a spring housing gen](> erally designated 66 which is centrally keyed to the outer end of the crank pivot .62 and secured thereon by a washer and a cap screw 67.

. The spring housing 66 is, substantially, of 15 cup-shape and on its interior is provided with a cylindrical flange 68 and an arcuate abutment lug 69 integral with the housing 66. Between similar arcuate bounds on the exterior of the casing an arcuate abutment lug 20 70 is formed and arranged to permit the lug 69 to swing back and forth thereby. A coiled or other spring 71, when the parts are assembled, has its ends bent outwardly to embrace the ends of both abutment lugs 69 and 2'5 70 so that when the handle 64 is moved in either direction from a predetermined position one end of the spring will be held by the abutment 70 as . the other end is being moved away by the abutment 69. The ten30 sion of the spring tends to return the handle to its initial position.

In operation, assuming the shut-off valve 8 is open and it is desired to raise the piston valve for flushing purposes, the handle 64 is .35 pressed downwardly or upwardly which through the lever 55 raises the pin 37 into engagement with the ball check 31. The ball check. 31 is thus raised from its seat allowing .water in chambers 30, 40 and 41 to flow 40 out through the openings 32, 33 and 35. The ball 31 thereupon engages the: seat 28 and upon continued upward movement of the pin urges the piston valve upwardly into the cylinder 13 until its further upward movement 45 is limited by/ the setting of the adjustment screw 49. During this time water trapped in the storage chamber above the piston head has escaped to the outlet by raising the ball check 44 from its seat and passing out. through the auxiliary chamber 41, the chamber 40 and 30, the orifice 32 and the passages 33 and 35.

When the valve handle 64 is released the spring 71 returns it to its initial inoperative ⁵⁵ position, whereupon the check valve 31 closes and the piston valve is closed by the combined action of gravity and water flow from the inlet to the outlet. It will be noted that the cylinder 13 projecting substantially ^G0 across the inlet opening although in spaced relation to the interior wall of the valve chamber in this arrangement, causes the inlet water which flows circumferentially about the cylinder and between the cylinder and ⁶⁵ interior wall of the casing, to be directed downwardly toward the outlet. As the water rushes past the lower end of the cylinder 13 and between the guides 11 it strikes against the reactance shoulder 48 on the lower end of the piston valve and tends to draw the piston valve downwardly toward its seat, ‘ water from the inlet in the meantime passing through the orifice 39 into the chamber 30 to the chambers 40 and 41 and to the storage chamber above the piston from the aux- ₇₅iliary chamber 41 in a retarded stream because of the relatively small passage provided by the fluid bleed 45 past the check valve 44. As water gradually fills the storage chamber above the piston head the tend- ₈0 ency toward a vacuum is broken therein and the valve is allowed slowly to descend toward its seat.

As water rushing from the inlet to the outlet would tend to draw the valve to its seat 85 before the storage chamber was completely filled, which action would result in what is known as “water-hammer”, I have devised means for inhibiting this action. This arrangement includes the water reactance 90 shoulder 45', the circumferential recess or groove 46, the cupped washer 27 and the location of the refill orifice 39. During the closing movement of the valve and more strongly toward the end of its closing move- 95 ment, the flow of the water toward the outlet is somewhat retarded by the reactance shoulder 45' and the groove 46 so that it tends to back up and react against the underside of the cupped washer 27 to prevent loo the valve from returning too quickly to its seat. At the same time water flowing directly in from the inlet 3 is forced through the orifice 39 into the chamber 30. With this arrangement “water-hammer” is elimi- io5 nated.

A flush valve constructed in accordance with the essence of the invention herein described is positive in operation, is simple and economical to manufacture, assemble, repair no and replace, successfully eliminates “waterhammer” and has many advantages too numerous to be mentioned herein although all will be or should be apparent to those skilled in the art. Consequently,, while I have illus- ns trated and described what is at present a preferred form of construction 'embodying my invention I do not desire to be limited to such construction or the details thereof but only by the spirit of the invention and scope of 120 the appended claims.