Claims
- 1. A thermostatic steam trap comprising:
- a body member; and
- an insert assembly;
- said body member having an inlet passage at one end thereof, an outlet passage at the other end thereof and means forming a control chamber intermediate the inlet and outlet passages;
- said insert assembly positioned with the control chamber and including an annular member having a central opening forming a valve seat facing toward the outlet passage, a cage freely movable within the control chamber, a valve member fixed to the cage and adapted to be pulled toward the valve seat upon movement of the cage in a direction away from said annular member, said valve member having a head adapted to operate in conjunction with the walls of the outlet passage to cause rapid movement of the valve member away from the valve seat upon displacement of said valve member from said valve seat, expandable and contractable thermostatic means within said cage, means extending through said cage in engagement with said thermostatic means and said annular member whereby expansion of said thermostatic means will move said cage in a direction away from said annular member, and centering means to center said cage and valve member with respect to said valve seat when said thermostatic means is fully expanded;
- said inlet passage, outlet passage and control chamber are longitudinally aligned along a common longitudinal axis, and said annular member forming said valve seat is coaxial with said longitudinal axis and adjacent said outlet passage;
- said valve member includes a stem portion extending through said seat opening and secured to said cage;
- said thermostatic means is a temperature-responsive bellows containing a fluid having a temperature of vaporization less than the temperature of vaporization of water and is expandable and contractable with temperature changes in a direction toward and away from said valve seat;
- said cage is of generally cylindrical shape, having a first end adjacent said annular member and a second end facing in the opposite direction, said first end having a series of equally spaced protuberances adapted to engage said annular member to limit movement of said cage within said control chamber in a direction toward said annular member.
- 2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said first end of said cage has a series of openings formed therein, and a series of legs with one leg extending through each of said openings, said legs being formed as part of bellows member supporting the bellows within the cage and, upon expansion of said bellows, adapted to bear against said annular member, and a pivot plate intermediate said bellows and the second end portion of said cage, said pivot plate and said legs serving to center said cage and said valve member relative to said valve seat when said bellows is in its fully expanded condition.
- 3. A thermostatic steam trap comprising:
- a body member; and
- an insert assembly;
- said body member having an inlet passage at one end thereof, an outlet passage at the other end thereof and means forming a control chamber intermediate the inlet and outlet passages;
- said insert assembly positioned within the control chamber and including an annular member having a central opening forming a valve seat facing toward the outlet passage, a cage freely movable within the control chamber, a valve member fixed to the cage and adapted to be pulled toward the valve seat upon movement of the cage in a direction away from said annular member, said valve member having a head adapted to operate in conjunction with the walls of the outlet passage to cause rapid movement of the valve member away from the valve seat upon displacement of said valve member from said valve seat, expandable and contractable thermostatic means said cage, means extending through said cage in engagement with said thermostatic means and said annular member whereby expansion of said thermostatic means will move said cage in a direction away from said annular member, and centering means to center said cage and valve member with respect to said valve seat when said thermostatic means is fully expanded;
- said inlet passage, outlet passage and control chamber are longitudinally aligned along a common longitudinal axis, and said annular member forming said valve seat is coaxial with said longitudinal axis and adjacent said outlet passage;
- said valve member includes a stem portion extending through said valve seat opening and secured to said cage;
- said thermostatic means is a temperature-responsive bellows containing a fluid having a temperature of vaporization less than the temperature of vaporization of water and is expandable and contractable with temperature changes in a direction toward and away from said valve seat;
- said cage is of generally cylindrical shape, having a first end adjacent said annular member and a second end facing in the opposite direction, said first end having a series of equally spaced protruberances adapted to engage said annular member to limit movement of said cage within said control chamber in a direction toward said annular member;
- said first end of said cage has series of openings formed therein, and a series of legs with one leg extending through each of said openings, said legs being formed as part of a bellows member supporting the bellows within the cage and, upon expansion of said bellows, adapted to bear against said annular member, and a pivot plate intermediate said bellows and the second end portion of said cage, said pivot plate and said legs serving to ceter said cage and said valve member relative to said valve seat when said bellows is in its fully expanded condition.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 632,508, filed July 19, 1984, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
632508 |
Jul 1984 |
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