Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02166340 2005-O1-20
Title : BUTTERFLY VALVE SAFETY LOCK
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to locking clamps having two arms that can be closed
and
locked in closed condition by more than one padlock.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is recognized that accidents occurnng in industrial environments are often
a
consequence of carelessness. Simple, low cost precautionary measures can
sometimes make a big
difference in industrial accident occurrence rate. One such known safety
measure consists in
providing a locking member having at least a few padlock shackle engaging bore
means, wherein
the keys for the various padlocks are to be held by a number of different
persons. For example, in
the case of a fluid line controlled by a valve, having more than one padlock
to lock the butterfly
valve is desirable, since more than one person would need to authorize such
unlocking, and any of
these persons could put his veto on the unlocking of the locking device, a
desirable safety feature.
One such example of multi-padlock safety lock member is disclosed in United
2 0 States patent No. 5, 052,939 issued on October 1, 1991 to William KOCH.
One drawback of these
known safety locks is
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that, once all the padloc)cs are disengaged from the safety lock
ears, the two arms constituting the safety lock will tend to freely
open up, which could undesirably lead to the accidental release of
the safety lock from the control box. It is understood that with
these safety locks, the idea is not really to deter a person having
a criminal intention, but more so to prevent accidents provoked
mainly by carelessness.
In United States patent No 5,165,263 issued 24 November
1992 to Claude PERRON and to the present inventor, there i~
disclosed a locking device for locking a single control lever of
the valve mounted transversely of a fluid line. This two part
loclcing device includes a male member and a female member. The
male member includes a U-shape part, engaging the outer wall of the
fluid line, and a transverse channel part, extending away from the
fluid line and engaging the valve handle and having a flange with
a number of lengthwisely spaced bores. The female member includes
a casing, with a through passage sized for through engagement by
the channel part, and with a transverse pocket extension with a
number of lengthwisely spaced bores, the female member extension
forming a lateral pocket for through engagement by the channel part
flange. More than one padlock interlock selected pairs of bores
from the male member flange and from the female member pocket, to
provide multiple interlock between two parts of the lock device, so
as to prevent unauthorized actuation of the valve control lever.
Valve assemblies that control fluid flow in a fluid
conduit may be of various designs. Usually, each such valve
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assembly includes at least the three following elements:
(a) a valve flap, located inside the fluid conduit and having
a shape complementary to that of the internal diameter of the fluid
conduit, so that, upon extending transversely of the fluid conduit,
fluid flow is completely stopped;
(b) a valve-operating shaft, integrally carried by the valve
flap and radially outwardly projecting from the fluid conduit,
wherein rotation of the shaft tilts the valve flap between a closed
limit condition, transverse to the fluid conduit, and a fuller
opened limit condition, coaxial to the fluid conduit; the radially
outward portion of the shaft being generally shielded by a tubular
radial extension, integral to the fluid line; and
(c) an elongated control handle, transversely carried by the
radially outer end of the valve-operating shaft.
A butterfly valve is a special type of fluid flow control
valve, which includes the two following additional elements:
(a) an elbowed lever, pivoted at its intermediate elbowed
section to an intermediate section of the elongated control handle,
for pivotal motion about the same plane as the control handle; a
coil spring generally biasing the distal end portions of the
elbowed lever and control handle, away from one another; and the
proximate end of the elbowed lever forming a pointed tip; and
(b) a discoid plate, transversely anchored to the tubular
radial shield extension surrounding the valve rotating shaft, and
having a notched sector shape portion beneath the control handle,
a selected notch being engaged by the pivotal elbowed lever under
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bias from the coil spring.
In these butterfly valves, the control handle can be
pivoted, to tilt the valve flap inside the fluid conduit, only
after release of the elbowed lever proximate tip from the discoid
plate notch, such lever release occurring by manually grasping the
lever distal end portion to draw same toward the control handle
distal end portion, against the bias of the coil spring.
None of the existing art of valve locking devices
specifically deals with butterfly valves.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The gist of the present invention is therefore to adapt
to butterfly valve outer heads the male-female locking device
disclosed in United States patent No 5,165,263, supra.
A general object of the present invention is to provide
a safety lock having two relatively movable arms, which will
releasably remain in their closed position even though all the
padlocks are removed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the objects of the invention, there is
disclosed a safety lock device for use in releasably locking the
head of a butterfly valve in a fluid flow conduit, this valve head
of the type having a radial shaft freely rotatable into a fixed
radial tubular extension, a notched discoid plate supported by the
fixed tubular extension, a handle transversely carried by the
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rotatable shaft with an elbowed lever intermediately pivoted to the
handle, the lever and handle having distal end portions being
divergent in an operative lever condition; said safety lock device
comprising:
{a) an elongated male member, having an elongated channel
part at one end and a hooking part at the opposite end, said
hooking part for releasable hooking engagement with the valve head
notched discoid plate for slidingly mounting said male member to
the valve head, said elongated channel part being sized for full
engagement by the valve handle;
(b) a female member, having a casing part with a mouth, sized
for through engagement by said channel part, and a wedge part,
integrally depending from said casing part and sized for frictional
engagement between the diverging distal end portions of the valve
handle and lever; and
(c) locking means, for releasably interlocking said male and
female members when said male member channel part is engaged into
said female member casing part, and for concurrently locking the
valve lever in its divergent condition relative to the valve
handle.
Preferably; said locking means includes means preventing
a single operator from singlehandedly unlocking same. These
locking means could more particularly include:
(a) an elongated flange, transversely carried by said channel
part, said flange having at least one bore;
(b) a casing extension, transversely depending from said
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casing part and defining an open pocket, sized for engagement by
said flange, and at least one bore complementary to said at least
one flange bore; and
(c) at least one padlock member, having a shackle releasably
engaging a selected pair of one of said flange bores and of one of
said pocket bores. In such a case, it would be envisioned that
each of said casing extension and of said channel flange includes
at least a few said bores, and further including additional padlock
members, engaging additional selected pairs of said flange bores
and pocket bores, wherein a multiple padlock safety lock system is
obtained:
Advantageously, first and second complementary shoulders
would be envisioned, integrally carried by said channel part and by
said casing, respectively, for facilitating separate handling of
i5 said male and female members.
Preferably, said channel part is cross-sectionally U-
shape.
The invention also relates to a locking device for use
with an elongated butterfly valve assembly of the type being
mounted radially of a fluid flow conduit, the valve assembly
including a transverse control handle for pivotal rotation between
a first position, parallel to and in register with the conduit, and
a second position, transverse to the conduit; this valve assembly
further having an elbowed lever, being pivoted to the control
handle at intermediate portions thereof, and a notched plate,
wherein a proximate end tip of the elbowed lever is engageable into
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a selected notch of the notched plate and wherein a distal end part
of the elbowed lever is manually actuatable to release the lever
distal end part from the selected notched plate notch; wherein said
locking device consists of:
(a) a male member, defining an elongated main body for
releasably engaging over a substantial portion of said control
handle lengthwisely thereof;
(b) a female member, defining an elongated pocket member,
said pocket member having a mouth at one end, the releasablx
interengaged said male member and said control handle to be
releasably engaged through said mouth into said pocket member for
interlocking said male member and said handle, wherein said handle
becomes generally concealed by said male and female members;
(c) means for preventing relative movement of said male
member about said conduit;
(d) means for releasably anchoring said male and female
members exclusively of said handle lever; and
(e) a wedge member, integrally carried by said pocket member,
for wedging engagement between the control handle and pivotal lever
in relatively divergent conditions thereof to prevent pivotal
displacement of said pivotal lever toward said control handle;
wherein said locking device prevents pivotal rotation of said
handle lever when the latter is positioned in either one of said
first or second positions.
In this case, the anchoring means could include:
- a flange, edgewisely depending from said male member and
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defining a number of lengthwisely spaced first bores;
- a cross-sectionally U-shape rail, integrally dependent from one
side edge of said female member and slidingly engaged by said
flange, and defining a number of lengthwise spaced second bores;
and
- at least two padlocks, each having a shackle releasably engaging
a registering pair of said first bore and second bore for multiple
interlock between said flange and said rail.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is an isometric view of a fluid line, with the
intermediate enlarged section thereof transversely carrying a
butterfly valve head, the two components of a preferred embodiment
of butterfly valve multi-padlock locking device according to the
invention being shown separated and in spaced overlying condition
relative to the butterfly valve head;
Figure 2 is an end view of the fluid pipe of fig 1,
without the present locking device, and suggesting in phantom lines
the play of the valve lever relative to the valve handle;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the elements of figure 2;
Figure 4 is a view similar to fig 2, but schematically
showing a separate wedge member, similar to the one in the present
locking device, maintaining the lever and handle in their
relatively diverging condition;
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are end views of the fluid flow
conduit of fig. l, sequentially showing how the two separate
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components of the present locking device - shown in sectional view
- can be operatively mounted to the butterfly valve head;
Figure 8. is a view similar to figure 7, but with the
present locking device not being in sectional view; and
Figure 9 is a top plan view of the elements of figure 8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In figure 1, cylindrical fluid flow conduit 12 carries an
intermediate annular enlargement 14 forming the casing of a
butterfly valve assembly, 16. Valve assembly 16 includes a fixed
hollow tube 18, and a valve shaft 20 rotatably mounted into the
fixed tube 18, the tube 18 and shaft 2o radially outwardly
projecting from casing 14. The rotatable shaft 20 conventionally
carries integrally at its (hidden) radially inward end portion a
valve flap (not shown), located inside the fluid flow conduit.
This valve flap has a shape complementary to that of the internal
diameter of the fluid flow conduit, so that the valve flap will
tilt responsively to the shaft rotation between a closed condition,
extending transversely to the conduit and engaging the conduit
inner wall section in fluid-tight fashion, and an open condition,
extending axially of the conduit.
Tube 18 transversely carries a fixed discoid panel 22,
extending tangentially spacedly from the casing 14. Panel 22
includes a number of notches 22a, for example ten notches 22a,
about a sector portion of its peripheral edge. As will be
explained hereinbelow, the whole notched arrangement 22a, 22a, ...
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should make about a quarter of a turn, to reflect the various
intermediate positions between a fully opened and fully closed
valve,position (which are conventionally at right angle to one
another).
The standard elongated butterfly valve handle 24 is
fixedly transversely mounted at one end to the free end of the
rotatable valve shaft 20. An elbowed lever 26 is pivotally mounted
at its intermediate elbowed section 26a to the intermediate section
of valve handle 24, for pivotal motion within the same plane as
that of the handle 24. The length of lever 26 is such that the
bevelled inner end tip 26b thereof is engageable into a selected
one of the notches 22a of the fixed discoid plate 22. A coil
spring 28, carried by the lever 26 and extending between and
engaging the distal portions of lever 26 and handle 24, biases the
distal end portion of lever 26 downwardly. Thus, coil spring 28
indirectly biases proximate lever tip 26b upwardly against discoid
plate 22 and into a selected notch 22a. As suggested in figure 2,
by manually grasping lever 26 to pivotally bring same toward handle
24, against the bias of coil spring 28, lever tip 26b is
concurrently displaced downwardly, beneath the plane of discoid
notched plate 22, thereby releasing the discoid plate notch 22a.
Fluid pipe 12 is envisioned to be of the type used in
chemical processing plants, power plants, refineries, shipbuilding,
pulp and paper mills, and other applications - including heating,
ventilating and air conditioning applications - where positive
fluid shut-off by the butterfly valve is required for liquids,
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gases and slurries.
According to the invention, and as illustrated in
particular in figures 1 and 5-8, there is provided a two component
butterfly valve safety lock, 30, defining interengageable male and
female members 32, 34. Elongated male member 32 includes an inner
arcuate end part 36, releasably engageable around an un-notched
sector portion of discoid plate 22, and an outer end part 38 having
a lengthwise U-channel 40 for receiving and accommodating therein
the full length of handle 24. Female member 34 includes a casing
42 having opposite end mouths 44a, 44b, opening into a through
passageway 44. Passageway 44 is sized for sliding through-
engagement by the combination of male member outer part 38 and
associated lever 24 engaged into the U-channel 40 thereof.
Moreover, female member 34 also includes an integral
wedge block 46, extending beneath passageway 44 with the wedge
block tapered (thinner) end 46a being adjacent mouth 44b. Wedge
block 46 is adapted to extend between and to fractionally engage
the diverging lever 26 and distal end portion of handle 24, when
passageway 44 is engaged through casing mouth 44b by the combined
male member outer part 38 and associated lever 24 engaged into U-
channel 40. Wedge block 46 may for example be hollow, as shown.
As suggested in figures 5 and 6, the inner end part 36 of
male member 32 forms an arcuate extension of rail 40, and includes
an inturned end lip 36a. Lip 36a is destined to fractionally
yet slidingly - engage the front underside (un-notched) portion of
discoid plate 22, upon the male member inner end part 36 being
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brought ahead of control handle 24. As the male member channel 40
is tilted downwardly against the control handle 24, the front end
of control handle 24 abuts against the top end of radial pivot axle
20, the arcuate channel end 36 fits against the discoid panel 22,
and the lip 36a frictionally slidingly abuts against the front
underside of discoid plate 22. Such lip mounting of the male
member 32 to the valve head discoid plate 22 provides hooking
action therebetween, without preventing sliding relative rotation
of male member 32 (concurrently with rotatable handle 24) relative
to fixed discoid plate 22.
Accordingly with an important feature of the invention,
and with further reference to figure 9 of the drawings, the LI-
section 38 of male locking part 32 includes a transverse flange 48
having a number of lengthwisely spaced bores 50 therealong.
Moreover, passageway 44 of female part 34 includes a transverse
extension or pocket, 52, sized for through engagement by flange 48,
and including a number of bores 54, adapted to come in register
with the bores 50 of flange 48.
Preferably, the wall of male part 38 opposite channel 40
carries an integral shoulder 56, proximate end part 36, and the
wall of female part 34 opposite wedge part 46 carries a similar
shoulder 58. Shoulders 56 and 58 constitute tabs that facilitating
individual handling of the separate components 32 and 34.
When the male and female members 32, 34, are partially
engaged into one another, at least some of the bores 50 from the
male member flange 48 transversely registers with corresponding
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bores 54 from the female member pocket 52. Then, the shackles of
a corresponding number of padlocks 60 (fig 1.) may freely engage
such pairs of registering bores of male member flange and female
member pocket, to interlock the male and female members 32, 34,
while concurrently biasing the wedge block 46 in between diverging
lever 26 and handle 24 wherein the lever distal end portion cannot
be pivoted upwardly toward handle 24 wherein the level proximate
tip 26b will not be able to release the selected notch 22a of the
valve handle discoid plate 22.
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