US2021079A - Restricted flow device - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 12,Y 1935. w. R. MITTENDORF ET AL. 2,021,079

RESTHIGTED FLOW FDEVICE Filed April 23, 1954 INVENTORS,

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nev.- 12, 19.35,

UNITED. STATES PATENT oFFlcl.:g

nE's'rmc'rEp FLow n'EvrcE William R..` Mittendorf and Roland H.

Cincinnati, Ohio,

Money,

assignors to The Crosley Radio Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a torpolration of Ohio Application April 23,1934, SerialNo. 722,049 'i Claims.` (Cl. 13S-42) and low pressure portions of a refrigerationdevlce. As is well known, it is necessary to provide some means which will control the flow of liquefied refrigerant from the condenser in a refrigerating device to the evaporator. Float valve mechanisms have been used for. this as well as pressure reducing valve mechanisms. These are properly notv restricted ow devices, but rather controlled flow devices. Elongated capillary tubes have also been used It is an object of our invention to providea new type of restricted. flow device'which will have the following signal advantages over any other type of` restricted flow devices heretofore used:

(1) Itis adjustable without substitution of parts to provide a normal rate of flow which can be varied to suit the requirements of any particular job. l

(2) By the use of standard parts with or without adjustment, as hereinabove set forth, smaller or larger normal rates of iiow may easily be secured.

(3) In operation the device is self compensating for great changes in pressure.

(4) The device is self-freeing of clogging obstructions.

(5) The device is economical of manufacture, easy to replace or repair and economical of space.

The general object of our invention set forth hereinabove, and other objects which will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specfications, we accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts, of which we shall now describe the aforesaid exemplary embodiment, it being understood that the particular embodiment chosen for this disclosure and the\exemplary circumstances of its use, are not limitations upon our invention.

Reference is made to the drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an assembled restricted flow device embodying our invention.

Figures 2 and 3 are plan views of suggested forms of grooved discs.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an assembly of discs and washers showing a way in which adjustment can be secured.

Brieiiy in the practice of,our invention, we provide a plurality of members having tortuous for the purpose. l

preferred. A central grooves in a face or faces thereof, and we as-f semble these members with or without intervening members, to provide a construction in whch a fluid must follow a tortuous path normally determined by said grooves. It will be 5 obvious that the several members will be perforated'to the end of connecting up the grooves so as to provide a continuous restricted passageway, or a plurality thereof. The variousmembers are assembled in a casing and are prefer- 1o ably held together therein by resilientmeans. Where this is done the device becomes nonclogging, because it is responsive to extraordinary pressures, since such pressures can cause the members to separate against the pressure 15 of the resilient means, thereby temporarily providing less restricted paths for the passage of uid. It will be clear that in a device of this f kind, the effective length of the fluid passageway or passage-ways, may be modified by using 20 more or less of the grooved members; so that restricted flow devices of differing fundamental rates of iiow may easily be made from the same standard parts. Moreover, where washersy or non-grooved metal pieces are employed between 25 the grooved members, individual adjustment of each device may be made very accurately to a predetermined standard, or to the particular requirements of a specific job, by making' the intervening pieces or washers of relatively softer 30 metal than the grooved members, and subjecting the grooved members and washers in assembled form, to pressure, whereby the metal of the washers is caused to be extruded to a greater or less extent into the grooves of the grooved 85 members, thereby varying the cross-sectional area of the passage-way formed by the said grooves.

We will now describe the aforesaid exemplary embodiment of our device indetail. 40 It is most convenient to provide -both ythe grooved members and the washers in the form of round discs, and to assemble these in a cylindriv cal casing. We have shown in Figure 1 such a cylindrical casing at I, closed at one end by a cap l45 or the like 2, which may be threaded thereon, otherwise attached thereto, or made integral if preferred, with the casing I. The cap 2V will be provided with a fitting` 3 for the reception ofA a tube leading from the condenser, orfor attaclr- 50 ment directly to the condenser if that should be passage-way 4 permits the iiow oi' uid to the interior oi' the casing I. This end of the device is the inlet end.4 The other end oi the casing is closed by a cap l either threaded therewith; and a pressure tight connection may be assured by the use of the gasket 6. The cap 5 is provided with ,a central uid passage-way 1 and a fitting 8 for attachment to the evaporator ofV a refrigerating device, or to a tube leading to the evaporator. We have shown in the casing and next to cap 2, a preliminary plate 9 having a central perforation I0. Above this plate we have shown a series of grooved discs II with washersV I2 between each disc and the next succeeding one. The assembly is completed by a plate I3 having a central perforation I4 and a spring I5, abutting at one end against the assembled plates, discs and'washers, and at the other against thfecap 5.

This spring holds the assembly of discs, washers and plates together, and it will be obvious that the compressive strength of .this spring may be varied to make the device responsive to different maximum pressures.

The discs are grooved and perforated to provide'the passage-ways for fluid aforesaid; j and we prefer so to groove and perforate them as to provide a normally single continuous and connected passage-way for the fluid, frornone end of the assembly to the other. The discs andlwashers and the plates 9 and Il are preferably accurately fitted into the casing I', so as to prevent a flow of fluid about the edges thereof. ,v

We have shown in Figure 2, an exemplary disc II having a spiral groove I8 therein, starting at a central depression I1 in the disc and ending I1 to the point I8. Other forms of groving may,

of course, be employed, 'as well yas other shapes for the grooved members. The discs may be grooved upon vone or both sides. Preferably they are grooved on both sides, since in this way a greater length of restricted passage-way may be provided in a given space. Where 'I1 is a depression and I8 is a. perforation, the intervening' washers I2 will have central 'perforations shown at 2| in Figure 1. If I'I were a perforation and I8 a mere depression, or the end of `a groove, the

washers I2 would be solid at the center and per- I forated near their peripheries with holes which could be made to register with the ends Il of the grooves. l

The discs I I may be made of iron, brass, bronze, or other materials,'and the Washers I2 may be made of softer materials such as lead, or lead alloys or the like. If this'is done, a further means of adjustment is provided in that thewashers and discs may be assembled in a casing in a press and subjected to pressure, whereby the metal of the washers may be caused to enter or be extruded into grooves of the discs,'thereby still further restricting the passageways provided 'by these grooves. Wel have shown in Figure 4 a magnified sectional view of a part of an assembly of discs` II and washers I2, which has been subjected to pressure, and we have indicated at 22 how the relatively softer metal of the washers has been forced into the grooves to restrict them. Very accurate control is possible by this method, so that with a specified number of parts, .and a specified 2,021,079 on the casing or' otherwise detachably connectible cross-sectional'area of grooves in the disc, a wide range of flow restriction may be secured below the maximum as determined by the grooves. The grooves are easily made by a machining operation or may themselves be made larger or smaller 5 as any particular case may require.

The washersIZ may, of course, be eliminated and the necessary passage-way formed by an assembly of grooved discs only; or the discs may be grooved only upon one side, and assembled so that each disc acts bothv as a grooved member and as a washer.: The discs may likewise be made of metallic pieces having a. harder grooved face and a softer grooved or non-grooved. face.

In-theL assembly of Figure l, it will be noted l5 that our device` is self-freeing. If foreign matter in the'uid should clog any part of the restricted .e-way which we have provided, the building up of pressure which would result therefrom would tend tol separate the discs and washers 20 tions 2| in the washers and the perforations I 8 'V infthe discs, whereby the obstruction would be washed away orv allowed to pass. When the 'ob- 25 struction is gone, the spring Il returns the assembly to its normal working position. In this way also, our device is made responsive to excess pressure whether or not there is an obstruction.

It will be clear that modincations may be made in our invention without departing from the spirit thereof.- V l lHaving thus described our invention, what we clinii as new and desire to secure by Letters Paten s:-

1. In a restricted flow device, a plurality of members assembled in face to face relationship, certain of said members being grooved, and c'ertain of said members acting m comme nula to said grooves, means for conducting fluid from 40 one groove to another so as to provide atleast one continuous passage-way for fluid through said assembled members, and resilient `means urging said assembled members into assembled position, whereby said device is responsive to excess pres- 45 sure lby separation of said members against the forceof said resilient means.

2. A restricted ilow device comprising a casing of cylindrical form, a plurality of discs assembled in face to face relationship in said casing, at least 50 one ofsaid discs having a continuous groove in its sin'face, said members being perforated to provide a continuous passage-way for fluid there-y through including said groove, said discs fitting closely in said casing so as to prevent the passage 55 of substantial quantities of fluid between said casing and the edges of said discs, and resilient means in. said casing for holding said discs in assembled relationship.

3. In a restricted iiow device, a cylindrical cas- 60 ing closed at` both ends and-provided with inlet and outlet connection means, and an assembly in said casing of members in face to face relationship, some at least of said members being grooved, and said members being perforated to provide a 65 passageway for fluid therethrough including said grooves, and resilient means in said casing holding said members in assembledrelaticnship.

'4. A restricted flow device comprising a casing 70 and an assembly in said casing of grooved members and intervening washer members, said members being perforated so as to provide through said assembly a continuous restricted passageway for fluid including said grooves, andreailient'' 2,021,079 means in said casing for-urging saldi grooved members and saidvwasher members together.

5. In a restricted flow device, a' plurality of. members assembled in face to face relationship,` means on said members forming a continuous tortuous passage through said assembly, and means to apply pressure to said' assembly of members sumclent to maintain .contact therebetween under normal maximum pressure' within said passage, said pressure means being adapted to yield when subjected to excessive pressure within said passage due to clogging obstructions, there'- by allowing said members to separate and clear the passage of such obstructions. A

6. In a restricted now device, a plurality of members assembled in face to face relationship, certain of said members being grooved, and certain of said members acting to confine fluid to said grooves, means for conducting iiuid from one groove to another so as to provide at least one continuous passage for fluid through said assembled members, and means to apply pressure to said assembly of members sufcient to maintain contact therebetween under normal maximum pressure within said passage, said pressure means being adapted to yield when subjected to excessive pressure within said passage due to clogging obdiscs, and means to apply pressure to said series 15 of discs s ulcient to maintain contact therebetween under normal maximum pressure within said passageway, said pressure means yielding when subjected to excessive pressure within said passageway due to clogging obstructions, thereby 20;l

allowing said discs to separate and clearing said passageway of such obstructions.

WILLIAM R. MI'I'IENDORF. ROLAND H. MONEY.

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