Check valve with adjustable opening pressure

• Main Authors: SLEEPER, ROBERT D, ATKINS, DON J, JIRA, JOSEPH J, MCGONIGLE, G. STEPHEN, DENIKE, STUART K
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 11.06.2008
• Subjects: ACTUATING-FLOATS; AIRCRAFT; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; BLASTING; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TOTRANSPORTATION; COCKS; COSMONAUTICS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLYING SUITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PARACHUTES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TAPS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; VALVES; WEAPONS

A pressure relief check valve (110) includes a valve body (202), a flapper (204), a magnet (206) coupled to the flapper (204), and an adjustment mechanism (207). The valve body (202) has an upstream side 208, a downstream side (210), and a flow channel (212) that extends therebetween. The flapper (204) is rotationally mounted on the valve body (202), and is movable between a closed position, in which the flapper (204) at least substantially seals the flow channel (212), and an open position, in which the flapper (204) unseals the flow channel (212). The adjustment mechanism (207) comprises a magnetically permeable material, and is movably coupled to the valve body (202) at a position in which the adjustment mechanism (207) is magnetically attracted to the magnet (206) with a magnetic closing force at least when the flapper (204) is in the closed position, to thereby at least substantially inhibit flapper (204) movement from the closed position. Movement of the adjustment mechanism (207) varies the magnetic closing force.