Inflatable life rafts are inflated using a pressurized inflation gas (such as carbon dioxide, dry air, or nitrogen) which is contained in a pressure tank. When the raft is to be inflated, a valve is actuated by pulling a pull cable which is connected at one end to the valve actuating mechanism in such a manner so as to allow the cable to pull free after the firing mechanism has been actuated.

The pull cable is typically connected at its other end to the ship. The pull cable is automatically pulled, therefore, when the raft is thrown overboard or when the ship sinks. The valve opens when actuated to permit the pressurized fluid to expand and fill the life raft.

Originally, and prior to the advent of high pressure technology, all inflation systems used carbon dioxide stored in liquid form in the pressure tank. Carbon dioxide undergoes a phase change from

liquid to gas when the valve is actuated and the raft is inflated. Becase of severe thermodynamic effects OΏT temperature caused by the phase change and rapid pressure drop, carbon dioxide has a tendency to freeze (form dry ice) or slush-up in cold weather. This frequently causes a "plugged" valve which results in a slow or partial inflation that can render the raft of little or no emergency use value.

To overcome the shortcomings of the carbon dioxide raft inflation systems, systems using pressurized dry air as the inflation gas were developed and perfected by the U.S. Navy during the middle 1970's. The dry air systems do not suffer from the freeze-up problems associated with carbon dioxide systems. They do require, however, that the dry air be stored at a much higher pressure (normally in the range of about 5,000 psi) because dry air does not undergo a phase change expansion like carbon dioxide. The advent of the high pressure dry air systems for life raft inflation required the development of raft inflation valves which were capable of operating reliably at these high pressures, while at the same time offering low activating force. One highly advantageous raft inflation valve has been the Marada Mark VI valve manufactured and sold by Marada Research and Manufacturing of Chaska, Minnesota. This valve, two of which are used on the U.S. Navy's 25-man Mark VI raft, is a stainless steel valve with a movable spool. The spool is biased by a spring to maintain the valve in a normally closed position. When the pull cable is pulled, it causes a cam to .be rotated, which moves the spool against the spring force to open the valve.

The Marada Mark VI valve has provided very reliable operation at the high pressures, and is capable of being actuated with a relatively low pull force on the pull cable (typically less than 20 pounds). The Marada Mark VI valve, however, because of the intricate design and the relatively large number of high precision parts required, has been expensive to manufacture. In addition, like other raft inflation valves, it has been susceptible to contamination if the source of the inflation gas (in this case dry air) contains dust, dirt particles, or other contaminants.

Thus there has been a continuing need for an improved raft- inflation valve which provides ultra-high reliability, is capable of handling high pressures (up to for example, 6,000 psi), has a low actuating force, is not affected by contamination or environmental changes, and is easy and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Furthermore, because of a large number of existing problems associated with either marginal valve performance or corrosion related to the improper use of dissimilar metal components (e.g. brass valves and aluminum cylinders) there is a significant need for an improved valve which is capable of retrofitting to existing life raft inflation systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a valve which is normally closed, and which is actuated to permit the flow of pressurized gas from a pressure vessel to an outlet connected, for example, to an inflatable life raft. The valve of the present invention includes a valve body, a double-ended piston, and valve actuating or firing means for causing the valve to open in order to inflate the raft.

The valve body of the valve of the present invention includes an inlet, an outlet, an internal cylinder, and an inlet passage. The internal cylinder is open at a first end to the outlet. The inlet passage extends from the inlet and intersects the internal cylinder.

The double-ended piston, which is movable in the internal cylinder, has first and second heads with ends of equal diameter, and first and second spaced-apart O-ring seals. In the normally closed condition of the valve, the piston is positioned so that the O-ring seals are positioned on opposite sides of the inlet passage when the valve is in its normally closed condition. The O-ring seals, therefore, block gas flow between the inlet and the outle .

This results in a balancing of the gas pressure forces acting on the piston, while allowing the piston to be moved (for actuation of the valve) simply by overcoming the O-ring drag on the internal cylinder wall.

The valve actuating or firing means is pulled to cause the piston to move away from the first end and toward the second end of the cylinder. Once the intersection of the internal cylinder and the inlet passage is partially uncovered, the gas pressure forces become unbalanced. The pressure of the gas accelerates the piston in its movement away from the outlet once the intersection of the internal cylinder and the inlet passage is partially uncovered.

In preferred embodiments of the -present invention, ^' the valve body includes an auxiliary passage which intersects the inlet passage at a position between the inlet and the internal cylinder. A fill fitting is attached to the valve

body and connects with the auxiliary passage to permit pressurized gas to be supplied, to the pressure vessel or removed from the pressure vessel through a flow path which includes the inlet, the inlet passage, the auxiliary passage and the fill fitting. Because all filling or removing of gas from the pressure vessel is provided without having to move the piston and does not use the outlet, the danger of contamination of the piston, the internal cylinder or the outlet during the filling process is avoided.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the piston also includes a piston rod which is connected to the second piston head and which extends out of the second end of the internal cylinder. In this embodiment, the firing means, when pulled, pulls the piston rod to cause the piston to move in an axial direction toward the second end of the cylinder.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the valve includes spring bias means for applying a spring bias to the piston in an axial direction toward the second end of the internal cylinder. The firing means in this embodiment normally engages the piston to prevent axial movement of the piston from the normally closed position. When pulled, the firing means moves out of engagement with the piston to permit the spring bias to move the piston toward the second end of the internal cylinder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inflatable life raft.

Figure 2 is an end view, with portions shown in section, of a first embodiment of the raft inflation valve of the present invention together with a pressure tank,

Figure 3 is a sectional view along section 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view along section 4-4 of Figure 2. Figure 5 is a partial end view, partially in section, of the first embodiment of the raft inflation valve of the present invention as actuation of the valve is beginning.-

Figure 6 is a sectional view along section 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of another inflatable life raft.

Figure 8 is an end view, with portions shown in section, of a second embodiment of the raft inflation valve of the present invention together with a pressure tank.

Figure 9 is a sectional view along section 9-9 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a sectional view along section 10-10 of Figure 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The First Embodiment (Figures 1-6)

Figure 1 shows inflatable life raft 10 in its fully inflated condition. The pressurized gas used to inflate life raft 10 has been supplied from one or more pressure vessels 12 which are attached to and carried by raft 10. Pressure vessel or tank 12 is typically a metal or metal-lined fiberglass tank which contains an inflation gas such as carbon dioxide, dry air, or nitrogen, stored under pressure. Each pressure tank 12 has a raft inflation valve 14 attached at one end. Under normal storage conditions, life raft 10 is deflated and stored in a compact package. A releasable pull cable (not shown in Figure 1) is connected to valve 14 so that when

the cable is pulled, valve 14 is actuated. This causes valve 14 to open, thus allowing the inflation gas from pressure tank 12 to pass through valve 14 and outlet hose 16 and into the interior of life raft 10.

Figures 2-6 show raft inflation valve 14 of the present invention in further detail. Figure 2 is an end view of tank 12 and valve 14 with portions shown in section. In Figure 2, and in the sectional views shown in Figures 3 and 4, valve 14 is in its normal closed state prior to actuation. This is the state in which valve 14 is found when life raft 10 is deflated for storage.

Inflation valve 14 includes a stainless steel valve body 18 which has a threaded neck portion

20, inlet port 22, internal cylinder 24, outlet port

26, inlet passage 28, auxiliary passage 30, fill port

32, safety relief port 34, and retaining bore 36.

Threaded neck portion 20 of valve body 18 connects valve 14 to the end of tank 12. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3 and 4, threaded neck portion 20 has a external (male) threads 38 which mate with internal (female) threads of the port (not shown) in the end of tank 12. O-ring tank seal 40 is positioned against shoulder 42 of valve body 18, and provides a seal between shoulder 42 and tank 12.

Inlet port 22 communicates with the interior of tank 12. Inlet passage 28 is connected at one- end to inlet port 22, and at its other end it intersects internal cylinder 24. In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the axis of inlet passage 28 intersects and is perpendicular to the axis of internal cylinder 24.

Outlet fitting 44 is threaded into outlet port 26, so that outlet passage 46 of outlet fitting

44 communicates with one end of internal cylinder 24. O-ring seal 48 provides a seal between outlet fitting 44 and valve body 18. In the embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3, outlet fitting 44 has male threads 50 at its outer end which allow hose coupling 52 (which has cooperating female threads) to be connected to outlet fitting 44. Control of gas flow from inlet 22 through inlet passage 28 and internal cylinder 24 to outlet passage 46 and hose 16 is controlled by double-ended piston 54. As shown in Figure 3, piston 54 includes piston body 56 and piston rod 58. Piston body 56 is a double-headed piston body having an O-ring seal 60 and backup ring 62 near its first end 56A, and O-ring seal 64 and backup ring 66 near its second end 56B. As shown in Figure 3, valve 14 is closed, because piston 54 is positioned so that O-rings 60 and 64 are positioned on opposite sides of inlet passage 28 to prevent any leakage in either direction around piston body 56. Since there is no pressure difference between the opposite ends 56A and 56B of piston body 56 and no axial force is being applied to piston rod 58, piston 54 is in a stable, force balanced position within cylinder 24. Because of the balancing of gas pressure forces,, piston 54 can be moved (for actuation) simply by overcoming the drag of O-rings 60 and 64 on the wall of internal cylinder 24. This results in a low actuation force that is only remotely related to the operating pressure of the inflation system.

Valve 14 is actuated to an open condition by- pulling piston rod 58 in the axial direction so that piston body 56 moves away from outlet port 26 and toward retaining nut 68, which is threaded into passage 36. As soon as the end of piston body 56

C FI

clears a portion of the intersection of inlet passage

28 and internal cylinder 24, the pressurized gas begins to flow from tank 12 through inlet 22 and inlet passage 28 into internal cylinder .24. As O-ring 60 reaches inlet passage 28, the gas pressure force on piston 54 acting in the direction toward outlet port 26 drops, while the gas pressure force on piston 54 acting in the direction of retaining bore

36 is maintained, and thus the gas pressure forces on piston 54 become unbalanced. This gas pressure force differentual causes rapid acceleration of the movement of piston body 56 the remaining distance out of the way of inlet passage 28, which then allows the inflation gas to flow freely from inlet port 22 to outlet port 26. Retaining nut 68 limits the movement of piston body 56, so that the force of the pressurized gas does not blow piston 54 entirely out of internal cylinder 24.

Since the gas pressure forces acting on piston 54 are balanced by the double-ended configuration of piston 54 when the O-rings 60 and 64 are positioned on opposite sides of inlet passage 28

(valve closed), the pressure of the gas only affects actuation (pull) force by its effect on O-ring drag. Thus it can be seen that the actuating force required to move piston 54 is relatively low, and is in fact only the force required to overcome the drag at

O-rings 60 and 64.

The actuating mechanism for valve 14 includes retaining nut 68, retaining guide 70, pull cable 72, ball 74, flexible conduit 76, conduit connector 78, safety pin 80 and safety wire 82.

Piston rod 58 extends out of the end of cylinder 24 through retaining nut 68 and into chamber 84 which is defined by retaining nut 68, retaining

QMW_

guide 70, and conduit connector 78. The outer end of piston rod 58 has a detent 86 which receives ball 74. Cable 72 is connected at one end to ball 74 and extends out of chamber 84 through flexible conduit 76. The outer end of pull cable 72 typically has a connecting device (not shown) which is attached to the ship. -- ^■ —_

^{"~ ~} Safety pin 80 shown in Figures 2 and 3 prevents accidental or unintended actuation of valve 14 by preventing axial movement of piston 54. Pin 80 is inserted through openings 90 in retaining guide 72, so that the shank of pin 80 butts the outer end of piston rod 58. As long as safety pin 80 is in place, piston 54 cannot be moved in the axial direction by pull cable 72.

When safety pin 80 is removed (as shown in Figure 5), a pulling force on cable 72 causes ball 74 to move in the axial direction, thus pulling piston rod 58 outward in the ,axial direction. Chamber 84 has a portion 84A of smaller diameter which maintains ball 74 and detent 88 in a force transmitting relationship until piston rod 58 has been pulled far enough out that inlet passage 28 is partially uncovered by piston body 56. At that, point, which is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, ball 74 has reached second chamber portion 84B of a larger diameter. Ball 74 is then allowed to escape from detent 86, so that pull cable 72 can be pulled entirely out of chamber 84 and flexible conduit 76. Pull cable 72 must release valve 14 at the end of its stroke, because pull cable 72 is normally attached at its outer end to the ship, and valve 14 is actuated when life raft 10 is thrown overboard or when the ship sinks. In that type of application, cable 72 must disconnect entirely from valve 14 at the end of its

OMPI

stroke, so that life raft 10 is totally disconnected from the ship.

Portion 84A of chamber 84 has a diameter which is sufficiently small so that there is only one possible orientation of ball 74 and detent 86. Ball

74 cannot hang up or become lodged anywhere else in chamber 84 or in conduit 76.

Flexible conduit 76 provides a flexible guide for pull cable 72. The use of flexible conduit 76 allows cable 72 to apply an axial pulling force on piston rod 58 regardless of the direction of the pulling force on cable 72. In other embodiments, flexible conduit 76 and conduit connector 78 are replaced by a round nose ferrule. Safety wire 82 is threaded through safety wire passage 91, which extends through retaining nut 68 and piston rod 58. The outer ends of safety wire 82 are preferably twisted together, as shown in Figure 2. Safety wire 82 provides a visual indication as to whether valve 14 has already been actuated. Safety wire 82 is broken when a pulling force is applied to piston rod 58 which results in actuation of valve 14.

An important advantage of valve 14 of the present invention is that it permits tank filling, tank bleed down, pressure measurement, and system

(i.e. tank and valve) pressure proof testing without disturbance of piston 54 and without exposing internal cylinder 24, piston 54, and outlet fitting 44 to possible contamination that could subsequently result in inflation system failure. As best shown in

Figure 4, auxiliary passage 30 intersects inlet passage 28 between inlet port 22 and internal cylinder 24. Fill fitting assembly 92, which includes housing 94 and fill valve 96, is attached

to valve body 18 at fill port 32. Housing 94 has threads 98 which are threaded into fill port 32. O-ring 100 provides a seal between valve body 18 and housing 94. Fill valve 96 is threaded into housing 94, and has an inner end 102 which engages valve seat 104 of fill port 32. O-ring 110 and backup -rang 112 provide a seal between fill valve 96 and housing 94. An internal passage 114 extends substantially the entire length of fill valve 96. Passage 114 ends at inner end 102 of fill valve 96, where it is intersected by passage 116.

At the outer end of fill valve 96 are male threads 118, which permit connection of other apparatus to fill fitting assembly 92 such as a source of gas (when tank 12 is to be filled), a pressure gauge (when the pressure in tank 12 is to be measured), or backup seal/threaded protector cap 120 as shown in Figure 2 (under normal storage- and use -conditions).

When tank 12 is being filled or bled down or when pressure measurement or proof testing is being performed through fill fitting 92, fill valve 96 is backed out of housing 94 partially so that valve end 102 is no longer in engagement with valve seat 104. This permits gas flow between passage 114 of fill valve 96 and auxiliary passage 30 in valve body 18. Even when fill valve 96 is partially backed out, O-ring 110 maintains a seal between fill valve 96 and housing 94, so that the gas flow through fill fitting assembly 92 is controlled.-* To again bring valve end 102 into engagement with valve seat 104, fill valve 96 is rotated in an opposite direction. In any filling operation, the possibility of contamination being introduced exists. Fill assembly 92 minimizes

the effects of contamination. First, if a soft contaminant is present at valve seat 104, the force applied as fill valve 96 is threaded inwardly into housing 94 tends to crush and displace the contamination. If a hard contaminant is present at valve seat 104, any leak at valve seat 104 is still minimized. In addition, by placing cap 120 on the outer end of valve 96, passage 114 is still sealed, because flare 122 at the outer end of valve 96 engages seat 124 of cap" 120.

Valve 14 also includes a safety relief which prevents an explosion in the event that gas pressure within tank 12 reaches an unsafe level. The safety relief includes frangible disc 126 and disc retaining nut 128. Frangible disc 126 is located in safety port 34 at an opposite end of auxiliary passage 30 from fill fitting assembly 92. Retaining nut 128 is threaded into safety relief port 34, and holds frangible disc 126 in a position where it seals safety relief port 34. If the pressure within tank 12, and therefore within auxiliary passage 30, exceeds a predetermined level, frangible disc 126 ruptures. This permits inflation gas to flow out of tank 12, through inlet port 22, inlet passage 28 and auxiliary passage 30, through disc 126 into passage 130 of retaining nut 128, and out discharge vents 132. As discussed previously, the valve 14 of the present inventon permits proof testing of the inflation system (i.e. tank and valve together) through fill fitting assembly 92, without damage to valve 14. Because the proof testing involves pressures which are higher than the safety pressure, safety relief port 34 must be blocked so that frangible disc 126 is not ruptured during system proof testing.

The raft inflation valve 14 of the present invention provides a number of significant advantages. First, it provides ultra-high reliability because the portion of valve 14 which controls flow between inlet port 22 and outlet port 26 is not affected by contamination or environmental changes. Tank filling, tank bleed down, pressure measurement, and system proof testing can be performed independently through fill fitting 92. Second, valve 14 is capable of operating over a wide pressure range, preferably up to and including 6,000 psi. This makes valve 14 usable with any of the commonly available inflation gases.

Third, the actuating of valve 14 involves only one moving part. This greatly enhances reliability and also makes valve 14 much easier to manufacture.

Fourth, valve 14 requires a very low actuating force (typically 10 to 20 pounds) even when the inflation gas is at a very high pressure. The Second Embodiment (Figures 7-10) Figure 7 shows inflatable life raft 10 in its fully inflated condition. The pressurized gas used to inflate life raft 210 has been supplied from one or more pressure vessels 212 which are attached to and carried by raft 210. Pressure vessel or tank 212 is typically a metal or metal-lined fiberglass tank which contains an inflation gas stored under pressure. ^* Each pressure tank 212 has a raft inflation valve 214 attached at one end. Under normal storage conditions, life raft 210 is deflated and stored in a compact package. A pull cable 215, (Figure 9) is connected to a removable firing pin 216 (Figures 8 and 9) of valve 214 so that when cable 215 is pulled, firing pin 216 is pulled out of valve 214

» wπ ^: o

and valve 214 is actuated. This causes valve 214 to open, thus allowing the inflation gas from pressure tank 212 to pass through valve 214 and outlet hose 217 and into the interior of life raft 210. Figures 8-10 show raft inflation valve 214 of the present invention in further detail. Figure 8 is an end view of tank 212 and valve 214 with portions shown in section. In Figure 8, and in the sectional views shown in Figures 9 and 10, valve 214 is in its normal closed state prior to actuation. This is the state in which valve 214 is found when life raft 210 is deflated for storage.

Inflation valve 214 includes a hexagonal stainless steel valve body 218 which has a threaded neck portion 220, inlet port 222, internal cylinder 224, outlet port 226, inlet passage 228, auxiliary passage 230A, safety passage 230B, fill port 232, safety relief port 234, firing pin passage 235, threaded pin guide receptacle 236, and vent 237. Threaded neck portion 220 of valve body 218 connects valve 214 to the end of tank 212. In the embodiment- shown in Figure 9, threaded neck portion 220 has a external (male) threads 238 which mate with internal (female) threads of the port (not shown) in the end of tank 212. O-ring tank seal 240 is positioned against shoulder 242 of valve body 218, and provides a seal between shoulder 242 and tank 212. It should be appreciated that in those embodiments in which valve 214 is to be used with a tank 212 having male rather than female threads, internal (female) threads are provided on the inner surface of inlet port 222.

Inlet port 222 communicates with the interior of tank 212. Inlet passage 228 is connected at one end to inlet port 222, and at its other

it intersects internal cylinder 224. In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the axis of inlet passage 228 intersects and is perpendicular to the axis of internal cylinder 224. Outlet fitting 244 is threaded into outlet port 226, so that outlet passage 246 of outlet fitting 244 communicates with one end of internal cylinder 224. O-ring seal 248 provides a seal between outlet fitting 244 and valve body 218. _ In the embodiment shown in Figures 8 and 9, outlet fitting 244 has male threads 250 at its outer end which allow hose coupling 252 (which has cooperating female threads) to be connected to outlet fitting 244.

Control of gas flow from inlet 222 through inlet passage 228 and internal cylinder 224 to outlet passage 246 and hose 217 is controlled by double-ended piston 254. As shown in Figure 9, piston 254 is a double-ended piston having a first piston head 256A with an O-ring seal 260 and backup ring 262 and second piston head 256B with an O-ring seal 264 and backup ring 266. As shown in Figure 9, valve 214 is closed, because piston 254 is positioned so that O-rings 260 and 264 are positioned on opposite sides of inlet passage 228 to prevent any leakage in either direction around piston 254. Since there is no pressure difference between the opposite ends of piston 254 (because the ends of piston heads. 256A and 256B are of equal diameter), piston 254 can be moved (for actuation) simply by overcoming the drag of O-rings 260 and 264 on the wall of internal cylinder 224. This results in a low actuation force that is only remotely related to ^" the operating pressure of the inflation system.

Valve 214 is actuated to an open condition by a firing mechanism which includes firing pin 216,

jD Pt WIFO

firing pin guide 268, and compression spring 270. Firing pin guide 268 is threaded into recepticle 236 and has a guide bore 272 which is aligned with firing pin passage 235. As shown in Figure 9, firing pin 216 is normally inserted through bore 272 and passage 235, so that the inner end of firing pin 216 is positioned in internal cylinder 224 and engages the end of piston head 256B.

The end of piston head 256B is urged into engagement with firing pin 216 by an axial bias force provided by compression spring 270. As shown in Figure 9, compression spring 270 is carried within an enlarged portion of outlet passage 246 near the outlet end of internal cylinder 224. One end of compression spring 270 acts against internal shoulder 274 of outlet fitting 244 and the other end of compression spring 270 acts against the end of piston head 256A.

Firing pin 216 has a pull ring 276 attached at its outer end for connection to pull cable 215. When a pulling force is applied through cable 215 to pull ring 276, firing pin 216 is pulled out of internal cylinder 224, firing pin passage 235, and guide " passage 272. Once firing pin 216 is out of engagement with the end of piston head 256B, compression spring 270 moves piston 254 away from outlet port 226 and toward vent 237. As soon as the end of piston head 256A clears a portion of the intersection of inlet passage 228 and internal cylinder 224, the pressurized gas begins to flow from pressure vessel 212 through inlet 222 and inlet passage 228 into internal cylinder 224. As O-ring 260 reaches inlet passage 228, the gas pressure force on piston 254 acting in the direction toward outlet port 226 drops, while the gas pressure force on

piston 254 acting in the direction toward vent 237 is maintained, and thus the gas pressure forces on piston 254 become unbalanced. This gas pressure force differential causes rapid acceleration of the movement of piston 254 the remaining distance out of the way of inlet passage 228, which then allows the inflation gas to flow freely from inlet port 222 to outlet port 226.. Vent 237 allows air at the opposite end of cylinder 224 to escape, but is small enough to limit the movement of piston 254, so that the force of the pressurized gas does not blow piston 254 entirely out of valve body 218.

Since the gas pressure forces acting on piston 254 are balanced by the double-ended configuration of piston 254 when the O-rings 260 and 264 are positioned on opposite sides of inlet passage 228 (valve closed), the pressure of the gas only affects the bias force required from spring 270 by its effect on O-ring drag. Thus it can be seen that the bias force required to move piston 254 is relatively low, and is in fact only the force required to overcome the drag at O-rings 260 and 264. Compression spring 270 is preferably a relatively stiff spring, so as to provide more than enough bias force to move piston head 256 when firing pin 216 is removed.

In order to prevent accidental or unintended actuation of valve 214 by small forces on cable 215 or pull ring 276, a spring-loaded safety ball catch 278 is carried at the inner end of firing pin 216. Safety ball catch 278 resists the removal of firing pin 216 from internal cylinder 224 unless there is a sufficient pull force on firing pin 16 to depress safety ball catch 278 and allow it to pass into firing pin passage 235.

When valve actuation occurs, pull cable 215 and firing pin 216 must release valve 214, because pull cable 215 is normally attached at its outer end to the ship, and valve 214 is actuated when life raft 210 is thrown overboard or when the ship sinks. In that type of application, cable 215 and firing pin 216 must disconnect entirely from valve 214, so that life raft 210 is totally disconnected from the ship.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 8 and 9, firing pin 216 is oriented so that the pull force for actuation is parallel to the longitudinal axis of pressure vessel 212 and valve 214. This "end pull" configuration is particularly advantageous for retrofit applications, because the vast majority of current life raft systems use this configuration.

Safety wire 280 (Figure 8) is threaded through safety wire passage 282 (Figure 9), which extends through guide nut 268 and firing pin 216. The outer ends of safety wire 280 are preferably twisted together, as shown in Figure 8. Safety wire 280 provides a visual indication as to whether valve 214 has already been actuated. Safety wire 280 is broken when a pulling force is applied to firing pin 216 which results in actuation of valve 214. An important advantage of valve 214 of the present invention is that it permits tank filling, tank bleed down, pressure measurement, and system (i.e., tank and valve) pressure proof testing without disturbance of piston 254 and without exposing internal cylinder 224, piston 254, and outlet fitting 244 to possible contamination that could subsequently result in inflation system failure. As best shown in Figure 10, auxiliary passage 230A intersects inlet passage 228 between inlet port 222 and internal cylinder 224. Fill fitting assembly 292, which

_ ? ^MPI

includes housing 294 and fill valve 296, is attached to valve body 218 at fill port 232. Housing 294 has threads 298 which are threaded into fill port 232. O-ring 300 provides a seal between valve body 218 and housing 294.

Fill valve 296 is threaded into housing 294, and has an inner end 302 which engages valve seat 304 of fill port 232. O-ring 310 and backup ring 312 provide a seal between fill valve 296 and housing 294. An internal passage 314 extends substantially the entire length of fill valve 296. Passage 314 ends at inner end 302 of fill valve 296, where it is intersected by passage 316.

At the outer end of fill valve 296 are male threads 318, which permit connection of other apparatus to fill fitting assembly 292 such as a source of gas (when tank 212 is to be filled), a pressure gauge (when the pressure in tank 212 is to be measured), or backup seal/threaded protector cap 320 as shown in Figure 8 (under normal storage and use conditions).

When tank 212 is being filled or bled down or when pressure measurement or proof testing is being performed through fill fitting 292, fill valve 296 is backed out of housing 294 partially so that valve end 302 is no longer in engagement with valve seat 304. This permits gas flow between passage 314 of fill valve 296 and auxiliary passage 230 in valve body 218. Even when fill valve 296 is partially backed out, O-ring 310 maintains a seal between fill valve 296 and housing 294, so that the gas flow through fill fitting assembly 292 is controlled. To again bring valve end 302 into engagement with valve seat 304, fill valve 296 is rotated in an opposite direction. in any filling operation, the possibility of

contamination being introduced exists. Fill assembly 292 minimizes the effects of contamination. First, if a soft contaminant is present at valve seat 304, the force applied as fill valve 296 is threaded inwardly into housing 294 tends to crush and displace the contamination. If a hard contaminant is present at valve seat 304, any leak at valve seat 304 is still minimized. In addition, by -placing-cap 320 on the outer end of valve 296, passage 314 is still sealed, because flare 322 at the outer end of valve 296 engages seat 324 of cap 320.

Valve 214 also includes a safety relief which prevents an explosion in the event that gas pressure within tank 212 reaches an unsafe level. The safety relief includes frangible disc 326 and disc retainer nut 328. Frangible disc 326 is located in safety port 234 at an outer end of safety passage 230B. At its inner end, safety passage 230B intersects inlet passage 228 at a position between inlet port 222 and internal cylinder 224. Retainer 328 is threaded into safety relief port 234, and holds frangible disc 326 in a position where it seals safety relief port 234. If the pressure within tank 212, and therefore within auxiliary passage 230, exceeds a predetermined level, frangible disc 326 ruptures. This permits inflation gas to flow out of tank 212, through inlet port 222, inlet passage 228 and safety passage 230B, through disc 326 into passage 330 of retainer 328, and out discharge vents 332.

As discussed previously, the valve 214 of the present inventon permits proof testing of the inflation system (i.e., tank and valve together) through fill fitting assembly 292, without damage to valve 214. Because the proof testing involves

pressures which are higher than the safety pressure, safety relief port 234 must be blocked so that frangible disc 326 is not ruptured during system proof testing. The raft inflation valve 214 of the present invention provides a number of significant advantages. First, it provides ultra-high reliability because the portion -of valve 214 which controls flow between inlet port 222 and outlet port 226 is not affected by contamination or environmental changes. Tank filling, tank bleed down, pressure measurement, and system proof testing can be performed independently through fill fitting 292.

Second, valve 214 is compact, relatively light-weight, uses a small number of parts and is easier to manufacture than prior art valves.

Third, valve 214 requires a very low actuating force even when the inflation gas is at a high pressure. Conclusion

Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.