DESCRIPTION

Technical field

The present invention generally relates with devices for regulating the flow of fluids; in particular, the invention refers to a valve assembly for bituminous fluids. Summary of the invention

Valves for discharging fluids from tanks, in particular tank trucks, are known.

The mechanical and functional characteristics of the valves depend largely on operating parameters such as fluid temperature, viscosity, pressure etc.

Particular problems are found in presence of bituminous fluids, whose viscosity varies considerably according to the temperature. A too high viscosity can compromise the correct functionality of the valve, as it can block the passage section, or block the mobile parts of the device.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned problems.

To obtain this result, a valve assembly according to the present invention comprises a shutter equipped with a cutting contour which contributes to breaking the semisolid fluid, facilitating its outflow through the passage section.

Alternatively or in combination, the elastic element that biases the shutter to the closed position is not surrounded by containment structures such as cages or frames, so that the bituminous material does not get stuck in the meatus, blocking or hindering the spring or the shutter .

In addition, alternatively or in combination, the opening stroke of the shutter has been increased, from the traditional 40 mm to at least 60 mm. Indeed, it has been observed that, with such a stroke, the outflow of the bituminous material is optimized in a surprising way, in particular when transported in conventional tank trucks used to transport these materials.

The aforementioned and other purposes and advantages are achieved, according to an aspect of the invention, by a valve assembly having the characteristics defined in claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Short description of the Figures

The functional and structural characteristics of some preferred embodiments of a valve assembly according to the invention will now be described. Reference is made to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a valve assembly, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

- Figures 2 and 3 are schematic lateral section views of the valve assembly of Figure 1, respectively with the shutter in a closed and open position.

Detailed description

Before explaining in detail a plurality of embodiments of the invention, it should be clarified that the invention is not limited in its application to the construction details and to the configuration of the components presented in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of being implemented through other embodiments and of being implemented or practically realised in different ways. It should also be understood that the phraseology and terminology have a descriptive purpose and should not be understood as limiting .

Making reference, by way of example, to Figure 1, a valve assembly 9, suitable for allowing outflow of bituminous fluids, comprises a primary flange 10, adapted to be secured to a tank (preferably, the tank of a tank truck used for transporting bituminous materials) and having an upstream side 10a, intended to face towards the inside of the tank, and an opposite downstream side 10b, parallel to the upstream side 10a. The primary flange 10 has a through opening 10c, extended between said upstream 10a and downstream 10b sides and adapted to put the inside of the tank in fluid connection with the outside thereof. Thus, the through opening 10c is designed in order to allow the bituminous fluid to pass through the primary flange 10.

A shutter 12, movable between a first closing position, in which the through opening 10c is occluded and a passage of fluid through it is inhibited, and a second opening position, in which the through opening 10c is open and a passage of fluid through it is allowed, is also present. The shutter 12 is located on the upstream side 10a of the primary flange 10.

The valve assembly 9 comprises an actuator 14, adapted to move the shutter 12 between said first and second positions, respectively closing and opening the valve .

The valve assembly 9 further comprises at least one cutter 16, movable integrally with the shutter 12 and having a keen and/or sharp and/or tapered contour, adapted to break the bituminous fluid in the stroke of the shutter 12 between said first and second positions and thereby facilitate the outflow of the bituminous fluid through the through opening 10c. The cutting edge 16 can be for example a rostrum, a cusp or a tip which, by passing through the fluid, makes it less solid and viscous, therefore more suitable to flow through the opening 10c.

Preferably, the valve assembly 9 comprises a plurality of cutters 16, arranged on the shutter 12 in a circumferentially equidistant manner. For example, the cutters 16 can be three tips arranged at 120° on the shutter, to form a sort of trident, as in the example shown .

Alternatively or in combination with the embodiments described so far, the valve assembly 9 comprises elastic means 18 acting on the shutter 12 and adapted to bias the latter towards said first closing position.

Preferably, the elastic means 18 are configured in the form of a spring arranged on the upstream side 10a of the primary flange 10. Said spring has a first end which engages the shutter 12 and a second end which abuts against an abutment element 20, connected to the primary flange 10 through a stem 22, coaxial with respect to the spring and extending inside the spring for the entire length of the latter, avoiding any different connection by means of elements radially external to the spring which extend parallel to the axis of the latter between the abutment element 20 and the primary flange 10 for the entire length of the spring. In other words, the abutment element 20 and the primary flange 10 are mutually constrained by means of the stem 22, since there is no frame that surrounds the outside and contains the spring for the entire length of the latter. The lack of such containment structures prevents clogging caused by the fluid, which can hinder or prevent the movement of the shutter 12 or the correct functionality of the elastic means 18.

Conveniently, the stem 22 passes through the shutter

12.

According to a preferred embodiment, illustrated, by way of example, in Figures 2 and 3, the stem 22 is connected to the primary flange 10 by means of a crosspiece 23 secured (suitably removable, to facilitate disassembly and maintenance of the device) to the primary flange (10) and extending along a diametral direction of the through opening 10c (and, therefore, transversely with respect to the stem 22, which can, for example, be constrained to the crosspiece 23 by means of a threaded coupling with a hole present on said crosspiece 23, as shown, by way of example, in Figures 2 and 3) . Obviously, the thinner the crosspiece 23, the wider the passage through the opening 10c in the primary flange 10 will remain. In the example illustrated, the crosspiece 23 extends for the entire diameter of the through opening 10c, the two ends being fixed to the primary flange 10, but it could also be configured (according to an example not shown) as a shelf protruding into the through opening 10c only for part of the length of the diameter, that is for the length necessary to constrain one end of the stem 22 (the other end being constrained, for example by means of a threaded connection, to the abutment element 20) . For example, the crosspiece 23 could extend for a length substantially equal to a radius of the through opening 10c, the stem 22 being constrained to the free end of said crosspiece 23.

Alternatively or in combination to the embodiments previously described, the stroke of the shutter 12 between the first closed position and the second open position is at least 60 mm.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the actuator 14 comprises a plunger 14a, configured in such a way as to push the shutter 12 from the first closed position towards the second opening position.

Preferably, the valve assembly comprises a duct section 24 extending from the downstream side 10b of the primary flange 10, inside said duct portion 24 being at least in part contained the actuator 14 (in particular, the plunger 14a can be therein contained, as showed, by way of example, in Figures 2 and 3) .

Preferably, the duct section (24) has a 90 degree bend, and can end with an additional flange.

According to another aspect of the invention, a tank truck for transporting bituminous fluids comprises a valve unit 9 according to any one of the preceding embodiments.

Moreover, conveniently, the valve assembly 9 can work in contact with fluids having a temperature higher than 270° .

Different aspects and embodiments of a valve group according to the invention have been described. It should be understood that each embodiment can be combined with any other embodiment. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but can be varied within the scope defined by the attached claims.