초록 ▼

A valve construction relies upon solenoid-driven axial elongation of an annular magnetostrictive core element for opening displacement of an elongate poppet-valve member that is carried within the annulus of the core element. A first stiffly compliant preload independently urges the poppet-valve mem

A valve construction relies upon solenoid-driven axial elongation of an annular magnetostrictive core element for opening displacement of an elongate poppet-valve member that is carried within the annulus of the core element. A first stiffly compliant preload independently urges the poppet-valve member into its seated position of lock-up at valve closure, and a second stiffly compliant preload independently prestresses the annular magnetostrictive core element into a fixed referencing abutment with valve-body structure. The currently preferred material of the core is Terfenol-D, which offers a strong elongation response to inductively coupled excitation. The elongation response is sufficient to serve the purposes of (1) closing a pretravel clearance prior to a flange engagement with the poppet-valve member and (2) also, via the flange engagement, displacing the poppet-valve member out of its normal valve-closing engagement with the valve seat. In the preferred embodiments, inlet and outlet ports for the valve are centered at the respective axial ends of the valve-body structure.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An electrically operated normally-closed valve construction, comprising a generally tubular housing of ferromagnetic material with a closure wall at each of the axial ends of said housing, said housing having spaced inlet and outlet ports one of which is centered through

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An electrically operated normally-closed valve construction, comprising a generally tubular housing of ferromagnetic material with a closure wall at each of the axial ends of said housing, said housing having spaced inlet and outlet ports one of which is centered through one of said closure walls, an annular seat formation on the inner surface of said one closure wall and surrounding said one port, a cylindrical annulus of magnetostrictive material surrounding said seat formation and in compliantly prestressed axial abutment with said one closure wall, an electrical winding contained within said housing and surrounding said cylindrical annulus of magnetostrictive material, a poppet member axially guided within said annulus of magnetostrictive material, said poppet member being configured at one axial end for valve-closing coaction with said seat formation, and said poppet member being configured with a flange formation at its opposite axial end for retracting said poppet member away from seat engagement, upon excitation of said winding with resulting magnetostrictive axial elongation of said cylindrical annulus.