what is butterfly valve

Butterfly valves are a family of quarter-turn rotational motion valves that are used in pipelines to shut-off flow. It is often said that butterfly valves can be used to regulate the flow. However, we do not recommend doing this, as it can damage the valve disk and have a negative effect on the sealing properties. They are used in a wide variety of process media and industries especially in water supply, collection, and distribution, as well as pumping stations, and have a broad range of use cases especially in flow isolation. A couple of their key advantages over other valve families are their simple construction and compactness, resulting in the end products being of lighter weights and lower cost and with smaller installation footprints and faster actuation speeds.

Hawle butterfly valves are flanged double eccentric type (double offset) type. The double offset or eccentricity refers to the fact that this valve design involves two offsets of the disc from the valve body’s centre or the axis of rotation of the stem.

Butterfly valve partsBelow are the major butterfly valve components:Valve Body

The valve body fits between the pipe flanges - the most common end connection types being flanged, double lug, and wafer types.

Disc

Attached to the valve body is the disc that functions as a gate that stops or throttles fluid flow; it can be considered equivalent to a gate in a gate valve, or a ball in a ball valve. The disc is typically bored to receive the stem, or shaft. There are many variations in disc design, orientation, and material in order to improve flow, sealing, and/or operating torque. For example, Hawle’s 9881k double eccentric disc is designed to reduce seal wear and “scuffing” as well as operating torque requirements.

Seat

Lining the internal valve body is a strong elastomer or metal anti-leak seal that secures the disc in place in the closed position in order to achieve complete shutoff. The 9881k series’ stainless steel weld filled and microfinished integral body seat ensures a corrosion and erosion resistant seat face. With this special type of seat design, it is possible to manufacture the valve drop tight according to EN12266 –A requirements.

Stem

The valve shaft, often also referred to as the stem, is the component that connects the disc to the actuation mechanism and transmits the torque through itself.

Seals

Seals are present at multiple interfaces within the valve to either ensure a tight seal during operation or to isolate the process media from the valve’s internal components for a more flexible and cost-efficient design.Sealing on seat face is ensured by a continuous T-profile resilient sealing ring which is held on the periphery of the disc by a retaining ring, preventing the sealing ring from rolling out. In the closed position, the sealing ring is pressed against the seat face, providing a tight seal on both the upstream and downstream ends. In the open position, the sealing ring is completely unstressed due to the double eccentric disc design.

By eliminating interaction between the process media and the stem/shaft, the multiple O-ring shaft sealing system ensures a maintenance-free sealing for the entire life span of the valve. Besides, there are smaller more common components such as the bushings, bearings, and fasteners that are part of most other valve constructions as well. Details on some of the components on the actuation end, such as the handle, lever, gearbox, and handwheel will be covered in the actuation section.