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The Introduction of butterfly-valve

2025-05-13

Butterfly valves are quarter-turn valves that are popular for on-off or modulating services. They are lightweight, have a small installation footprint, lower cost, quick operation, and are available with large orifice sizes. The “butterfly" is a disk connected to a rod. When the valve opens, the disk rotates to allow fluid to pass through. It closes when the rod rotates the disc by a quarter turn to a position perpendicular to the flow direction. In this article you will learn how a butterfly valve works, what are the different types of butterfly valves, what actuation options are available for these valves, and more.


Principle of operationButterfly valves have a relatively simple construction. Figure 2 shows the main components of a butterfly valve, which are the body, seal, disc, and stem. The disc (Figure 2 labeled E) of a butterfly valve aligns with the center of the connected piping and the stem (Figure 2 labeled B) connects to an actuator or handle on the outside of the valve. In the closed position, the disc is perpendicular to the flow, as shown in Figure 2, and seals against the valve seat (Figure 2 labeled D). An o-ring (Figure 2 labeled C) in the stem packing seals against leakage along the stem. When the actuator or handle rotates the butterfly valve stem 90°, the disc also rotates 90° to become parallel to the flow. Partial rotation allows for the flow to be throttled or proportional.


Types of butterfly valvesButterfly valves come in different designs, each serving specific applications and pressure ranges. Butterfly valves can be categorized based on their disc closure design, connection design, and actuation method.Disc closure designButterfly valves can be concentric or eccentric depending on the location of the stem in relation to the disc’s centerline and the surface angle of the valve seat.ConcentricThe most basic design of a butterfly valve is a centric or concentric butterfly valve. The stem passes through the disc’s centerline, and the seat is the inside diameter periphery of the valve body (Figure 4 on the left). This zero-offset valve design is known as resilient-seated because efficient sealing relies on the flexibility of the rubber seat. When closing, the disc first comes into contact with the seat at around 85° during a 90° rotation. Concentric butterfly valves are suitable for low-pressure ranges.





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