A valve, sometimes known as a valve in English, is a device used to partially block or control the flow of various fluid flows. A valve is a pipeline accessory used to open and close pipelines, control flow direction, and modify and regulate the characteristics of the conveying medium, including temperature, pressure, and flow. It can be separated into shut-off valves, check valves, regulating valves, and so on depending on the function. Valves are components that regulate the flow of different fluid types, including air, water, steam, etc. in fluid delivery systems. Cast iron valves, cast steel valves, stainless steel valves, chromium molybdenum steel valves, chrome molybdenum vanadium steel valves, duplex steel valves, plastic valves, non-standard customized valves, etc. are only a few of the various types and specifications of valves.
In relation to the valve’s past
Every day of our life is impacted by the use of valves. We operate the valves when we turn on the faucet to get water to drink or the fire hydrant to irrigate the crops. The persistence of multiple valves is due to the pipelines’ intricate interlacing.
The evolution of industrial production processes and the development of valves are intimately intertwined. A huge stone or a tree trunk might be used to stop the flow of water or alter its direction in the ancient world in order to control the flow of rivers or streams. Li Bing (unknown birth and death years) began digging salt wells in the Chengdu Plain at the end of the Warring States era in order to obtain brine and fry salt.
When extracting brine, a thin piece of bamboo is utilized as a brine extraction cylinder that is put into the casing and has an opening and closing valve at the bottom. A massive wooden frame is built over the well, and a single cylinder can draw several buckets’ worth of brine. The brine is then retrieved using a potter’s wheel and a wheel to empty the bamboo bucket. Put it in a well to draw brine to manufacture salt, and install a wooden plunger valve at one end to stop leaks.
Among other things, the Egyptian and Greek civilizations developed a number of simple types of valves for irrigation of crops. However, it is generally acknowledged that the ancient Romans created quite complex water irrigation systems for irrigating crops, employing cock and plunger valves as well as non-return valves to stop water from flowing backward.
Many of Leonardo da Vinci’s technological designs from the Renaissance era, including irrigation systems, irrigation ditches, and other significant hydraulic system projects, still use valves.
Later, as tempering technology and water conservation equipment advanced in Europe, the demand for valves progressively increased. As a result, copper and aluminum plug valves were developed, and the valves were included into the metal system.
The Industrial Revolution and the modern history of the valve industry have parallel histories that have become deeper over time. The first commercial steam engine was created in 1705 by Newcomman, who also proposed control principles for steam engine operation. Watt’s invention of the steam engine in 1769 marked the valve’s official entry into the machinery industry. Plug valves, safety valves, check valves, and butterfly valves were frequently employed in steam engines.
Numerous applications in the valve business have their roots in Watt’s creation of the steam engine. Slide valves first appeared in the 18th and 19th centuries as a result of the widespread use of steam engines by the mining, ironing, textile, machinery manufacture, and other industries. Additionally, he created the first speed controller, which led to increased interest in fluid flow control. A significant development in the development of valves is the subsequent appearance of globe valves with threaded stems and wedge gate valves with trapezoidal threaded stems.
The development of these two valve types initially satisfied the demands for flow regulation as well as the requirements of many industries for the constant improvement of valve pressure and temperature.
Ball valves or spherical plug valves, which date back to the design of John Wallen and John Charpmen in the 19th century but were not put into production at that time, should have theoretically been the first valves in history.
The US Navy was an early supporter of the use of valves in submarines after World War II, and the development of the valve was carried out with government encouragement. As a result, numerous new R&D projects and initiatives have been made in the area of valve use, and the war has also led to advancements in new valve technology.
The economies of advanced industrialized nations began to flourish and develop one after another in the 1960s. Products from the former West Germany, Japan, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and other nations were keen to sell their goods abroad, and the export of complete machinery and equipment was what drove the export of valves.
The former colonies gained independence one by one between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1980s. Eager to develop their domestic industries, they imported a lot of machinery, including valves. Additionally, the oil crisis prompted various oil-producing nations to make significant investments in the highly lucrative oil sector. A period of explosive growth in global valve production, commerce, and development was ushered in for a number of reasons, greatly advancing the growth of the valve business.
Post time: Jun-25-2023
