Patent — available for licensing
Low-Cost, Long-Lasting Valve Seal
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a new, simplified method for installing valve seats, eliminating the need for a swaged assembly process and the additional hardware and equipment that are typically found in conventional, elastomeric valve seat installations. In addition to weight reduction, the fewer hardware components reduce the number of potential failure modes. This simplified technique saves time and installation costs, and results in comparable leakage protection by minimizing acute stress in the seal material. NASA has used the installation technique on gas-fed, pulsed, electric thrusters for propellants, which requires very specific fluid flow operation by quickly opening and closing the valves within short durations of time. The NASA technique is especially advantageous for small instrumentation valves where precise fluid control is essential.