Investigation into the wear of a Ball Valve

Problem Definition

• The wear rate of a ball valve defines the number of cycles the valve is rated for.

• This assumes a small ball valve, quarter turn (90 degree), 2-way, 2-position. Assume intermittent operation. A small (<= 1-inch valve) will be modeled. Problem is a circumferential load on a sphere

Emphasis of research• Research includes wear rates of relevant (plastic) seat material properties

and wear characteristics. Various papers on wear tests available to potentially use for test data.

• For computation efficiency an axi-symmetric model will be created in FEA software.– Abaqus appears to use Archard wear model– Compare to analytical method– May need to use adaptive meshing– Ball will be a rigid body– Nominal sizes will be used– Potential thermal effects included