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