Valve

What is Valve?

A flow-control device. Valves are used to regulate the flow of fluids in piping systems and machinery. In machinery the flow phenomenon is frequently of a pulsating or intermittent character and the valve, with its associated gear, contributes a timing feature.
The valves commonly used in piping systems are gate valves (Fig. 1), usually operated closed or wide open and seldom used for throttling; globe valves, frequently fitted with a renewable disk and adaptable to throttling operations; check valves, for automatically limiting flow in a piping system to a single direction; and plug cocks, for operation in the open or closed position by turning the plug through 90° and with a shearing action to clear foreign matter from the seat. Safety and relief valves are automatic protective devices for the relief of excess pressure.