TRUNION MOUNTING FOR ENCAPSULATED BALL VALVE

The specification and drawings show a ball valve including a housing defining an internal valve chamber and inlet and outlet flow passages extending through the housing and into the chamber. A ball member having a through flow aperture is positioned centrally in the chamber and an actuating stem extends radially from the ball to a position outside the housing. In the embodiment shown, the chamber is cylindrical and the ball and stem are axially aligned with the axis of the chamber. A resilient packing of synthetic resinous material, such as polytetrafluoroethylene or the like, is disposed in the chamber to surround the ball and sealingly engaging both the ball and the inner walls of the chamber. The packing fills substantially all voids between the ball and the chamber except for ports formed through the packing between the inlet and outlet passages and the ball. Positioned beneath the ball and axially aligned with the stem is a rigid trunion member which extends through the packing between the ball and the end wall of the chamber. The trunion is either integral with the ball and spaced a slight distance from the end wall or, alternately, it is carried by the end wall and spaced a slight distance from the ball.