THERMALLY ISOLATED VALVE ACTUATOR

摘要

An exhaust valve assembly includes a valve body, a valve supported by a shaft within the valve body, and an actuator that moves the valve relative to the valve body to control exhaust flow. The actuator is thermally isolated from the valve by a linkage mechanism that cooperates with exhaust flow to move the valve between open and closed positions. The actuator temporarily contacts the linkage mechanism to initiate opening and closing movement but then moves out of contact with the linkage mechanism as the exhaust flow exerts a force against the valve to move the valve to a fully open or fully closed position. This temporary contact between the linkage mechanism and the actuator reduces heat transfer from the valve to the actuator.