US Patent 7363941 Fluid control valve device

Certain embodiments of a fluid control valve include one or more ceramic components that operate substantially free of tensile stress concentrations along the control surfaces. In some embodiments, a fluid control valve includes a ceramic plug having a set of longitudinal grooves milled in the cylindrical surface of the plug to define control surfaces. The plug is disposed in an internal longitudinal cavity of the valve body such that the fluid flows over the plug's control surfaces in a direction substantially parallel to the control surfaces. The ceramic plug and other ceramic components may be manufactured using relatively simple machining techniques to reduce the overall production costs.