Abstract
A ball valve low drip quick disconnect (QD) facilitates blind-mate fluid connections for applications such as liquid cooling in high-density hardware. The connector set includes two halves, each containing a ball valve actuated by an integrated gear mechanism. The mating process occurs in two stages: first, alignment pins guide the two halves together to form a fluid-tight seal with an O-ring while the valves remain closed. Second, continued linear motion of the connector halves causes the alignment pins to engage and drive the valve gears, rotating the ball valves to an open position for fluid flow. This mechanical design combines the high flow coefficient of a ball valve with the functionality of a blind-mate connector. The two-stage actuation also ensures low-spill operation by closing the valves before the seal is broken during disconnection.
Keywords: ball valve low drip quick disconnect, fluid interconnect, two-half connector set, alignment pin, gear drive, O-ring seal, liquid cooling, blind mate quick disconnect
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
N/A, "Blind-Mate, Low-Drip Ball Valve Quick Disconnect with Two-Stage Actuation", Technical Disclosure Commons, (September 02, 2026)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/11567