Method of operation also distinguishes butterfly valves from each other. The two manual methods are handles and gear wheels. Automated actuation is also possible, depending on the model! Lever-operated butterfly valves use a quarter-turn lever, often with a locking mechanism, to turn the valve's stem, thus opening and closing it. This is the simplest form of BF valve operation, but it is impractical and difficult for larger valves.
gear wheel butterfly valveGear wheel operation is another common method for opening/closing butterfly valves! A hand-operated wheel rotates a gear, attached to the stem, to move the disc. This method is used for all different types of butterfly valves, both big and small. By using a mechanically intuitive method to turn the disc instead of just human strength, gear wheels make butterfly valve operation even easier.
The final method of butterfly valve operation, typically reserved for high demand industrial applications, is actuation. This is automated opening and closing, which is necessary with large butterfly valves. Actuators only fit on specially-made valves that meet certain mounting standards. That is a different blog post, so we won't attempt to cover those standards here.
