Gate valves are a great design because they take advantage of the natural properties of rubber to make a seal. When compressed, rubber washers do well at spreading out to make a good seal. However rubber does not have the integrity to work under constant compression and with sideway movement, as an o-ring in a modern faucet.
Gate valves are a great design, because they’re relatively simple, easy to manufacture, and tolerant to rough manufacturing and irregularities.
Once you’re able to cheaply mass produce synthetic rubbers with varying properties, metal parts with higher precision and greater complexity, the possibilities function much better
Gate valves are a great design because they take advantage of the natural properties of rubber to make a seal. When compressed, rubber washers do well at spreading out to make a good seal. However rubber does not have the integrity to work under constant compression and with sideway movement, as an o-ring in a modern faucet.
Gate valves are a great design, because they’re relatively simple, easy to manufacture, and tolerant to rough manufacturing and irregularities.
Once you’re able to cheaply mass produce synthetic rubbers with varying properties, metal parts with higher precision and greater complexity, the possibilities function much better