7 - Directionvalves

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Directional-Control Valves

Check Valves
A check valve basically consists of a
valve body with inlet and outlet ports and
a movable member which is biased by
spring pressure. The movable member
can be a flapper, or plunger, but most
often in hydraulic systems it is a ball or
poppet.
How a check valve works
Fluid flow passes through a check valve
in one direction only.
When system pressure at the check valve
inlet is high enough to overcome the
spring pressure biasing the poppet, the
poppet is pushed off its seat. Flow passes
through the valve. This is known as the
check valve's free flow direction.
• When fluid flow attempts to enter through
the outlet, the poppet is pushed on its
seat. Flow through the valve is blocked.
Check Valves
Check valves in a circuit
A check valve is a combination directional valve and pressure
valve. It allows flow in only one direction and in that sense is a
one-way directional valve.
A check valve is often used in hydraulic systems as a bypass
valve. It allows flow to get around components, like flow control
valves which would restrict flow in a reverse direction.
A check valve is also used
to isolate sections of a
system or a system
component, such as an
accumulator. The check
valve keeps an
accumulator from dumping
its flow over a relief valve
or through the pump.

The movable part in a


check valve is usually
biased by very light spring
pressure. When a heavier
spring is used, a check
valve can be used as a
pressure control valve.
(This is not commonly
done.)

Suspending a load
Hydraulic components that
have a spool construction
generally leak internally.
Leakage does become a problem, however, when a load attached
to a cylinder is required to be suspended indefinitely without drifting
down. In this application, a check valve is used.
A check valve is generally, a low leakage device. As a matter of
fact, check valves can be designed to be practically zero leakage
devices.

A check valve will keep a load suspended almost indefinitely. But


remember, a check valve is a one-way valve. When the time comes
for the load to descend, the valve's movable member must be
forced off its seat. This requires a special valve known as a pilot
operated check valve.
Pilot-Operated
Check Valve

A pilot operated check valve allows free flow in one direction. In the
opposite direction flow may pass when pilot pressure unseats the valve's
movable member.
A pilot operated check valve consists of a valve body with inlet and outlet
ports and a poppet biased by a spring, just as an ordinary check valve.
Directly opposite the check valve poppet is a plunger and plunger piston
which is biased by a light spring. Pilot pressure is sensed at the plunger
piston through the pilot port. The plunger spring chamber has a drain.
A pilot operated check valve
allows free flow from its inlet
port to its outlet port just as an
ordinary check valve.
Fluid flow attempting to pass
through the valve from outlet
to inlet port will force the
poppet on its seat. Flow
through the valve is blocked.
When enough pilot pressure is
sensed at the plunger piston,
the plunger is moved and
unseats the check valve
poppet. Flow can pass
through the valve from outlet
to inlet as long as sufficient
pilot pressure is acting on the
plunger piston.
Pilot-Operated Check Valves

Pilot-to-open valve – the


pilot signal is used to open
the valve.

Pilot-to-close valve – the


pilot signal is used to
close the valve.
Pilot operated check valves in a circuit
With a pilot operated check valve blocking
flow out of cylinder line B, the load will stay
suspended as long as the cylinder seals
remain effective. When it is time to lower the
load, system pressure is applied to the
cylinder piston through line A.
Pilot pressure to operate the check valve is
taken from this cylinder line. The check
valve will remain open as long as enough
pressure is available in line A.
To raise the load, fluid flow can easily pass
through the valve since .this is the valve's
free flow direction.
In some applications, it is required that a
load attached to a cylinder's piston rod be
locked in place. To fill this requirement, a
pilot operated check valve can be positioned
in each cylinder line. The pilot operated
check valves will block flow out of the
cylinder. The load will be locked as long as
the cylinder seals remain effective.
Pilot operated check valve

• Picture of a pilot operated check valve; at the right:


application of a pilot operated check valve on the
cylinder of the outrigger legs of a crane
A pilot operated check valve is used to keep a part of
the system free from internal leakage for example a
hydraulic cylinder or motor.
Pilot operated check valve
• A very good example is the application of the
pilot operated check valve on the cylinder of
the outrigger legs of a crane.
• The cylinder is connected to port B of the
check valve. When oil is supplied to port A the
oil can flow freely towards port B and to the
cylinder.
• When the leg has to be retracted oil is supplied
to the rod side of the cylinder. The pressure at
the rod side of the cylinder is used as pilot
pressure on port Z for opening the check valve.
• Now the oil can flow back from port B to port
A. The pressure at port Z needed to open the
check valve against the cylinder pressure
behind the main valve is about 1/3 to 1/10
(called the opening ratio) of the cylinder
pressure.
Shuttle valves
This device is basically two check valves with a single ball. There are two
inlet ports and a single outlet port. The ball is positioned by the relative
pressures at the two inlet ports. The higher pressure will cause the ball to
close off the opposite port. This allows flow from the higher pressure port
to pass through the valve and out the outlet port. .

Shuttle valves are commonly


found in emergency circuits
in aircraft hydraulic systems.
If pressure is lost in the
primary system so that the
emergency system must be
used, the pressure in the
emergency system shifts the
shuttle valve to close off the
primary system port
Two-Way Valves

 Two-way directional valves usually serve as shut off


valves, either allowing no flow or full flow, depending
upon the position of the valve. As the designation suggests,
these valves have two ports. Two-way valves can be termed
either normally open or normally closed. The term applied
to the valve indicates whether it allows flow (normally
open) or does not allow flow (normally closed) when it is in
the unactuated position.
Normally-Open Valve
A normally-closed, two-way valve
being used to start and stop a
hydraulic motor. The valve spool is
held in its closed position by the
spring. A push of the lever moves the
spool to a position that allows flow
from the P port to the A port, and
hence to the motor. The motor will
operate as long as the spool is held in
this position. As soon as the lever is
released, the spring will push the
spool back to its closed position.
This stops the flow to the motor.
Remember that valves are always
shown in their unactuated position, so
the drawing in Fig. a is the correct
way to draw the circuit. Fig. b is
drawn only to illustrate the functional
concept.
Three-Way Valves
Three-way valves have three connecting ports. The third port provides a return
flow path to the reservoir or tank. As with the two-way valves, they can be
normally open or normally closed.
A normally closed three-way valve. In the unactuated position, pressure port P
is separated from the tank and working ports (T and A, respectively) by the
spool land. While there is a flow path (A to T) there is no path for fluid from the
pressure line. The symbol for this position shows port P blocked and port A
connected to port T by the arrow.

Normally Open
Normally Closed
Application
A circuit using a three-way, two-position DCV to
control the operation of a single-acting, spring-
returned cylinder.
In the unactuated position, the spring holds the spool
in the position shown. This allows fluid flow from the
P port to the A port to cause the cylinder to extend.
When the valve is actuated, the spool shifts (to the left
in this drawing). This connects the A port to the T
(tank) port. The flow path allows the fluid from the
blind end of the cylinder to be pushed out of the
cylinder and back to the tank as the spring retracts the
cylinder. Releasing the handle allows the spring to
push the spool back to the unactuated position so that
the cylinder can extend again.

Circuit using a two-position, three-way DCV


Four-Way Valves
The transition from three-way to four-way valves involves adding another port
to the three with which we are already familiar. This allows both working and
return flow through the same valve position. Fig. 7.13 shows a cutaway drawing
of a four-way, two-position directional control valve and the graphic symbols
used to represent it.

Four-way Two-position
Directional-Control
Valve
Application
A typical application for this
valve. The spring pushes the
spool to its unactuated position, in
which P is connected to A, and B
is connected to T. In this position,
the pressure flow to the blind end
of the cylinder causes the piston
to extend. The fluid from the rod
end is exhausted through port B to
port T and back to the reservoir.

Fig. 7.14 Double-acting cylinder with a four-way, two-


position, lever-operated, spring-centered DCV
Our analysis of the circuit in Fig. 7.14 shows that this two-position valve
provides no ability to stop the cylinder in any intermediate position. We can stop
it only at the end positions. The only way to stop the cylinder in any other
position is to use a three-position valve that incorporates a center position that
blocks off the A and B ports. Fig. 7.15 shows one such valve. The center
position of this valve is termed "closed" because in that position, all four ports
are blocked and there is no flow through the valve. We would describe this as a
four-way, three-position, closed-center, lever-operated, spring-centered (note the
centering spring on each end) directional control valve.
The unactuated (or normal) position of the valve in Fig. 7.15 is the center
position. The centering springs always push the spool to the center position
when the lever is released. Thus, the valve symbol is drawn to show the fluid
lines connected to the center envelope. In the circuit shown in Fig. 7.16, shifting
the valve to the right allows flow from the P port to the A port to the blind end
of the cylinder. As the cylinder extends, fluid from the rod end passes through
the B port to the T port and back to the tank. Releasing the lever at any time
allows the springs to center the spool. The blocked ports stop all flow through
the valve. Consequently, the cylinder stops and is held in position
Application
An advantage of the closed-
center valve is its ability to be
used in a parallel circuit,
meaning one in which the flow
is (or can be) split between two
or more branches. Fig. 7.18
shows a parallel circuit with
three branches. With closed-
center valves, any one branch
can be operated without
actuating the other two valves.
Actually, more than one branch
can be operated at a time.
An application example is a
loader in which the bucket tilt,
lift, and swing can be operated
either individually or
simultaneously.
Directional control valve

• With a direction control valve you determine the


direction of the flow and therefore the direction of
operation of a hydraulic motor or cylinder. In the
animation we use a so called 4/3-direction control valve ;
the 4/3 comes from: 4 line connections and 3 positions.
Directional control valve

• The housing, commonly made of cast iron, with 4 line connections


contains a spool of steel. This spool, which is kept in the center of the
housing by two springs, can shift in the housing. In the drawn position,
the middle position, the P-port is closed so the pump flow has to flow to
the reservoir through the pressure relief valve. This generates a lot of
heat and should be avoided if possible. The A- and B-ports are closed as
well so in this case a cylinder will be hydraulically locked in its position.
By shifting the spool to the left the cylinder will make its outward
stroke. The oil flows from Port P to A to the cylinder and the oil from the
rod side of the cylinder flows via port B to T back to the reservoir.
Applications: DCV 4/3

• Control of a double-acting cylinder with a open-


or closed-center 4/3 DCV
• Notice the Relief valve in the circuit
DCV 4/3 Tandem Center

• Relief valves (1) – Check Valve (2)


• Return line (3) - Supply line (4)
Application (Tandem-center)

When a tandem center is used, as in Fig. 7.20, the actuator is still locked, but
now the pump flow passes through the valve and returns to tank at low
pressure. This allows the system pressure to be maintained at a relatively low
level (usually around 100 psi). The resulting energy savings can be significant.
One disadvantage of this type of center, though, is that there is a brief time
delay before pressure is available to the actuator when the valve is shifted.
A significant disadvantage of tandem
center valves is that they cannot be used
in parallel circuits. A quick analysis of
Fig. 7.21 will show why this is so. Let's
say that the spool of valve A is shifted to
direct fluid to the blind end of cylinder A
and open a flow path to the reservoir for
the exhaust flow from the rod end. Will
the cylinder move? Probably not,
especially if there is a load on the
cylinder. Why? Remember that the
maximum pressure depends on the
minimum resistance to flow. Since valve
B is still centered, there is a very low
resistance to flow because the pump flow
can return to the reservoir through the
tandem center of valve B. Therefore, the
entire circuit is at low pressure.
Tandem center valves can be used in series circuits, however;
that is, those in which all flow passes through all the valves
before it returns to tank. In the series circuit in Fig. 7.22 either
valve A or valve B can be actuated to operate its cylinder.
Open-center valve
An open-center valve such as the one shown in Figure 7.23 can also be used to
unload the pump when the system is idling; however, as the figure shows, the A
and B ports are connected to the tank port, as is the pressure port. Thus, while
the open center will unload the pump, it will not lock the cylinder in place. As a
result, if the cylinder is not horizontal, any load will very likely drive the
cylinder to its fully extended or fully retracted position
Float-center valve
This valve configuration is frequently termed motor center because it is
commonly used to control a hydraulic motor (Fig. 7.26). When the spool is
shifted to the left, the motor will rotate in one direction. Shifting the spool across
center to the opposite position will cause the motor to reverse and rotate in the
opposite direction. When the spool is centered, both of the motor ports are
connected to the tank line. This means that the motor will not be stopped, but
can "freewheel" and coast to a stop. This configuration results in much less
shock loading on the motor side of the valve than there would be with closed-
and tandem-center valves, but it provides no capability to stop and hold a load at
a precise point.
Regenerative-center
As shown in Fig. 7.28, this provides the regenerative part of the circuit by
connecting the pump pressure line and the return line from the rod end of the
cylinder and running both into the blind end of the cylinder. If we shift the spool
to the right, we get a P-A, B-T combination causing the cylinder to extend in the
normal manner providing lower speed, but higher force. To retract the cylinder,
we shift the spool to the left for the P-B, A-T combination. In order to achieve
regeneration with this valve, we have had to sacrifice the ability to stop (or at
least depressurize) the cylinder in mid-stroke.
An alternative circuit that allows us to use regeneration
while retaining the ability to stop and hold the load is
shown in Fig. 7.29.
With the valve in the center position, pressure is
applied to the annular piston face on the rod end, but,
because the A port is blocked by a spool land,
the fluid cannot be exhausted from the blind end.
Therefore, a hydraulic lock holds the cylinder in place.
Shifting the spool to the right completes the P-A
flow path and causes the cylinder to extend. Flow from
the rod end is forced into the pressure line and provides
the regenerative speed. To retract the cylinder, shift the
spool to the left. This connects the P-B and A-T flow
paths, but the B port is blocked externally. This P-B
flow path is not needed to retract the cylinder, however,
because flow is already going to the rod end from the
tee in the pressure line. The A-T flow path allows the
blind end fluid to be exhausted, so the cylinder will
retract.
We've talked about the ability of closed- and tandem-center valves to stop and
hold a load. While they will theoretically "hold" the load, in fact they are
unlikely to do so for any heavy load unless the cylinder is nearly horizontal. A
closed-center spool will hold as long as the pump is operating, but once the
pump is stopped, the load will probably creep downward. For the valve spool to
be moved within the bore of the valve body, there must be some radial
clearance, however small. Due to the load on the cylinder, there is a high
pressure in the blind end of the cylinder which, from Pascal's Law, will also
exist in the line all the way to port A. The tank port, however, is at low pressure.
The result is leakage from port A to port T and a subsequent lowering of the
load.
Any time there is a clearance and a pressure differential, there will be
leakage, and this leakage could represent a safety hazard. This is where the
pilot-operated check valve comes in. See Fig. 7.32, where it provides a
safety lock for a suspended load.
Deceleration Valve
A deceleration valve, shown in Fig.
7.33, is used to provide automatic speed
control for a cylinder.
The plunger-like spool in the valve is
shaped so that it changes the size of the
flow path through the valve as the spool
moves in the bore. Increasing the size of
the flow path increases the flow, while
decreasing the size reduces the flow.
The valve is positioned so that a cam
rides over the mechanical actuator which
is an extension of the spool. As the cam
pushes the spool into the valve, flow to
the cylinder is decreased, and the
cylinder slows. the follower can be
shaped to allow the cylinder speed to be
varied throughout its stroke.
Decelerating
Valve
A deceleration valve placed
to vary the extension speed of
the cylinder. As the cylinder
extends, the cam contacts the
valve stem and pushes it
down, restricting flow to the
blind end and slowing the
cylinder. The check valve
allows the cylinder to retract
at full speed, even though the
deceleration valve may be
partially, or even fully,
closed.
Valve Actuator Symbols
All of the top three symbols represent manual
actuators. The symbol to the left of these is the
generic symbol for a manual actuator. The pilot
actuators use either hydraulic or pneumatic
pressure to shift the valve spool. The spring
symbol and the detent symbol represent exactly
opposite actions. The spring returns the spool to
its unactuated position. The detent holds the
valve in position even when the actuator is
released. This is usually accomplished by using
a spring-loaded ball that drops into a notch on
the spool stem. The solenoid, proportional
solenoid, and servo actuator are all electrically
operated. For now, the primary thing to keep in
mind about these electrically operated actuators
is that they almost always push the valve spool
when they are actuated.
Pilot-Operated Valves
 Pilot-operated valves employ a pressure source to move the valve
mechanism in response to either a pressure buildup in some other portion
of the system or the shifting of a small valve that sends a pilot signal to a
larger valve. The pilot-operated check valve is an example of response to a
pressure buildup. The circuit with the pilot-operated valve shown in Figure
7.36 is a modification of the regenerative circuit shown in Fig. 7.29. The
use of the pilot-operated DCV provides automatic switching between the
normal and regenerative modes in response to changes in the pressure in
the line leading to the blind end of the cylinder. The spring holds the valve
in the regenerative position as long as the pilot pressure is low. When the
pilot pressure becomes high enough to move the spool against the spring
force, the spool shifts to the normal mode.
Pilot-Operated
Valves
Rotary Valve
Rotary Valve
Troubleshooting
Symptom Possible Causes
 

Cylinder or motor Lines between valve and cylinder or motor


operates in wrong connected incorrectly
direction

Load will not stay 1.      Wrong center configuration


in place when 2. Excessive leakage through DCV due to contaminant
valve centered wear
3.      Spool jammed open slightly by contamination
4.      Spool lands eroded by aerated fluid or cavitation
5.      Pilot-operated check valve leaking
6.      Cylinder piston seals leaking
7.      Pilot operated check stuck open
8.      Leaky piston packing
Actuating 1.      Valve spool not centering properly
cylinder creeps 2.      Valve spool not shifted completely
or drifts 3.      Valve spool body worn
4.      Leakage past piston in cylinder
5.      Valve seats leaking

Cannot shift 1. Spool jammed by solid particles


valve or 2. Spool jammed by residue from deteriorated fluid (due
incomplete shift to heat or chemical reactions)
3. Drain line blocked causing hydraulic lock
4. Worn or binding control linkage
5.     Insufficient pilot pressure
6. Burned-out or faulty solenoid
7. Defective centering spring
8. Improper spool adjustment
Check valve 1.      Seat or mechanism worn due to contamination
leaks 2.      Mechanism held off seat by particle
contamination

Fluid heats 1.      Leakage through or around worn or improperly


excessively positioned spool
2.      Check valve not properly seated

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