3D CFD TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF THE FORCES ACTING ON THE SPOOL OF A DIRECTIONAL VALVE

In this paper, a study of a hydraulic directional valve using a tridimensional fluid-dynamic approach will be shown. During the valve spool displacement, the fluid-dynamics inside the valve creates forces who could reduce the valve performance. The adopted methodology allowed the valve designer to study the complex fluid-dynamic behavior inside the valve and greatly help them to design the internal geometry with the objective of improving the valve performance. This paper shows how a tridimensional fluid-dynamic approach can help engineers to develop the best valve geometry reducing the prototyping requirement and finally the time-to-market and, consequently, the development cost. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.