Design and design investigations of a flow control spool valve

Flow and pressure, controlled by spool valve is indeed a very relevant and efficient option in the field of fluid power system. The demand of spool valve is increasing day by day for a high precision electrohydraulic control circuit. In the present study, a spool valve has been developed based on some standard assumptions. This valve is used in a variable displacement axial piston pump as a part of a pressure compensator component and its design is based on the static force balance. Analyzing the mathematical model, the outfit of the valve (i.e. spool diameter, sleeve diameter, size of the spring, etc.) has been designated to meet the dynamic performance at a high-pressure application. Stress, strain and deformation of the spool valve have been analyzed through the Finite Element Approach. One end of this spool valve is connected to the delivery line of the pump and the other end is connected to the reservoir, for which the valve experiences a huge differential pressure. Hence, high stress, strain and deformation might develop on the spool valve which leads to the failure of the valve resulting in the failure of whole hydraulic circuit. Based on the stress concentration and deformation, the appropriate material for the spool valve has been selected. The design optimization is also studied by altering the geometry of the spool rod.

Automated summary

Flow and pressure controlled by a spool valve are important and efficient in fluid power systems. The demand for spool valves is increasing for high precision electrohydraulic control circuits. In this study, a spool valve was developed based on standard assumptions and used in a variable displacement axial piston pump as part of a pressure compensator component. The design was based on static force balance and the valve's outfit was optimized using a mathematical model and finite element analysis to meet high-pressure application requirements.