What is a Hydraulic Valve and Why Do You Need It?

A hydraulic valve properly directs the flow of a liquid medium, usually oil, through your hydraulic
system. The direction of the oil flow is determined by the position of a spool.A hydraulic system can
only function - as per requirements - by using valves. Thus,you should always look for the correct
type of hydraulic valve to serve your intended purpose.
Hydraulic valves are available in a variety of sizes. The size required is determined by the maximum
flow of the hydraulic system through the valve and the maximum pressure in the hydraulic
system. Hydraulic valves are available with different mountings: e.g. mounting in pipe lines,
threaded connection as cartridges, subplate mounting, etc.
How DTA Can Help You:
DTA has extensive expertise with hydraulic valves and carries a substantial inventory of valves in
different sizes and spool configurations. Depending on your requirements,DTA can supply highquality hydraulic valves, taking into account a wide variety of functional and hydraulic system
requirements.
Hydraulic valves are available from several major vendors; our preferred hydraulic valve suppliers
are Parker Hannifin and Denison Hydraulics. Additionally, we supply hydraulic valve parts and
accessories such as sub plates, seal kits, O-rings, solenoids and hydraulic valve control electronics.
Different Types of Hydraulic Valves
Hydraulic valves are sometimes referred to as hydraulic components. These are subdivided into
three main categories: directional control valves, pressure control valves and flow control
valves. We have added proportional and servo control hydraulic valves as a separate category
below:
Directional control valves:
Check valves
Directional spool valves
Directional poppet valves
Pressure control valves:
Control task: variable throttle valves
Switching task: fixed throttle valves
Flow control valves:
Throttle valves: flow p dependent
Control valves: flow p independent
Electro-hydraulic valves
Servo hydraulic valves
Proportional hydraulic valves

Different valves function in different ways. Check valves permit free flow in one direction and
block flow in the opposite direction. The directional control valve is used to pass on the pressure
medium (i.e. flow) in an orderly fashion to a particular direction. Pressure control valves switch
(or control) at a certain pressure; the switching pressure may be adjusted on the valve. Flow
control valves regulate the flow this is done by adjusting the size of the bores (orifices).
Note that proportional hydraulic valves and servo control valves may be used to perform a
directional control, pressure control or flow control function.
Directional control valves can control the start, stop and change in direction of flow of a pressure
medium (i.e. hydraulic oil). For this reason, they are also referred to as switching valves.
Directional control valves are available as spool valves, poppet valves or rotary slide valves.
Rotary slide valves, however, are no longer commonly used due to low operating pressure (up to
70 bar).
The performance of a directional control valve depends on the following:
Dynamic power limit (as a function of maximum flow and pressure) Static power limit (adhesive
force may be produced between the spool and housing due to standstill) Resistance to flow
(internal resistance, i.e. pressure drop) Leakage (spool valves only) Switching time (time between
the actuating force and the completion of the stroke of the control element)
The function of a directional control valve is determined by the number of working ports
(excluding control ports) and the number of spool positions. A directional control valve comprises
at least two spool (switching) positions and two working ports. The most common directional
control valve is a 4/3-way valve, which means the valve has four working ports and three spool
positions, in accordance with DIN ISO 1219.

Check Valves
A check valve is the simplest type of directional control valve used in hydraulic systems. Check
valves stop the flow of fluid in one direction and allow free flow in the opposite direction. They are
also known as non-return valves. Check valves may be used as:
Prefill valves (anti-cavitation)
Bypass valves (e.g. throttling points or return-line filters)
Stops for flowin one direction Pre-tensioning by creating a certain backpressure Protection of
hydraulic components against pressure surgesstion
Most check valves are spring-loaded and use a ball or plate to seal the flow in one direction. Check
valves are designed with seats and thus are able to isolate circuits with no leakage. Balls, plates,
poppets or poppets with soft seals are used as isolating elements.
There is a special type of check valve that prevents pistons or cylinder plungers from coming down
and causing accidents. This is called a line rupture valve. When the line ruptures, the flow through
the line rupture valve increases substantially, causing an increased pressure drop. This in turn
creates a stronger force on the ball, which will close immediately.
Other special types of check valves are pilot-operated check valves and shuttle valves.
A pilot-operated check valve allows flow in either direction by application of an external

pilot pressure signal. A shuttle valve permits free flow at the highest operating
pressure.

Directional Spool Valves

Directional spool valves comprise a moving spool situated in the valve housing. When an actuating
force moves the control spool, the annular channels in the housing are connected or separated.
Directional spool valves have several unique features, such as:
Low cost due to simple design
Low actuating force (due to good pressure compensation)
High switching power
Low losses (even though oil leakage flows continuously from the high pressure to the low pressure
side)
Wide variety of control functions
Directional spool valves may be direct-operated or pilot-operated. A direct-operated
spool valve is either electrically controlled with solenoids, mechanically (e.g. manually)
controlled with levers or rollers, or controlled with hydraulics or pneumatics. Whether a
directional spool valve is direct- or pilot-operated depends on the actuating force
needed to move the spool. Thus, this is dependent on the flow, i.e. nominal size of the
directional spool valve.
When valves are operated at higher hydraulic system operating pressures, leakage
losses around the spool and the housing should be taken into account, especially at
system pressures over 350 bar. The leakage loss is determined by the size of the gap
between the spool and the housing, the viscosity of the hydraulic fluid and the
hydraulic system pressure.
Typical parameters of spool valves are:
Nominal sizes: NG6 and NG10 (up to
NG120 for pilot-operated valves)
Maximum flow: up to 150 l/min (up to
7,000 l/min for pilot-operated valves)
Maximum pressure: up to 350 bar

Directional Poppet Valves

Directional poppet valves can operate at a maximum operating pressure of up to 1,000
bar. Directional poppet valves are directional control valves that are fitted into housing
bores with a threaded connection. This is why they are often referred to as hydraulic
cartridge valves. The moveable seating elements may consist of balls, poppets or
plates.
Key features of hydraulic cartridge valves:
Pressure Control Valves

No leakage
Long product life
High maximum and continuous
operating pressures due to zero
leakage losses
Very good sealing characteristics
without additional isolating elements
The design permits the valve to become
more tightly sealed when operating pressure increases. The maximum flow of
cartridge valves is limited compared to spool valves. Larger flows would require larger
cartridges to fit into housing bores; the threaded connection will not hold.
Typical parameters of poppet valves are:
Nominal size: NG6 and NG10, SAE,
and " - 2" BSP
Maximum flow: up to 60 l/min (up to
400 l/min for pilot-operated valves)
Maximum pressure: up to 1,000 bar
Back to top - Directional Control Valves

Every pressure control valve switches (or controls) at a predetermined pressure

setting. The switching pressure is generally a variable setting on the valve itself. A
change in position of the pressure control valve (i.e. open or closed) occurs either
gradually (by control) or suddenly (by switch). Pressure control valves can be
subdivided into control and switching task:
Control task (variable throttle)
Pressure relief valves
Pressure reducing valves
Pressure drop valves
Pressure difference valves
Pressure valves with additional
electric switch-off
Switching task (fixed throttle)
Pressure shut-off valves
Pressure sequence valves
Sequence valves are used to direct the flow to a secondary circuit. When the primary
hydraulic circuit reaches a preset pressure, flow is permitted to the secondary circuit.
Unloading valves are remotely-piloted pressure shut-off valves that direct flow to the
tank when the preset pressure in a particular location of the hydraulic circuit has been
reached.
The most common types of pressure control valves are the pressure relief valve and
the pressure reducing valve. Pressure relief valves control the system pressure by
relieving part, or all, of the flow to tank. Pressure reducing valves reduce the pressure
supplied to a sub-system of a hydraulic system.
Pressure control valves may be directly or pilot operated. Larger flows require larger
spools or poppets, which increases the area of the spring diameter: the spring force
increases proportionally. Pilot-operated pressure control valves require only a small
spring, are suitable for compact space requirements and have maximum flows of up to
650 l/min.
Back to top - Hydraulic Valves

Pressure Relief Valves

There are two pressure control valves: one
is a pressure relief valve, and the other is a
pressure reducing valve. Pressure relief
valves have higher flow capacities than
pressure reducing valves because
pressure relief valves have to be capable
of directing all flow to the tank.
Pressure relief valves are used in hydraulic systems to limit the system pressure to a
specific set level. If this set level is reached, the pressure relief valve responds and
feeds the excess flow from the system back to the tank.
Note: the pressure relief valve is a normally closed pressure control valve.
Back to top - Pressure Control Valves

Pressure Reducing Valves

In contrast to pressure relief valves, which
affect the level of input pressure (i.e. pump
pressure) fed into the hydraulic system,
pressure reducing valves are used to
influence the output pressure of the
hydraulic system to a subsystem (e.g.
actuator pressure).
Reducing the input pressure (primary pressure) or maintaining a particular output
pressure (secondary pressure) is achieved at a set value which is below the varying
pressure occurring in the main hydraulic circuit. It is thus possible to reduce the
pressure in one part of the circuit to a lower level than the system pressure.
Note: the pressure control valve is normally open.
Back to top - Pressure Control Valves

Flow Control Valves

Flow control valves manage the flow by decreasing or increasing the opening at the
throttling point. This helps to determine speed of movement for the actuators. The
simplest design for a flow control valve is a needle or longitudinal slot mounted in the
pipeline and connected to a screw that adjusts the opening at the throttling point.
These are called throttle valves and they are regularly used in combination with a
check valve, i.e. the throttle check valve for speed control in one direction of flow. A
disadvantage of throttle valves is that at varying loads a change in pressure drop will
change the flow; thus, the speed of the moving actuator will also be affected. Flow
control valves are divided into two types:
Throttle valves (flow depends on p)
Viscosity dependent
Viscosity independent
Flow control valves (independent of p)
2-way flow control valves
3-way flow control valves
The difference in pressure before and after the throttling point, i.e. the pressure drop
(p), determines the rate of flow through the throttle valve at a particular setting. If the
pressure drop over the throttling point remains the same, the flow of oil that passes the
throttling point remains the same as well. This allows operation at constant speeds,
regardless of the load.
Flow control valves are used to influence the speed of movement of actuators by
changing the opening for the flow (decreasing or increasing it) at the throttling point. In
fact, these are two flow control valves placed in series and built together. The throttling
point operates at a fixed setting, but the throttle opening before the throttling point
varies with pilot pressure of the load.
Note that flow dividers have a certain special standing: they divide an oncoming flow
into two or more flows. Usually it is used to distribute the flow of a single pump to two

or more sub-systems that have different operating pressures.

Back to top - Hydraulic Valves

Throttle Valves
Throttle valves come in piston and needle-valve structures, but we also know them as
turn plugs with axial or radial grooves. The smothering of grooves is more accurate but
provides more variability than those with piston structures. The needle throttle has one
disadvantage: a great deal of power is required to move the needle only a slight
amount.
The pressure difference (p) determines the amount of flow that passes the throttle. In
systems with varying loads (and therefore varying pressures), the flow passing the
throttle will always be different.
You can find non-adjustable (fixed) smothering in situations where it is needed to
gauge against excessive pressure surges. Also, one can find non-adjustable throttles
in control systems.
Back to top - Flow Control Valves

Flow Control Valves

A pressure-compensated flow control valve has a fixed throttling flow at all pressures.
The two-way pressure-compensated flow control valve is also called a series valve.
The pressure reducing valve and the smothering of this valve are placed in series with
each other. At a three-way pressure control valve, the pressure relief valve and the
throttle in this valve are parallel to each other.
The two-way and three-way pressure compensated flow control valves are quite
similar. The only difference is that in the latter type, the excess oil flow is not drained
through the pumps safety valve but through the flow control valve itself. The pump
pressure for a three-way pressure compensated flow control valve is always equal to
the pressure exerted by the actuator plus the spring pressure.
Note that using three-way flow control valves increases efficiency because the system

pressure will never be higher than as required for moving the load. With two-way flow
control valves, this is not the case because the pump keeps feeding the system with
oil until the preset pressure of the pump's safety - pressure relief - valve has been
reached.
Back to top - Flow Control Valves

Electro-hydraulic Valves

When your hydraulic application requires a very accurate control of the flow, hydraulic
valves may be equipped with advanced control electronics. This allows the use of
inductive path measuring devices that monitor the position of the spool continuously to
ensure optimum position of the spool.
Proportional hydraulic valves are able to control the opening to flow proportionally
instead of gradually, as is the case for most standard hydraulic valves. The simplest
type of proportional hydraulic valve is a variable throttle controlled by a manual lever,
as illustrated below:
Proportional and servo hydraulic valves are usually classified as high-performance
valves. This distinction gives an expected indication of performance, which tends to
generalise the true differences between various types of servo and proportional
hydraulic valves. Each type has its own unique performance characteristics either in
controlling pressure or controlling flow.
Servo hydraulic valves use closed-loop control to monitor and feed back the
main-stage spool position to a pilot stage (hydraulic/pneumatic) or driver (electronic).
Proportional hydraulic valves, on the other hand, move the main-stage spool in direct
proportion to an external piloted control signal and do not have any means of feedback
within the valve.
Back to top - Hydraulic Valves

Servo Valves

The main stage spool of a servo hydraulic valve is equipped with a path measuring
system for accurate adjustment. This system measures the exact position of the
main-stage spool and feeds its position directly to the electronic control unit. If sworn
position is not consistent, the control signal corrects the position of the main-stage
spool.
Servo hydraulic valves are widely used in aerospace and industrial applications.
Back to top - Electro-hydraulic Valves

Proportional Valves
The most common proportional hydraulic valves are directional control valves,
pressure relief valves, flow controllers and adjustable throttling. Proportional hydraulic
valves convert an incoming mechanical or electrical signal directly proportional to a
shear mode. The movement follows a continuously incoming signal. Different types of
available proportional hydraulic valves are:
Various directional control valves
Flow control valves
Pressure relief valves
Pressure reducing valves
Counter balance valves
Typical applications of proportional hydraulic valves include cranes and industrial
applications such as injection moulding.