Control Engineering Practice

Unified modelling and simulation of electro-hydraulic proportional control valve using

parameter estimation technique
--Manuscript Draft--

Manuscript Number: CONENGPRAC-D-20-00850

Article Type: Regular article

Keywords: Electro‒hydraulic control system; MATLAB; Proportional control valve; Simulink;

Three‒point hitch

Abstract: Advances in non‒linear control theory have made it possible to develop controllers for
systems with non‒linear dynamics in their nature. Inexpensive proportional control
valves of the hydraulic control system are examples of such a system where there is
no linearity due to the geometry of the valves and the flaws in the spool. However, the
non‒linear study and control of these hydraulic systems cannot be carried out without
a proper valve model. This paper presents a methodology for creating an effective
unified model of electro‒hydraulic proportional control valve of three‒point hitch (TPH)
control system for agricultural tractors through parameter estimation technique.
Modeling and simulation of the proportional control valve were performed using the
MATLAB Simulink software. Parameter estimation methodology was used to optimize
the effective orifice opening of the cross sectional area of lift and the low solenoid valve
to match the characteristics available in the manufacturer's technical data sheet for the
proportional control valve model parameters. Such unified Simulink models are useful
for simulation, practical capability testing and non‒linear control design. Modeling and
simulation of electro‒hydraulic hitch (EHH) control valve and correlation of simulation
results with experimental test results were carried out. All valves were tested in the
laboratory for their TPH functionality. The simulation results were correlated with the
test results of the prototype to validate the model. The simulation results of the TPH
lifting and lowering time difference with the prototype test were found to vary from 4 to
12.5%, respectively. This type of parameterized valve models facilitate their
implementation in dynamic simulation models of complex hydraulic systems.

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Graphical Abstract (for review)

Graphical Abstract

MATLAB/Simulink Modelling and

Simulation
Three-point Hitch system

Parameter estimation

Electro-hydraulic
hitch control valve

Comparison of simulation
proto-type test results with test
Laboratory Model
Development
Highlights (for review)

Highlights

 Research on flow characteristics of proportional flow control valve.

 Modelling, simulation in MATLAB/Simulink using parameter estimation technique.
 Unified model of proportional control valve has been developed.
 The simulation results of electro-hydraulic hitch control have been validated with actual
test results.
 Unified model creates new interest and helps in non‒linear control design and
optimization.
Manuscript

1 Unified modelling and simulation of electro-hydraulic proportional control valve using

2 parameter estimation technique

3 Sanjeev Kumar*, V. K. Tewari, Chandan Kumar Bharti and Abhishek Ranjan

4 Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur,

5 Kharagpur 721 302, West Bengal, India

10

11

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15

16

17 *Corresponding Author:

18 Sanjeev Kumar

19 Agricultural and Food Engineering Department,

20 Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur,

21 Kharagpur 721302, West Bengal, India.

22 Mobile: +91–8101886946.

23 E-mail: sanjeeviitkgp11@gmail.com

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24 Abstract

25 Advances in non‒linear control theory have made it possible to develop controllers for systems

26 with non‒linear dynamics in their nature. Inexpensive proportional control valves of the

27 hydraulic control system are examples of such a system where there is no linearity due to the

28 geometry of the valves and the flaws in the spool. However, the non‒linear study and control of

29 these hydraulic systems cannot be carried out without a proper valve model. This paper presents

30 a methodology for creating an effective unified model of electro‒hydraulic proportional control

31 valve of three‒point hitch (TPH) control system for agricultural tractors through parameter

32 estimation technique. Modeling and simulation of the proportional control valve were performed

33 using the MATLAB Simulink software. Parameter estimation methodology was used to optimize

34 the effective orifice opening of the cross sectional area of lift and the low solenoid valve to

35 match the characteristics available in the manufacturer's technical data sheet for the proportional

36 control valve model parameters. Such unified Simulink models are useful for simulation,

37 practical capability testing and non‒linear control design. Modeling and simulation of

38 electro‒hydraulic hitch (EHH) control valve and correlation of simulation results with

39 experimental test results were carried out. All valves were tested in the laboratory for their TPH

40 functionality. The simulation results were correlated with the test results of the prototype to

41 validate the model. The simulation results of the TPH lifting and lowering time difference with

42 the prototype test were found to vary from 4 to 12.5%, respectively. This type of parameterized

43 valve models facilitate their implementation in dynamic simulation models of complex hydraulic

44 systems.

45 Keywords: Electro‒hydraulic control system; MATLAB; Proportional control valve; Simulink;

46 Three‒point hitch

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47 1. Introduction

48 Hydraulic system is one of the most important power sources ever designed by mankind, which

49 converts mechanical energy into fluid energy. Hydraulic systems are commonly used in

50 high‒performance applications requiring fast response and high power (Ding et al., 2017).

51 Hydraulic cylinders are used to provide the motion to the load attached with hydraulic system.

52 Control valve attached with hydraulic system meters the fluid into the cylinder as spool traverses

53 within the valve body. It is regulated to provide force, speed and control of direction with the

54 arrangement of control valves (Merritt 1967).

55 The power to weight ratio is higher in hydraulic systems (Pinches and Ashby 1988).

56 Due to the characteristics of high power density and large output force, hydraulic system is

57 widely used in various kinds of heavy industries, automobiles, farm tractors etc. (Minav et

58 al.¸2013; Ding et al., 2019).Tractor is one of the most useful machines, which is used in

59 agricultural transportation, farming operations and as primary power options for agricultural and

60 non–agricultural machineries. The field tillage operation is accomplished with the help of three–

61 point hitch (TPH) system of agricultural tractor and therefore this system is main part of

62 agricultural tractors to attach or detached the implements. TPH system is operated by remote

63 hydraulic system, which uses fluid power. In India, most of the farm tractors used are in the

64 range from 23 to 37 kW (Mehta et al., 2014; Kumar et al., 2018; Kumar et al., 2019), which

65 contains mechanical–hydraulic hitch control system. The mechanical–hydraulic hitch control

66 system used for three–point hitch control system is basically an on–off type directional control

67 valve (Bhandave et al., 2018). However, these mechanical–hydraulic control valves used in

68 tractors do not offer precise control for the implement as per operators or field requirement

69 (Hesse and Schrader, 1984; Pranav et al., 2012). Out of increasing demand of performance

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70 and accuracy of TPH system, high performance control strategies are required to improve the

71 operation of TPH (Morselli and Ferracin 2006). For this, there is a need to properly model and

72 simulate the hydraulic control valve for the tractor to employ the EHH system. So, there is an

73 urgent need to use a cost effective hydraulic unit, which can precisely work as per the

74 requirement and inputs given by the operator (Hesse 2001). The electronically controlled

75 proportional valve may be one of the precise solutions.

76 Proportional flow control valve is commonly constructed as a single module made up of

77 mechanical part and electronic controller (Walter 1991). Mechanical part of the control valve

78 consists of a spool, and the spool displacement is proportional to the input current of the

79 electronic controller (Amirante et al., 2007). The flow characteristics of the hydraulic system

80 depend on the configuration of the control valve and the geometry of the spool (Ye et al., 2014;

81 Borghi et al., 2005). Liswoski and Filo (2016, 2017) formulated a mathematical model for

82 valve orifice opening and analysed their flow discharge results with MATLAB/Simulink.

83 Eryilmaz and Wilson (2006) and Acuña‒Bravo (2017) reported unified mathematical model

84 for proportional valve that relates the flow rate through the valve orifice ports opening. Mishra

85 and Chandel (2018) performed modelling and simulation of directional control valve with

86 MATLAB/Simulink. They modeled the power stage and valve actuator from technical

87 information of manufacturer and analyzed the theoretical flow characteristics of valve. In tractor

88 and heavy duty vehicles, the proportional valve is also adopted as power shuttle transmission

89 system for clutch actuation. The modeling and simulation technique of power shuttle system for

90 power transmission has also been presented (Raikwar et al., 2015; Meng et al., 2015). The

91 mathematical model of two stage pressure relief valves with proportional solenoid control was

92 studied theoretically within the MATLAB/Simulink environment and compared experimentally,

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 93 which resulted in a good comparison between simulation and measurement (Maiti et al., 2001).

94 The behavior of hydraulic system includes nonlinearities in static and dynamic component and

95 sometimes shows undesirable behavior. Therefore, it is important to have knowledge of dynamic

96 behavior of control valves for different working conditions because it affects the performance of

97 the system.

98 Generally, the valve manufacturer provides limited information about the products, which

99 may not be sufficient to get complete knowledge of the product behavior. Creating a precise

100 model of a directional control valve requires interpreting data sheets provided by valve

101 manufacturers. Creating a model that captures the suitable dynamics and simulates quickly can

102 also be challenging, for these are often contradictory requirements. A distribution based quick

103 and effective estimation methodology for parameters identification of a DC motor modelling was

104 adopted by various researchers (Usman et al., 2019; Ortega et al., 2018 and 2015). Therefore, it

105 is highly required to carry out modelling, simulation and parameter estimation of an existing

106 electro–hydraulic control valves for precise application in tractor systems (Tchkalov and Miller

107 2014).

108 This present study is aimed to explain the process for creating efficient unified

109 electro‒hydraulic proportional control valve model that captures the relevant dynamics using

110 MATLAB/Simulink and match with the flow characteristics described in manufacturer technical

111 data sheet. The simulation results of model proportional control valve were also validated and

112 compared with experimentally measured results.

113 2. Description of electro–hydraulic three-point hitch (EHH) control valve

114 2.1. Three–point hitch system

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115 Three–point hitch linkage system for farm tractors is a fundamental device for the agricultural

116 works. The primary benefit of three point hitch system is to transfer weight and resistance of an

117 implement to the drive wheels of a tractor. A tractor TPH system shown in Figure‒1 (A) is an

118 articulated structure, which supports different agricultural implements for field operation.

119 Figure‒1 was drawn in SolidWorks software version 2015. A weighing box is attached with

120 suitable linkage arrangement as shown in Figure‒1 (B) and hydraulic power is used to lift and

121 lower the implement. The TPH link has an attachment and detachment arrangement for

122 agricultural implements. Basically the movement of implement depends on the extension and re–

123 traction of piston of hydraulic cylinder which is attached with linkage arrangement of TPH. The

124 piston extends and contracts because of pressurized oil flow in and out of the ram cylinder. The

125 flow direction of pressurized oil is control by directional control valve.

126 2.1.1. Forces acting on three point linkage system of tractor

127 Following assumptions were made to analyze the forces acting on three-point linkages: (1) Both

128 lower links are at same height in side view, and (2) Mast of implement remains vertical. At any

129 moment of operation, weight on the lower links will be in equilibrium with force exerted by oil

130 on the piston to lift cylinder (Figure‒2). Figure‒2 show the free body diagram of linkages of

131 three–point hitch system. The dimension of different component of three point hitch is shown in

132 Table‒1.

133 Case‒1: When lower links of three–point hitch are below the horizontal line

134 Figure‒2 (A) shows that lower links of three–point hitch system were below the horizontal line.

135 Taking moment about point C,

136 Fcr  coscos β  γ  α  90  L2  Flr  coscos  ω  γ   L3 …(1)

137 Now taking moment about point F,

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138 Flr  coscos  ω  ε   L6  W  coscos  ε    L5  L6  …(2)

139 Substituting the value of Flr from Equation (1)

W  L3   L5  L6   cos cos  cos cos  ω  γ 

140 Fcr 
L6  L 2  cos cos  ω  ε   cos cos  β  γ  α  90 

141 Case‒2: When lower links of three–point hitch are above the horizontal line

142 Figure‒2 (B) shows that line diagram of lower links of three point hitch are above the horizontal

143 plane. Taking moment about point C,

144 Fcr  cos cos  90  β  γ  α    L2  Flr  cos cos  ω  γ   L3 …(3)

145 Now, Moment about F,

146 W  coscos  ε    L5  L6   Flr  coscos  ω  ε  L6 …(4)

147 Substituting the value of Flr from Equation (3)

W  L3   L5  L6   cos cos ε  cos cos  ω  γ 

148 Fcr 
L6  L2  cos cos α cos cos α  cos cos  ω  ε   cos cos 90  β  γ  α  

149 Where,

150 W = Weight of implement.

151 Flr = Force applied by lift rod to lower link.

152 Fcr = Force applied by piston connecting rod.

153 L1 = Length of Piston rod (AB).

154 L2 = Length of Rocker arm (BC).

155 L3= Length of Lift arm (CD).

156 L4 = Length of lift rod (DE).

157 L5 = Length from E to LLHP (Lower link hitch point) (EG).

158 L6 = Length from LLP (Lower link Point) to E (EF).

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159 α = Angle of connecting rod from horizontal plane.

160 β = Angle between Rocker arm and Lift arm.

161 γ = Angle of Lift arm from horizontal plane.

162 ω = Angle of Lift rod from vertical plane.

163 ε = Angle of Lower link from horizontal plane.

164 2.2. Hydraulic system

165 The tractor TPH system is operated with the help of hydraulic power. Flow and direction of flow

166 of hydraulic power is controlled by the help of control valve. Schematic diagram of control valve

167 is shown in Figure‒3. The hydraulic pump conveys pressurized oil flow to hitch/ram cylinder

168 through hitch control valve, which controls the forward and reverse motion of cylinder piston.

169 These valves have an effect on the lower links so that link attachments can be lifted, held or

170 lowered. The lifting and lowering of TPH links are adjusted via EHH control valve, which uses

171 two proportional solenoids (lift solenoid valve and low solenoid valve). EHH control valve is a

172 valve assembly, which consists of pressure compensator (PC) valve; lift solenoid valve, low

173 solenoid valve and a check valve (please refer to the data sheet of Hitch control valves

174 EHR5‒OC, EHR5‒LS, EHR23‒EM2. RE 66125/07.2013, Bosch Rexroth AG). The function

175 of the PC valve in EHH control valve is to control the flow rate through the lift solenoid valve by

176 minimizing the effect of pressure drop across the valve under both steady–state and dynamic

177 operating conditions. When lift solenoid valve is not actuated, entire pump flow is diverted to

178 tank through the PC valve.

179 Lift solenoid valve is a 3–way 2–position proportion flow control valve, which supplies

180 oil to ram cylinder to lift the TPH links and flow rate of oil is proportional to solenoid current. It

181 is pressure compensated type flow control valve. Pressure drop across lift solenoid valve is

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182 compensated by a 2–way 2–position proportional pilot operated pressure compensator valve (PC

183 valve). Theoretical saturation flow rate of lift solenoid valve at maximum orifice opening is 40

184 litre per minute (lpm). On the other hand, low solenoid valve is a 2–way 2–position proportional

185 flow control valve. It is non–compensated type of flow control valve. It is used for lowering of

186 the TPH links by draining the oil from ram cylinder to tank when actuated. During lifting and

187 hold position (i.e. when the valve is not actuated) there is no oil leakage through lowering

188 solenoid valve. A check valve mechanism is provided, when valve is not actuated during lifting

189 and hold position it prevents oil leakage through lowering solenoid valve. Theoretical saturation

190 flow rate of lowering solenoid valve at 15 bar pressure difference is about 60 lpm. Check valve

191 allows oil to flow only in one direction. During lifting of lower links, check valve opens and

192 allows oil to flow to ram cylinder. During lowering and hold position of TPH links, the valve

193 remains close. In addition, the check valve is also an anti–socking element, which attenuates the

194 socks coming on system due to jerking and vibration in the TPH links.

195 The pressurized oil flows through the valve orifice to the hydraulic cylinder. The lifting

196 and lowering flow rates of control valve can be modeled by steady state orifice equations (5)

197 and (6). The valve was modeled for parameter estimation and optimized for performance. The

198 effective opening area was found to be nonlinear and asymmetric with the spool displacement,

199 where Av,in(x) ≥ 0 and Av,out(x) ≥ 0 are the effective valve opening area for lift–flow and lower-

200 flow direction, respectively, depending on the spool position x (e.g. Av,in(x) from Plift to Pc and

201 Av,out(x) from Plower to Pout when x>0 and vice versa). The cylinder of the EHH was actuated by

202 its own directional valve as shown in Figure‒3, where, with the positive spool position x>0, the

203 pump supply pressure Plift is connected to the side C of the cylinder, with the lift–flow rate to the

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204 cylinder side and the lowering–flow rate from the cylinder–side C to tank side Pout, respectively,

205 denoted by Qlift and Qlower.

2
206 Qlift  Cd A v,in (x) Ps  Pc …(5)
ρ

2
207 Qlower  Cd A v,out (x) Pc  Pout …(6)
ρ

208 Where,

209 Qlift = Lift flow rate

210 Qlower = Lower flow rate

211 Cd = co-efficient of discharge

212 Av,in = effective opening area

213 Av,out = effective opening area

214 x = spool displacement

215 Ps = pump supply pressure

216 Pc = Cylinder pressure

217 Pout = out pressure or atmospheric pressure

218 3. Materials and Methods

219 3.1. Modelling and parameterization of lift and low solenoid valves of EHH valve

220 The EHH control valves for analysis and testing of lift and low solenoid valves were modeled

221 (Figure‒4), parameterized and simulated in MATLAB Simulink environment (MATLAB

222 2015a). Both (lift and low) control valves were modeled as control devices and power stage

223 devices. In control device the position of valve spool was set and, in power stage flow of

224 hydraulic fluid was controlled. Valve spool displacement and fluid flow rate was used for

225 determination of valve effective orifice area. The effective orifice area parameters were

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226 estimated based on a single–input single–output Simulink model from manufacturer input and

227 output data.

228 The manufacturer reference data of Simulink block diagram consist of a lookup table

229 (current as input value and flow rate as output value). Valve orifice area was specified as a

230 function of spool displacement, and relationship between input current and valve displacement is

231 defined in the lookup table. The valve effective orifice area values were determined using

232 parameter estimation technique in which required flow rate of directional valve was compared

233 with simulation results, and effective orifice area values were adjusted to minimize the difference

234 with sum of square error technique. Simulation parameters used for parameterization of lift and

235 low control valve have been shown in Table‒2. The input signal (current) was provided with

236 signal builder block and flow rate was measured with the help of hydraulic flow rate sensor

237 block. SAE–30 was used as the hydraulic oil in all simulations. The building block diagam of

238 test rig developed for lift and low solenoid valve has been shown in Figure‒4 (A) and Figure‒4

239 (B), respectively.

240 3.2. Unified modelling of EHH control valve

241 Data flow diagram for modelling of EHH control valve is shown in Figure‒5, which provides

242 basic understanding of modelling of EHH control valve in MATLAB. Input and output

243 parameters for testing of EHH control valve are presented in Table‒3. Figure‒6 shows

244 MATLAB model of unified EHH control valve. First, pump system was modeled based on its

245 known parameters like displacement and angular velocity. Lift solenoid valve with pressure

246 compensator was modeled based on the estimated flow characterstics of modelled lift solenoid

247 valve and pressure drop due to PC valve. A lookup table (current as input value and spool

248 displacement as output value) of solenoid current-spool displacement was used to actuate the lift

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249 solenoid valve for different current input. Low solenoid valve was also modelled similarly as in

250 the case of lift solenoid valve, based on the estimated flow characterstics of low solenoid valve at

251 15 bar pressure difference. In this case as well, the lookup table (current as input value and spool

252 displacement as output values) of solenoid current-spool displacement was used to actuate the

253 low solenoid valve for different current input. A single acting hydraulic cylinder was used as ram

254 cylinder, its parameters like stroke length, bore area were measured and substituted in the model.

255 Ram cylinder was connected to hitch subsystem. Hitch susbsytem as shown in model contains a

256 suitable arragement which provides the force at piston ends when load is attached with the lower

257 links. A pressure relief valve (DRV‒H06C315, Prism Hydraulics Pvt Ltd, Belgaum) was

258 connected in parallel to pump in order to prevent the system from excessive pressure. Different

259 sensors were connected to quantify the required output from the model. Parameters used for

260 unified hydraulic model are shown in Table‒4.

261 3.3. Details of experimental setup for testing of the EHH control valve

262 Performance evaluation of the EHH control valve (EHR5‒OC, Bosch) was carried out in the

263 Farm power laboratory of Agriculture and Food Engineering Department at IIT Kharagpur, India

264 as shown in Figure‒7. A fixed speed three phase electric motor (Crompton Greaves Motor)

265 having speed of 1500 rpm was attached with a high flow positive displacement pump (OP‒120,

266 RD Hydraulic). Pump output was connected to the EHH control valve and the EHH control

267 valve output was diverted to ram cylinder through a flow meter (VES flow, VS 1 GPO). Two

268 pressure sensors (808722‒A Nagano) were connected between (1) pump and EHH control valve,

269 and (2) EHH control valve and ram cylinder. An angle sensor (R983055892, Bosch) was

270 connected to rock shaft to measure rocker arm angle with horizontal to determine the position of

271 piston and the lower links. The regulated power supply system (RPS) (RPS‒3005, Metravi) and

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272 electronic switch control system (Figure‒8) were used for fixing the value of current supply

273 through the lift and low solenoid and corresponding flow rate, pressure and position of the lower

274 links were measured with a data‒logger (MX840B, Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik GmbH

275 Im Tiefen See 45 64293 Darmstadt, Germany). A weight box was connected to the lower links

276 to test valve characterstics for different load conditions. Five different loads viz. 50, 100, 150,

277 200 and 250 kg were used to test the lifting and lowering time of the EHH control valve. Flow

278 characteristics and lifting and lowering time of lift and low solenoid valve were also observed.

279 The check valve was tested for its cracking pressure. The check valve was removed from the

280 EHH control valve module and its spring parameters and cracking pressure were measured. The

281 spring stiffness was measured with the help of universal testing machine (UTM) as shown in

282 Figure‒9. Using its parameters and spring stiffness, cracking pressure value of the check valve

283 was calculated. Cracking pressure of check valve was calculated using the following equation 7.

284 Cracking pressure  (Spring stiffness  Spring compression) / Cross sectional area of port …(7)

285 3.4. Procedure for EHH control valve testing

286 The procedure used for testing the different components of the EHH control valve is as follows:

287 1. To test the flow characteristics of the lift solenoid valve, current of 0A to 3.5A was applied to

288 the lift solenoid valve with a ramp of 0.1A and the flow rate was measured using a flow meter

289 connected at the output end of the EHH valve.

290 2. To test the flow characteristics of the low solenoid valve, current of 0A to 3.5A was applied to

291 the low solenoid valve with a ramp of 0.1A and the flow rate was measured using a flow meter

292 connected between low control valve and sump.

293 3. The pressure drop due to the PC valve was measured directly using pressure sensor connected

294 between pump and the EHH control valve with and without actuating the lift solenoid valve.

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295 4. Testing of check valve was carried out by measuring its cracking pressure.

296 5. Test for lifting and lowering time was carried out for different input current and different

297 loads.

298 4. Results and Discussion

299 4.1. Parameters estimation of lift and low solenoid valve

300 Valve orifice cross sectional area parameter values were determined using an optimization

301 procedure in which the required characteristic for the flow rate was compared to the simulation

302 results, and parameter values were adjusted to minimize the difference. The optimization of 16

303 orifice area values of lift solenoid valve and 21 orifice area values for low solenoid valve were

304 taken into consideration. Figure‒4 of Simulink model was used for parameterization of lift and

305 low solenoid valve. Initial simulation results were generated with measured manufacturer

306 parameters and assumed parameters. The parameters, which are mainly responsible for this

307 difference between test and simulation results were identified and optimized. The service port

308 orifice cross sectional area was parameterized and optimized for input current and matched with

309 the manufacturer fow rate. MATLAB parameter estimation tool was used to optimize the valve

310 orifice opening area parameters. Sum of squared error was selected as cost function for

311 optimization of valve service port orfice cross sectional area. The simulation results showed high

312 initial overshoot and flow rate values, different from the manufacturer results. Estimated service

313 port orifice cross sectional area and simulation and manufacturer flow rate test results were

314 ploted in MATLAB for lift (Figure‒10 (A)) and low (Figure‒10 (B)) solenoid valves. The value

315 of estimated service port cross sectional area observed for both the lift and low solenoid valves to

316 match the manufacturer flow rate were found to be varing from 0 to 51.411 mm2 as per increase

317 in current from 0 to 3.5A.

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318 4.2. Test results of EHH control valve

319 The flow characteristics of the lift valve and the low solenoid valve were determined with the

320 test setup shown in Figure‒7 and the test protocol as described in section 3.4.

321 4.2.1. Flow characteristics of lift solenoid valve

322 Flow characteristics of the lift solenoid valve were measured with the test setup. Figure‒11 (A)

323 shows manufacturer (manual), simulation and measured test flow rate characteristics of lift

324 solenoid valve. Threshold current of the lift solenoid valve was found to be 1.1A, and after this

325 current value the flow rate started to increase proportionally with input current. A saturation flow

326 rate of 37 lpm was observed at a solenoid current value of 3.2A. After attaining saturation, flow

327 rate did not change with increase in the input current because the valve orifice area was fully

328 opened.

329 4.2.2. Flow characteristics of low solenoid valve

330 Flow characteristics of the low solenoid valve was measured for lowering solenoid valve and the

331 manufacturer (manual), simulation and measured flow rate test results are shown in Figure‒11

332 (B). In this case, a dead band was observed until the current value reached to1.25A. It means, no

333 flow of hydraulic occurred from 0A to 1.25A. Flow rate started to increase proportionally with

334 input current from 1.25A until the saturation current value of 3.1A was attained. The flow rate at

335 saturation point was noted to be 57 lpm, which did not increase further with increase in current

336 as the valve was fully opened. The result of valve testing is shown in Table‒5, which comprises

337 all the current and flow rate data of the lift and low solenoid valves.

338 4.2.3. Performance of pressure compensator and check valve

339 Pressure compensator maintains constant pressure drop across lifting solenoid valve. The

340 pressure drop across the lifting valve was measured by pressure sensor when lifting valve was

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341 not actuated and after actuation. From the test a 4 bar pressure was noted to be developed across

342 the pump and the lift valve. This pressure drop across the lift valve was useful for achieving the

343 constant flow rate through lift valve irrespective of cylinder pressure. Check valve was tested for

344 its cracking pressure. The cracking pressure of check valve was tested with universal testing

345 machine for measurement of spring parameter. The spring stiffness parameter of check valve was

346 measured and cracking pressure was found to be 2.5 bar. This pressure was responsible for

347 holding the piston retraction irrespective of the force applied on the hydraulic cylinder due to the

348 weight of the agricultural implements.

349 4.3. Comparison of test and simulation results

350 The lifting test was carried out for all five loads viz. 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 kg at different

351 input current values of 1.2, 1.5, 1.8, 2.1 and 2.4A. The lifting time was found to be the same for

352 all the normal loads applied on the weighing bucket attached with the TPH system. It was

353 possibly because of high system pressure; which implies that, lifting time does not depend on the

354 load applied on the TPH, rather it depends on lifting flow rate. Simulation results were also

355 compared with the test results for the time of travel of the TPH links during lifting and lowering.

356 Figure‒12 (A) shows comparative performance of the test and the simulation results for time of

357 travel of the TPH links during lifting for different current. Variation in lifting time for simulation

358 results were observed to vary from the test results by less than 4%.

359 Test for lowering was carried out for all five loads at different input current value of 1.5,

360 2, 2.5, 3 and 3.3A. The observed results revealed that as load on the TPH linkages increased, the

361 lowering time also varied. For instance at higher load lowering time was found to be lower

362 compared to lower load. The lowering time of load applied on the weighing box was observed to

363 be dependent on the lowering flow rate or applied current value through the control valve.

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364 Figure‒12 (B) shows comparative performance of the test and the simulation results for time of

365 travel of lower links during lowering. Variations in lowering time for the simulation results were

366 noted to be less than 12.5% from the test results. Moreover the variations in lowering time were

367 found to be more than lifting time, because the lowering time depends on cylinder pressure,

368 which varies with the applied load on the TPH hitch system in case of single acting hydraulic

369 cylinder.

370 5. Conclusions

371 We have developed a unified model of proportional control valve through parameter estimation

372 and analyzed the flow characteristics of control valve using Simulink flow diagram. In this work,

373 modelling and design of a MATLAB/Simulink block diagram were developed and implemented

374 to simulate the EHH proportional control valve and the test results were compared with the real

375 time data under laboratory conditions. The MATLAB/Simulink was found to be an effective tool

376 to simulate dynamic models and the results obtained in this study were found to be in good

377 correlation (less than 12.5%) with the manufacturer data sheet, Simulink model and actual test

378 results. Therefore, it can be concluded that, parameter estimation technique can provide a quick

379 and efficient method to model a directional control valve in Simulink environment to capture all

380 the relevant dynamics of actual valve. The re-parameterized valve is now acceptable for precise

381 application in farm tractors for lowering and lifting of three-point hitch linkages and can be used

382 for designing of non-linear controllers in related agricultural applications.

383 Acknowledgement

384 Sanjeev Kumar is indebted to MHRD, Govt. of India for research fellowship to carry out this

385 research.

386 Conflict of Interest

Page 17 of 21
387 Authors confirm that there is no conflict of interest.

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Page 21 of 21
Figure

List of Figures

Rocker shaft
Rocker arm
Lift arm

Top link

Piston

Lift rod

Weighing bucket

Lower link

(A) (B)

Figure‒1: Tractor three‒point hitch system. (A) Articulated structure of TPH system, and (B) TPH with weighing bucket.
 C

B γ
β
A
α D

γ
ɷ

ε
ɷ

E
G

ε W
(A)

C γ ɷ
ɷ-ε
β ε G
A
α
B E

F W
ε
(B)

Figure‒2: Line diagram of Hydraulic Lift, when lift arm (A) below the horizontal plane and
(B) above the horizontal plane
 Check Valve Cylinder

Low Solenoid Valve

Lift Solenoid Valve

Tank Pressure Relive Valve

Pressure
compensating
Valve
Pump
Tank
Tank
Filter

Tank

Figure‒3: Hydraulic circuit diagram for EHH control valve

(A)
 (B)

Figure‒4: Simulink model for parameterization of (A) low solenoid valve of EHH and (B) lift solenoid valve of EHH.
Figure‒5: Data flow diagram for modelling of EHH control valve
Figure‒6: Simulink model of electro hydraulic hitch control system
 Control valve Pressure sensors

Electric Motor Flow sensors Pump Angle sensor

Figure‒7: Laboratory setup used for EHH experimental test

 Regulated power supply system Data logger

Control valve switching system Computer

Figure‒8: Electronic system for data recording and power supply to control valve

Figure‒9: Universal Testing Machine (UTM) for measurement of spring stiffness

(A)
 (B)

Figure‒10: MATLAB window of parameter estimation of (A) lift solenoid valve and (B) low solenoid valve
 45
Manual flow rate (lpm)
40 Simulation flow rate (lpm)
Measured flow rate (lpm)
Flow rate (lpm) 35

30
Saturation flow rate ~ 37 lpm @ 3.2 A
25

20

15 Threshold current ~ 1.1 A

10

0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5

(A) Current (A)

60
Manual flow rate (lpm)
Simulation flow rate (lpm)
50 Measured flow rate (lpm)

40
Flow rate (lpm)

Saturation flow rate ~ 57 lpm @ 3.1 A

30

20 Threshold current ~1.25 A

10

0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5

(B) Current (A)

Figure‒11: Flow characteristics of (A) lift solenoid valve and (B) low solenoid valve
 30 40
Model Test Model 50kg Test 50kg
Model 100kg Test 100kg
35
25 Model 150kg Test 150kg
Model 200kg Test 200kg
30 Model 250kg Test 250kg
20
Time (Sec)

25

Time (Sec)
15 20

15
10

10
5
5

0 0
1.2 A 1.5 A 1.8 A 2.1 A 2.4 A 1.5 A 2A 2.5 A 3A 3.3 A
Current (A) Current (A)
(A) (B)

Figure‒12: Comparison between simulation and test results for time of travel of TPH links during (A) lifting and (B) lowering.
Table(s)

List of Tables

Table‒1: Dimension of different component of three‒point hitch system.

Particulars Dimension (cm)

Cylinder diameter 7.6

Stroke length 15.8

Rocker arm 11

Lift arm 27

Lift rod 51

Lower link 70
Table‒2: Simulation parameter of solenoid vale parameterization

A) Lift solenoid vale parameterization

Time (Sec) Current (A) Spool displacement (mm) Flow rate (lpm)

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

0.001 1.114 0.001 0.000

0.125 1.126 0.125 0.000

0.264 1.138 0.264 0.143

1.455 1.568 1.455 8.128

3.078 1.974 3.078 15.829

4.459 2.319 4.459 22.389

5.743 2.640 5.743 28.521

6.615 2.858 6.615 32.513

7.462 3.070 7.462 36.506

8.189 3.252 8.189 39.929

8.262 3.270 8.262 39.929

8.334 3.288 8.334 39.929

8.407 3.306 8.407 39.929

9.037 3.464 9.037 39.929

10.000 3.500 10.000 39.929

B) Low solenoid vale parameterization

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

0.004 0.242 0.004 0.000

0.045 0.969 0.045 0.000

0.073 0.999 0.073 0.000

0.161 1.017 0.161 0.321

0.264 1.042 0.264 0.642

0.428 1.072 0.428 0.963

0.724 1.138 0.724 1.176

1.677 1.502 1.677 2.674

1.846 1.544 1.846 2.888

1.968 1.574 1.968 3.422

2.646 1.744 2.646 9.840

3.808 2.035 3.808 20.535

4.753 2.271 4.753 29.198

5.940 2.567 5.940 40.214

7.757 3.022 7.757 57.005

7.829 3.040 7.829 57.754

7.950 3.070 7.950 58.289

8.144 3.119 8.144 58.717

8.895 3.306 8.895 58.717

10.000 3.500 10.000 58.717

Table‒3: Input and output parameter for MATLAB model of EHH control valve

Input parameter Si. No. Output parameter

Si. No.
Pump flow 1 Lifting flow rate
1
Lift solenoid current 2 Lowering flow rate
2
Low solenoid current 3 Lifing time
3
Load 4 Lowering time
4

Table‒4: Parameters for unified hydraulic control model

Value
Discription
54.5 lpm
Pump displacement
88%
Volumetric efficiency
1500
Angular velocity
Oil SAE30
Hydraulic oil
2.5 bar
Cracking pressure of check valve
4 bar
Pilot pressure
45.37 cm2
Piston area
154 bar
Relief valve pressure

Table‒5: Result summary of lifting and lowering valve

Parameters Lifting solenoid valve Lowering solenoid valve

Threshold current (A) 1.1 1.25

Saturation current (A) 3.2 3.1

Saturation flow rate (lpm) 37.27 56.74