TA27-44E CONTROL VALVE Ac a street intersection, the directions of car traffic change according as the go-stop signals change. The go-stop signal is to the flows of cars what the control valve is to the flow of oil in the hydraulic system. The control valve is a direction control valve. It may be called a flow direction switching valve or even an oil-flow direction selector valve. How the direction of oil flow can be changed in the control valve? The answer is in the basic principle illustrated above. Note that there is only one oil inlet, whereas there are two oil outlets. With the spool in the right-hand position, the oil flows from the inlet into the right-side outlet port. Move the spool to the left-hand position, and this closes the right-side outlet port by one of the spool lands while the other land opens the left-side outlet port. The inlet ‘ort remains open, so that the oil now flows into the efeaide outlet pore. The change of direction is rom right to left in the control valve. Moving the spool to the original position changes the direction from left to right. Each arrow in the symbol may be thought of as if T it were an individual passageway. A symbol is static, cat and you have to move it in your mind to see how the control valve works.-2- To tank This control valve is slightly different from the one we've just seen. It gives you three directional choices. Its symbol has three boxes. How the internal oil passage in the control valve can be modibed wil be explained in thee seepat SPOOL IN THE MIDDLE POSITION The pressurized oil being delivered from the oil pump enters the inlet. The two outlet ports closed are indicated by inverted “T” marks in the symbol. The oil from the pump makes an “about-face” and goes back to the oil tank. Note that the oil in the two lines connected to the hydraulic cylinder is trapped to keep the piston immovable. This position of the spool corresponds to the HOLD position of the control valve. SPOOL MOVED TO THE RIGHT The oil flows into the expanding side of the hydraulic cylinder to do “work”. The ide outlet port, however, is open to the line connected to the contracting side of the cylinder, so that the oil in that side flows into this port and returns to the oil tank. SPOOL MOVED TO THE LEFT The left-side outlet port is now open to the pressurized oil while the right-side one becomes isolated from the pressurized oil but is opened to the line connected to the expanding side of che cylinder, thereby allowing the hydraulic cylinder to contract. < >This valve is functionally identical to the preceding one. The difference is that its spool has an internal oilway, whose inlet and outlet ports are so positioned as to meet the ports provided in the valve body. Because of the internal oilway of the spool, the valve construction is simpler. SPOOL IN THE MIDDLE POSITION T=- The pressurized oil delivered by the pump flows through the spool and returns to the tank, The lands of the spool isolate the ports leading to the two oil lines connected to the hydraulic cylinder. SPOOL MOVED TO THE LEFT The line from the pump is communicated to the line connected to the expanding side of the hydraulic cylinder, and the line connected to the contracting side becomes cleared in the control valve to let the oil flow back to the tank. SPOOL MOVED TO THE RIGHT — —— The, relative positions are reversed in the control valve. This time, the oil in the expanding side of the hydraulic cylinder returns to the oil tank, while the pressurized oil ic admitted into the contacting de to push the piston in-FUNCTION OF THE CHECK VALVE IN THE CONTROL VALVE You are supposed to have learned the construction and operation of the check valve. If you haven't, read the Training Aid TA27-41, which will furnish information ne- cessary for making the following discussion more meaningful to you. When you switch the direction of oil flow in the control valve, sliding the spool to one side, thereby opening one outlet port and closing the other one. The opening and closing actions are not simultaneous. Opening precedes closing. The top picture shows the spool in HOLD position. The second picture indicates the transition from HOLD to UP position. Note that the outlet port on the right is partially ‘open while the pressurized oil is still flowing Bick to the tank. The pressure is low under this condicion, so that the oil in the space under the piston flows back into the control valve, This is when you experience a momen- tary dip of the fork or blade The spool has completely shifted to UP position, with the flow of oil to the oil tank shut off, so that the pressurized oil forces its way into the raising (expanding) side of the hydraulic cylinder. To prevent the momentary dip during the transition from HOLD to UP, a check valve is installed within the control valve. The check valve prevents the reverse flow of oil from the hydraulic cylinder during the transition, If the pump should fail while the hydrau- lic eylinder is lifting a load, the check valve closes, so that the cylinder comes to standstill as if in HOLD condition. ‘The check valve is thus installed in.a path of oil in which the oil is expected to flow by forcing itself, The check valve opens only when the control valve is in UP position, and has nothing to do with oil flow in DOWN and HOLD positions, Its symbol suggests this function, There are two ways. of indicating the check valve in the symbol for the control valve. The two, shown on the right, mean the same thing a far as the check valve is concerned.Here is another control valve with che check valve. It is not different in control function from the one shown in page 4, The difference, however, is in construction. Note thatthe pressurized oil from the pump forces the check valve to open not only when the oil goes to the expanding (lifting) side of the hydraulic cylinder but also when it goes to the contracting (lowering) side. The symbol for this control valve has its check valve indicated as installed in the way illustrated above. ‘The lift cylinder in a forklift truck is of single-acting type. It moves for lifting action ty receiving the pressurized oil from the oil pome. Tes downward motion for lowering the load or fork depends on gravity. ‘The control valve for meeting this require ment is constructed as shown on the left. A distinct feature is that the check valve is built within the spool. Whether the hydraulic cylinder lifts or lowers the fork, the oil flows past the check valve from the oil pump (fr lifting) and from the cylinder (lowering). The position of the check valve is indicated in the control valve symbol just as the check valve is actually located in place This a typical control valve for dump cylinders. Two check valves are used. One is for dumping action and the other is for tilting action. Each check valve opens when the oil goes to and returns from the cylinder. The valve getting opened by the returning oil does not serve any functional purpose and is merely superfluous.FLOATING When lifting side and lowering side of a hydraulic cylinder are intercommunicated, the piston and piston rod is obedient to the external force including the gravitational pull The hydraulic cylinder is then said to be in “floating” condition, and the control valve position for placing the hydraulic cylinder in that condition is designated as FLOAT. In a bulldozer, moving the blade control valve into FLOAT position “floats” the blade on the ground surface. The blade then obeys the ups and downs of the ground surface, The blade is often used in this manner in finishing of a leveled ground surface Removing or re-mounting the blade is a big job. This job can be facilitated by placing the two life cylinders in “float” condition, so that the piston rods can be positioned by hand to align the pin holes at the connecting points. ‘The cross section, shown above, indicates the control valve spool in its FLOAT position. Each twoheaded arrow means that the oil can move back and forth there. In the control valve in this condition, the four places holding oil are intercommunicated. This condition is represented by the FLOAT part of the control valve symbol, which is the leftmost box. The intercommunication is signified by the mark resembling the letter “H”.I A yi The two cross sections, shown above, refer to the same control valve, and are taken at glanes prpendicolar o each other, The symbol, gen above, sands for this control valve. Note the two-headed arrows: you'll see that the oil in the two sides (lifting and lowering) can freely flow in and out, depending on the movement of the piston. In this and the preceding control valve, a pressure regulating valve is provided at the oil inlet. There is no need of installing the regulating valve within the control valve, but the indicated integral construction is the common practice because it results in a simpler overall construction. The anti-vacuum valve is attached direct to the control valve body for the same reason. You are advised to read the Training Aids on pressure regulating valves|(TA27-43] and 41). anti-vacuum valves|(TAHOW THE SPOOL IS ACTUATED In the control valve assembly shown on the right, the control lever is connected directly with the spool. This is one way of connection. The symbol for a direct- connected control lever is as shown. AU) Another way of connection is shown on the right. Here, levers and a link rod transmit the actuating motion of the control lever. Aux) A pedal may be used instead of the control lever indirectly connected with the spool. For such a pedal, a different symbol is used: Atl Where there is no need of showing the distinction between “hand” and “foot” in actuating the spool, the usual practice is to use this symbol cS s In some cases, a pneumatic servo-motor is used to actuate the spool. This is the symbol for the servo-motor: URSUTZI)HOW THE SPOOL POSITIONS ARE ACCENTED ‘The sliding motion of the spool is smooth and hiechless from one end to the other of the stroke. Where, then, that arresting action (which you feel on the control lever each time you move it) comes from? ‘The arresting fox locating) means. is pro- vided at one end of the spool. Its cross section is shown on che left. In one form of the arresting means, two plungers, spring-loaded, are carried by the spool end, and the sleeve enclosing this portion of the spool has as many annular grooves on its bore as there are control valve positions. In another form, an arresting ball, spring- loaded, is provided’ in the sleeve, while the annular grooves are cut on the spool end, as shown on the left. In either case, it requires a greater force to move the spool when the plungers or ball isin the groove. These arresting positions are so located as to correspond to the respective flow control positions of the spool. Whether the arresting grooves are on the spool or not, the symbol suggests the arresting positions in this manner: : ATX In still another form, a compression coil spring and two collars are provided on the spool end. You force the spool to its leftmost ot rightmost position against the spring. Re- leasing the control lever allows the spring to bring the spool to the middle position. The symbol for this spring-urged locating means is this: AMUISIX™ The locating means shown on the left is of spring-urged type with an arresting ball-and- groove (er dent) feature. The spool is always urged toward the HOLD position. Despite the force of the spring, the arresting ball keeps the spool locked in the FLOAT position. With the spool in FLOAT, you have to apply an extra force to the control lever to release the spool from that position, VvTwo or more hydraulic cylinders, identical in construction and performing the same function in unison, can and should be controlled from one and the same control valve. Two lift cylinders in a bulldozer or dozer-shovel are a good example of this. Where more than one kind of hydraulic cylinder are used, each kind must be controlled from its own control valve, regardless of the number of cylinders for one kind. The dozer-shovel has two lift cylinders and two dump cylinders, so it has two control WIAIX) TX) a There is only one-hydraulic pump in a machine in most cases. Connecting this pump to the two control valves, as shown above, is wrong, because, with one control valve in HOLD, the oil being delivered by the pump will all return to the oil tank through that valve, so that the other control valve becomes unable to move the cylinders it serves. How to connect the two control valves to the oil pump in such a way that the only being delivered by the pump will return to the oil tank when and only when the two valves are both in HOLD position — this is solved by the following arrangement: In a circuit diagram showing the two valves, however, you ean quickly see how the requirement is met. Tolowering sd Tonk Tolowerng ide B85 itt evtinder) Ay 4 Gitteyiney § 5 33 —_—, Mais, pee IT ee To ting side Gump cinder 4 From pum ‘To dump side (dump cylinderTANDEM CONNECTION Lit eytinder T ART TXTHF= ob —— o_o — T 7 i ise np With the dump control valve in HOLD position, the oil from the pump does not flow back from this valve to the oil tank but goes forward to the lift control valve, so that the life cylinders can be actuated. i— t= a A | AGL a Moving the dump control valve into another position than HOLD closes the line leading to the lift control valve. Hence the dump cylinders can be actuated. The dump control valve is now moved into TILT position for tilting the bucket backward. The oil from the pump does not reach the lift control valve so that the dump cylinders can be actuated. PARALLEL CONNECTION AGE LATEX Lu. Lift evinder | From pump In some cases, it may be desirable to have both kinds of cylinder (lift and dump) capable of doing work simultaneously. For such applications, a slight modification of the tandem-connected control valves with an additional interconnection between the two results in the above arrangement. SERIES CONNECTION Dig cytinder FE — wrist enter 4 1 From pump This system permits both dig and wrist cylinders to be actuated at the same time, but the dig cylinders are subordinated to the wrist cylinders so that only the leftover energy goes to the dig cylinders, “11 >SMOOTH-ACTION FEATURE OF THE SPOOL LANDS The spool lands we have thus far seen in the illustration looked like the one shown on the left, Actually che spool lands are machined as shown on the right: each land has notches at its shoulders and annular (ring-like) grooves on its cylindrical surface. See how the sharp-shouldered land (on the left) opens che oil passage. The moment, the shoulder part departs from the bore, oil begins to flow in all around the shoulder. ‘This initial ld wil be considerably large: it could shock the hydraulic cylinder. Moving the spool very slowly might avoid such a shock, but this manner of control lever manipulation is not practical. With small notches provided at the shoulder part, you can produce a very small initial flow. In closing, the interruption of oil flow will be abrupt With the sharp-shouldered land but will be smooth and shock-free with the notched- shoulder land. Why annular grooves are provided on the land illustrated above? The cylindrical surface of the land is subjected to radial force due to the oil pressure in the sliding clearance. With this clearance perfectly uniform, the radial force will be neutralized or canceled off to keep the land centered in the bore. But fine solid particles carried by the oil can get into the clearance, making the clearance unequal around the land. When this ‘occurs, one side of the land gets greater inward push than the other, so that the other side will rub against the bore to make the spool “sticky or heavy.” With many grooves cut on the land surface, you can be sure of evenly distributed radial force due to oil pressure and, therefore, of the land staying centered in the bore for smooth spool movement. Despite the pressure equalizing feature, the spool could become sticky or heavy when (1) large solid particles get stuck in the radial clearance around the lands, (2) the valve body is strained on account of improper valve setting or pipe connection, (3) the radial clearance is so small that the thermal strain of the valve body due to the rise in oil temperature introduces interference or rubbing contact of the land in the bore, or (4) no provision is made to absorb the thermal expansion and contraction of the pipes connected to the valve. ass Printed in Japan 02-90(25)01004 <