Workbook  Page 1

Anatomy & Behaviour of a Relief Valve:

Direct Acting
WORKBOOK

1. Fill in the blanks to label the schematic and graphic cutaway. Some terms will be used more than
once.

Poppet Adjustable Spring Pressure Gauge

Motor Pump Return to Tank

2. What is a direct acting relief valve?

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Workbook  Page 2

3. Brainstorm some examples of hydraulic systems that might use a direct acting hydraulic relief valve.

4. List two reasons why it is not a good idea to increase a relief valve’s pressure setting without exten-
sive knowledge of the system.

5. What is the purpose of a relief valve?

6. Match the term to its description.

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Workbook  Page 3

is the system pressure value at which

a relief valve has begun to pass flow.
This is not be confused with the true,
maximum pressure setting of the
valve. Cracking pressure is always a
lower pressure than the maximum
Relief Pressure
pressure setting.

is the difference in pressure values be-

tween cracking pressure and full-flow,
Cracking Pressure relief pressure.

is sometimes known as the “set pres-

Pressure Override sure”. This is the maximum system
pressure that will occur under normal
operating circumstances, and with all
of the pump’s flow (full flow) passing
through the relief valve.

Set the Relief Setting value to 1000 PSI, and answer the following questions.

7. What system pressure does the motor stop at?

8. At what system pressure does the relief valve begin to send the smallest amount of flow back to
tank?

9. What are the implications for the operation of a machine with a relief valve of the direct acting
type?

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