CYLINDER

MOUNTING
To ensure that cylinders
are correctly mounted,
manufacturers offer a
selection of mounting to
meet all requirements
including pivoting
movement using swivel
type mountings.
 DIRECTIONAL
CONTROL VALVES
VALVE FUNCTIONS
A directional control valves determines the flow
of air between its points by opening, closing or
changing its internal connections.
 Thevalves are describes in terms of : the number
of ports, the number of switching positions, its
normal (not operated)position and the method of
operation.
 The first two points are normally expressed in
terms 5/2, 3/2, 2/2 etc. The first figure relates
the number of ports (excluding pilot ports) and
the second to the number of positions.
MONOSTABLE AND BISTABLE
Spring returned valves are
monostable. They have a defined
position to which they automatically
return.
A bistable valve has no preferred
position and remains in either position
until one of its two impulse signal are
operated.
VALVE TYPES
The two principal methods of construction are Poppet and Slide
with either elastic or metal seals. Fig 7.1
Relates to the various combinations.
 POPPET VALVES
Flow through a poppet valve is
controlled by a disc or plug lifting
at the right angles to a seat, with
an elastic seal.
Poppet can be two or three port
valves, for a four or five port valve
two or more poppet valves have to
integrated into one valve.
In a) the inlet pressure tends to lift the seal off its seat requiring a sufficient
force (spring) to keep the valve closed. In b) the inlet pressure assist the return
spring holding valve closed, but he operating force varies therefore with
different pressures. The factors limit these designs to valves with 1/8” ports or
smaller.
Fig 7.3 a) shows a 3/2 NC poppet valve as shown
in fig 7.2 b.
In its unoperated position (a), the outlet exhausts
through the plunger. When operated (b) the
exhaust port closes and the air flows from the
supply port P to the outlet A.
Design 7.2 c) is a balanced
poppet valve. The inlet
pressure acts on equal
opposing piston areas.
This features allow valves
to be connected up
normally closed (NC) or
normally open (NO).
Normally open valves can
be used to lower or
returned pressurized
actuators, but are more
commonly used in safety
or sequence circuits.
SLIDING VALVES
Spool, rotary and plane slide
valves use a sliding to open and
close ports.
SPOOL VALVES
A cylindrical slide longitudinally in
the valve body with the air flowing
at right angles to the spool
movement. Spools have equal
sealing areas and are pressure
balance.
Elastomer seal
Common spool and seal arrangements are shown in fig. 7.5 and 7.6. In fig.
7.5 O-rings are fitted in grooves on the spool and move in a metal sleeve.
Fig 7.7 shows a spool with oval rings. None of them
have to cross a port, but just to open or close its
own seat. This design provides a leakage free seal
with minimum friction and therefore an extremely
long life.
METAL SEAL
 Lapped and matched metal spool and sleeve valves have
very low friction resistance, rapid cycling and
exceptionally long working life. But even with a minimal
clearance of 0.003 mm. a small internal leakage rate of
about one 1/min occurs.
Plane Slide Valves
Flow through the ports is controlled by the position
of a slide of metal, nylon or other plastic.
The slide is moved by an elastomer sealed air
operated spool.
Rotary Valves
A metal ported disc is a
manually rotated to
interconnect the ports in the
valve body. Pressure
imbalance is employed to
force the disc against its
mating surface to minimize
leakage. The pressure supply
is above the disc.
VALVE OPERATION
MECHANICAL OPERATION
On an automated machine
mechanically operated valves can
detect moving machine parts to
provide signals for the automatic
control of the working cycle.
The main direct mechanical
operations are shown in fig.
7.11
Care when using roller levers
Special care must be taken when using cams to
operate roller lever valves. Fig. 7. 12 illustrates this:
the utilized portion of the rollers total travel should
not go to the end of stroke. The slope of a cam should
have an angle of about 30 degrees: steeper slopes will
produce mechanical stresses on lever.
MANUAL OPERATION
Manual operation is generally obtained by attaching an
operator head, suitable for manual control, onto a
mechanically operated valve.
Manually operated, monostable (spring returned)
valves, are generally used for starting, stopping and
otherwise controlling a pneumatic control unit.
In many circumstances it is more convenient
if the valve maintains its position. Fig. 7.14
shows the more important types of bistable
manual operations.
AIR OPERATION
 Main valves (directional control valves), can be located close to a cylinder or
other actuator, and switched by remote control from signal input valves or
switches.
 A monostable air piloted valve is switched by air pressure acting on a piston and
returned to its normal position by an air spring, mechanical spring, or a
combination of both, when the signal pressure is removed.
Air assisted return uses an air spring in addition to relatively light
mechanical spring, for a more constant force characteristic, and higher
reliability.
In fig. 7.14. an air spring is provided through an internal passage from
the supply port, to act on the smaller diameter piston. Pressure applied
through the pilot port on to the larger diameter piston actuates the
valve.
This method of returning the spool is often used in miniature valve
design as it requires very little space.
The air operated valves discussed so far have been
single pilot or monostable types, but the more
common air operated valve for cylinder control has a
double pilot and is designed to rest in either position
(bistable).
In fig. 7.17, a short pressure pulse have been applied to the pilot port “PB”,
shifting the spool to the right and connecting the supply port “P” to the cylinder
port “B”. Port “A” is exhausted through “EA”. The valve will remain in this
operated position until a counter signal is received. This is referred to as a
‘memory function’.
Bistable valves hold their operated positions because of friction, but should be
installed with the spool horizontal, especially if the valve is subjected to vibration.
In the case of metal construction, the positions are locked by a detent.
Direct and Indirect Operation
A direct operation occurs when a force, applied to a push botton, roller
or flunger, moves the spool or poppet. With indirect operation, the
operator acts on a small pilot valve which in turn switches the main
valve pneumatically.
SOLENOID OPERATION
Electro-pneumatic and
electronically controlled
systems are discussed in a later
book in this series and it is
sufficient at this stage only to
consider the electrical
operation of directional control
valves.
The electrical operation of a
pneumatic valve is effected by
a solenoid and plunger, and
therefore the units are
generally known as solenoid
valves.
Direct acting solenoid valves rely on the
electromagnetic force of the solenoid to move a
poppet or spool (fig 7.20)
To limit the size of the solenoid, larger
valves Indirect solenoid pilot
operation.
The 5/3 valve has a third (center)position to which
it will return, by means of spring, when both
solenoids are de-energized. (fig 7.22)