Abstract
In this paper, the hydraulic switching valve is designed and its dynamic performance is investigated through proposing a fast response actuator with magnetic shape memory alloy (MSMA) to drive the valve. MSMA actuator with spring return is designed and a double-layered coil is constructed to achieve compactness of electromagnetic case. The dynamic characteristics of the MSMA actuator are analyzed and the step response characteristics is tested. Hydraulic switching valve with MSMA actuator is designed with poppet type. Pressure and velocity field in the flow channel under different valve opening and different inlet and outlet pressure differences are analyzed in COMSOL Multiphysics software. The dynamics of the valve poppet during opening and closing process is modeled mathematically, and simulation analysis are conducted in AMESim software to analyze the response of valve under step and square wave signals. The step response of output flow rate and pressure-flow characteristic under different operating conditions are obtained through experiment. The results show that the MSMA based valve can achieve fast response with opening time of 5 ms at the pressure difference of 1 MPa, providing a theoretical support for the development of hydraulic switching valve with high performance actuator driven by MSMA.
Highlights
Valve is a very important control component in the fluid power transmission system
After the valve opening is stabilized, the output flow rate keeps at a certain level
Change of pressure difference as well as the valve opening can lead to variation of the output flow rate, and the maximum flow rate can go up to 18.17 L/min corresponding to the conditions with 5 MPa pressure drop across the valve
Summary
Valve is a very important control component in the fluid power transmission system. Response is one of the most important characteristic parameters of hydraulic valve. With the increasing demand for hydraulic control systems by specific applications, especially with the development of digital hydraulics in recent years, high speed switching valve is attracting more and more interests from industrial applications.[1] Electromagnet used to play an irreplaceable role in driving the valve switching actions conventionally, but disadvantages such as heat generation and low energy efficiency exist unfavorably at the same time.[2] In recent years, with the emergence of new smart materials, various smart materials based sensors and actuators have become a very attractive research focus. Efforts on employing smart materials into valve actuation devices in hydraulic systems have been taken extensively by the scholars from all over the world to pursue better dynamic performance of the valve
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