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BOOK2,CHAPTER8:DirectionalControlValves|OtherTechnologiescontentfromHydraulics&Pneumatics

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HOME > TECHNOLOGIES > OTHER TECHNOLOGIES > BOOK 2, CHAPTER 8: DIRECTIONAL CONTROL VALVES

BOOK2,CHAPTER8:DirectionalControlValves
BudTrinkel,CFPE|Hydraulics&Pneumatics
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Table of Contents

DirectionalControlValves

Directionalcontrolvalvesperformonlythreefunctions:
stopfluidflow
allowfluidflow,and
changedirectionoffluidflow.

TopArticles

Thesethreefunctionsusuallyoperateincombination.
Thesimplestdirectionalcontrolvalveisthe2wayvalve.A2wayvalvestopsflowor
allowsflow.Awaterfaucetisagoodexampleofa2wayvalve.Awaterfaucetallowsflow
orstopsflowbymanualcontrol.
Asingleactingcylinderneedssupplytoandexhaustfromitsporttooperate.This
requiresa3wayvalve.A3wayvalveallowsfluidflowtoanactuatorinonepositionand
exhauststhefluidfromitintheotherposition.Some3wayvalveshaveathirdposition
thatblocksflowatallports.
Adoubleactingactuatorrequiresa4wayvalve.A4wayvalvepressurizesandexhausts
twoportsinterdependently.A3position,4wayvalvestopsanactuatororallowsitto
float.The4wayfunctionisacommontypeofdirectionalcontrolvalveforbothairand
hydrauliccircuits.A3position,4wayvalveismorecommoninhydrauliccircuits.
The5wayvalveisfoundmostfrequentlyinaircircuits.A5wayvalveperformsthesame
functionasa4wayvalve.Theonlydifferenceisanextratankorexhaustport.(Some
supplierscalltheir5wayvalves,5ported4ways.")Allspoolvalvesarefiveported,but
hydraulicvalveshaveinternallyconnectedexhaustportsgoingtoacommonoutlet.
Becauseoilmustreturntotank,itisconvenienttoconnectthedualtankportstoasingle
returnport.Forairvalves,atmosphereisthetank,soexhaustpipingisusually
unimportant.Usingtwoexhaustportsmakesthevalvesmallerandlessexpensive.Aswill
beexplainedlater,dualexhaustsusedforspeedcontrolmufflersorasdualpressure
inletsmakethisconfigurationversatile.

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Followingareschematicsymbolsforcommonlyuseddirectionalcontrolvalves.
2waydirectionalcontrolvalves
A2waydirectionalvalvehastwoportsnormallycalledinletandoutlet.Whentheinletis
blockedintheatrestcondition,asshowninFigure81,itisreferredtoas"normally
closed"(NC).Theatrestboxorthenormalconditionistheonewiththeflowlinesgoing
toandfromit.
Theboxesorenclosuresrepresentthevalvespositions.InFigure81,theactiveboxshows
blockedports,oraclosedcondition,whiletheupperboxshowsaflowpath.Whenan
operatorshiftsthevalve,itisthesameasslidingtheupperboxdowntotaketheplaceof
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thelowerbox.Intheshiftedconditionthereisflowfrominlettooutlet.Releasingthe
palmbuttoninFigure81allowsthevalvespringtoreturntothenormalstopflow
condition.A2wayvalvemakesablowoffdeviceorrunsafluidmotorinonedirection.
Byitself,a2wayvalvecannotcycleevenasingleactingcylinder.

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Figure82showsa"normallyopen"(NO)2waydirectionalvalve.Energizingthe
solenoidonthisvalvestopsfluidflow.
Valveoperatorscomeindifferenttypes.Figure83showsasolenoidpilotoperatorusing
solenoidcontrolledpressurefromtheinletporttomovetheworkingdirectionalspool.
Figure84showsacamoperatedvalve.Amovingmachinememberusuallyoperatesthis
typevalve.
3waydirectionalcontrolvalves
A3wayvalvehasthreeworkingports.Theseportsare:inlet,outlet,andexhaust(or
tank).A3wayvalvenotonlysuppliesfluidtoanactuator,butallowsfluidtoreturnfrom
itaswell.Figures85through810showschematicsymbolsfor3waydirectionalcontrol
valves.

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Figure86depictsanallportsblocked,3way,3position
valve.Avalveofthistypeconnectedtoasingleacting,
weightorspringreturnedcylindercouldextend,retract,
orstopatanyplaceinthestroke.
Some3wayvalvesselectfluidflowpathsasinFigure89.
Useaspooltypevalveforthisoperation.Anotherflow
conditionisthedivertervalveshowninFigure810.A
divertervalvesendsfluidtoeitheroftwopaths.

Figure810.Palmbutton
operated3waydivertervalve.

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Figure89.Solenoidpilot
operated3wayselectorvalve.

4waydirectional
controlvalves
Figures811to815showdifferentconfigurationsavailable
in4waydirectionalcontrolvalves.Theyrangefromthe
simple,twoposition,single,directsolenoid,springreturn
valveshowninFigure811,tothemorecomplexthree
position,doublesolenoid,pilotoperated,springcentered,
externalpilotsupply,externaldrainvalveshowninFigure
815.

Linestotheboxesshowflowtoand
fromthevalve,whilelineswitharrowsintheboxesshow
directionofflow.Thenumberofboxestellshowmanypositions
thevalvehas.

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Figure811.4way,2
positiondirectsolenoid
Figure812showsasinglesolenoid,springcenteredvalve.This
operatedspringreturn.
valvehasathirdpositionbutthereisnooperatorforit.Usethis
springcentered,singlesolenoidvalveincontrolcircuitsfor
specialfunctions.Inthepast,togetthisconfiguration,youonlyhadtowireonesolenoid
ofadoublesolenoid,threepositionvalve.

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Figure813showsanotherunusual4wayconfiguration.This
valveshiftsfromanactuatormovingflowpathtocenter
conditionforcertainspecialcircuits.
5waydirectionalcontrolvalves
Figures816through820showsymbolsofsome5wayair
valves.Mostspooltypeairvalvescomeina5way
configuration.Becauseairusuallyexhauststoatmosphere,the
extraexhaustportisnoproblem.

Figure812.4way,2
positiondirectsolenoid
operatedspringcentered.

Manyvalvesusethetwoexhaustportsforspeedcontrol
mufflers.Mufflersnotonlymaketheexhaustquieter,but
throttletheexhaust,whichinturncontrolscylinderspeedinameteroutcircuit.
Anotherexamplelaterinthissectionshowsdualexhaustports
pipedwithdifferentpressurestosaveair.Alsousedualinlet
pipingtomakeanaircylinderoperatequicklyandsmoothly.(See
Figures848through855.)

Mostaircylindersstrokefrom
oneextremetotheother.Atwo
position,singlesolenoid,spring
Figure813.4way,2
returnvalveissufficientforthis
positiondirectsolenoid
operation.About90%ofair
operatedspringreturn.
Figure814.4way,2position
solenoid,pilotoperateddetented,
circuitsusethistypeofvalve.To
linemounted.
stopanaircylinderinmidstroke,usethe3position
valveshowninFigures819through821.
Itisdifficultifnotimpossibletoaccuratelystopanair
cylinderanyplaceotherthanatendofthestroke.Whenthe
cylindermovesslowly,arepeatablemidstrokepositionofplus
orminusaninchmightbepossible.Theproblemis,iftheload
onthecylinderchangesorthereisanyslightleakinthepiping
orseals,itwillnotholdpositiononceitstops.
Threepositionvalvescomeinseveral
styles,including:cylinderportsopen
asseeninFigure819allports
blockedasseeninFigure820and
pressuretocylinderportsasseenin
Figure821.

Figure817.Linemounted,
solenoidpilotoperated,2
position,springreturned
5wayvalve.

Figure818.Line
mounted,handlever
operated,2position,
springreturned5way
valve.

Using2wayvalves
Figures822,823,and824show
someusesfor2waydirectionalcontrolvalves.

OneuseistheblowofffunctionshowninFigure822.
A2wayvalveinFigure823operatesaonedirection
motorwithanopenexhaustinthemotorhousing.The
circuitinFigure824workswellforelectrically
unloadingapumpforeasystartupand/orreduced
heatgeneration

Figure819.5way,3position,
springcenteredsolenoid,pilot
operated,cylinderportsopen
centercondition,linemounted.

Figure825showsaweightreturned,singleacting
cylinderpoweredbya2wayinthe<b>atrest</b>condition.Atfirstsightitlooksasif
thiscircuitmightwork.Shiftingthe2wayvalve,orextending,sendsfluidtothe
cylindercapendanditextends.Theproblemcomes
whenthe2wayreturnstonormalattheendofcycle.
Insteadofthecylinderretractingafterthesolenoidde
energizes,itstaysintheextendedposition.Thecylinder
Figure820.5way,3position,
wouldonlyreturnifthevalve,cylinderseals,orpipe
springcenteredsolenoid,pilot
operated,allportsblockedcenter
connectionsleak.
condition,linemounted.

Figure826showsa
circuitthatoperatesa
singleactingcylinder
with2wayvalves.One
(NO)andone(NC)2

Figure821.5way,3position,
springcenteredpressureto

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cylinderports,exhaustsblocked
waydirectionalvalve
centercondition,solenoidpilot
pipedtothecapend
operated,linemounted.
cylinderportallows
fluidtoenterandexhaustfromit.Actuatingbothoperatorssimultaneouslyextendsthe
cylinder.Accordingtovalvesizeandinletairflow,thecylindermightnotextendifjust
energizingthe(NC)valve.Ifthecylinderextendswithonlyonevalveactuated,itwould
beslowandwastealotofair.

Figure822.Blowoff.

Figure823.Runninga
onedirectionfluid
motor.

Figure824.Unloading
apump.

Figure825.Usingone2wayvalvetooperateasingleactingcylinder.

Figure827showsfour
2wayvalvespipedtooperateadoubleactingcylinder.Apairof2wayvalvesateach
cylinderportgivesapowerstrokeinbothdirections.Energizeanddeenergizeallfour
valvessimultaneouslytocyclethecylinderandkeepfromwastingfluid.
Four2wayvalvesmayseemtobeacomplexand
expensivewaytooperateacylinder.However,inthe
pastfewyears,poppettypeslipincartridgevalveshave
beenoperatinglargeborehydrauliccylindersthisway.
SeechapterfouronCartridgeValvesfortheadvantages
ofthesevalvesinhighflowcircuits.
Using3wayvalves
Figure828showsa3wayvalve,usedtoselectPr.1or
Pr.2.Useaspooltypedirectionalcontrolvalveinthis
typeofcircuit.Spoolvalvesnormallytakepressureat
anyportwithoutmalfunction.Poppetdesignvalves
normallytakepressureattheinletportonly.

Figure826.Operatingasingle
actingcylinderwithtwo2way
valves.

Sincetheexampleselectorvalveissolenoidpilot
operated,itisimportanttodeterminewhichport
hasthehigherpressure.Mostsolenoidpilot
operatedvalvestakeairfromthenormalinletport
tooperatethepilotsection.Ifbothinletpressures
aretoolowtooperatethevalve,plumbanexternal
pilotsupplyfromthemainairsystem.
Whenitisnecessarytolockoutoneoftwocircuits
whiletheotheroneoperates,thehookupinFigure
829workswell.

Figure827.Operatingasingleacting
cylinderwithfour2wayvalves.

Whilecircuitonehasfluidgoingtoit,workingon
circuittwoisnoproblem.Useaspooltypevalveherealso.Poppetvalvesusuallyonlytake
pressureatoneport.
Themostcommonlimitvalveisaminiature3waylike
theoneshowninFigure830.Thisparticularexampleis
(NC).Contactwithamachinememberopensit.Except
forbleedertypecontrolcircuits,alimitvalverequiresat
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leasta3wayfunction.
Oncethisnormallyclosedvalveshifts,itpassesasignal
ontocontinuethecycle.Innormalcondition,fluidinthe
controlcircuitexhauststhroughtheexhaustport.
Figure831showsasingleacting
cylinderwitha3wayvalve
poweringit.Energizingthe
solenoid,orextending,allows
flowtomovetothecylinderport
anditextends.Deenergizingthe
solenoidorretracting,letsthe
valveshifttohomeposition,and
thecylinderretractsfromoutside
forces.

Figure828.Pressureselector.

Figure829.Fluid
diverter.

Theexhaustportona3wayvalveletsfluidinthecylinderescapetoatmosphere.

Figure830.NClimit
valve.

Figure831.Operatingasingleactingcylinderwithone3wayvalve.

Tooperateadoubleactingcylinderwith3wayvalves,usethehookupshowninFigure
832.Witha3waydirectionalvalveatbothports,bothextendandretractstrokesofa
doubleactingcylinderhaveforce.
Somemanufacturersusedual3wayvalvestoconserveair.Pipingbetweenthevalveand
cylinderportswastesair.Everytimeacylindercycles,thelinestobothportsfilland
exhaust.Thelongerthevalvetocylinderlinesare,thegreatertheairwaste.Mountingair
valvesdirectlytothecylinderportsminimizesairwaste.Thehighercyclerateresultsin
greatersavings.
Loweringpressureattherodendportisanotherwaytosave
airwithdual3wayvalvesmounteddirectlytothecylinder
port.Asdiscussedbefore,reducingairpressureatthe
cylinderuseslesscompressorhorsepower.Usually,force
requiredtoreturnacylinderisminimal,solowerpressureat
therodportsavesenergy.
Speedcontrolmufflersinthedirectmounted3wayvalves
independentlycontroltheextendandretractspeedofthe
cylinder.Thissavespipingtimeandthecostofflowcontrol
valves.

Figure832.Operatinga
doubleactingcylinderwith
two3wayvalves.

Figure833showsanaircylinderinchingcircuit.Itis
possibletoinchanaircircuitifaccuracyandrepeatability
arenotimportant.Aninchingcircuitsrepeatabilityisusuallynotcloserthan1in.if
travelspeedisslow.Fastertravelspeedsgivelesscontrol.
A3wayvalvecanreplacea2wayvalve.Toduplicatethe2
wayfunction,blocktheexhaustportofthe3wayvalve.
Blockingtheexhaustofa3wayisusuallynotnecessaryfor
most2wayapplications.Using3wayvalvesinplaceof2
wayvalvesreducesinventorycostandsavestime.
Using4wayvalves
SeeFigures834to836forsomeuncommonusesof4way
directionalcontrolvalves.Usingdirectionalcontrolsinways
otherthannormalisacommonpractice.Makesurethevalve
iscapableofpressureinallportsbeforeapplyingittosomeof
thesecircuits.Ifthevalveissolenoidpilotoperated,where
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doespilotsupplycomefrom?Alsocheckwiththe
manufacturerifthereisanydoubtaboutthevalves
performanceinanunusualapplication.

Figure833.Inchingcircuit
foradoubleactingcylinder
withtwo3wayspring
centeredvalves.

Tomakeahighflow2wayvalvefroma4wayvalvetrythecircuitshowninFigure834.
Connectpumpflowtothenormalinletportanditsoutletport,thenconnecttheother
outletporttothenormaltankportandontothesystem.Intheatrestconditionthereis
noflowthroughthevalve.
Whenthevalveshifts,flowisfromPthroughBtosystemand
fromAthroughTtosystem.Avalveratedat10gpmisnow
goodfor20gpmwithlittleornoincreaseinpressuredrop.
Makesurethevalveiscapableofbackpressureatthetank
port.
Thispipingarrangementcomesinhandyinhydrauliccircuits,
sincemostmanufacturersdonotoffera2wayvalve.Also,a
lotof2wayhydraulicvalvesonlystopflowinonedirection,so
theyareuselessinabidirectionalflowline.

Figure834.Doubleflow
capacity.

Forafulltimeregenerationcircuit,pipethe4wayasshowninFigure835.Read
Chapter17forafullexplanationofthisregenerationcircuit.
Figure836showshowtopressurizebothendsofthe
cylinderwhena4wayvalvecenters.Whenacylinder
retractstopickupanotherpart,itoftenhastogotoofarto
makesureitisbehindthepart.Lowbackpressurefromthe
checkvalvemakesthecylindercreepforwardatlowpower
sothecylinderisincontactwithapartbeforethenext
cyclestarts.
Figure835.Fulltime
regeneration.
Figure837showsthenormalhookupofa4way
directionalvalve.Adoubleactingcylinderonlyneedsone
4waydirectionalvalvetoextendandretractit.Thethreesequencesshowa4wayvalve
inaction.

Addflowcontrolsoracounterbalancevalvetocompletethe
circuitwhenthereisweightontherod.Notetheport
hookupisAtocapandBtorod.
Usingthisportconnectionarrangementconsistentlymakesit
iseasytowirethecircuitbecausetheelectricianknowsA
solenoidextendsthecylinderwhileBsolenoidretractsit.
Maintenancepersonsalwaysknowwhichmanualoverrideto
pushduringtroubleshootingorsetup.

Figure836.Lowpressure
cylinderextend.

Figure837.Operatingadoubleactingcylinderwithone4wayvalve.

Mosthydraulicdirectionalcontrolvalvesare3position.Valvecenterconditionsperform
differentfunctionsinrelationtotheactuatorandpump.
Anallportsopencenterconditiondirectionalvalveunloads
thepumpandallowstheactuatortofloatasshowninFigure
838.Thisreducesheatbuildupandallowsopposingforces
tomovethecylinderwithoutbuildingbackpressure.
Toblockthecylinderwhileunloadingthepump,usethe
centerconditionshowninFigure839.Mosthydraulicvalves
areametaltometalfitspooldesign,sodonotdependonthe
cylindersettingdeadstillwithatandemcenterspool.Ifthere
areoutsideforcesonthecylinder,itwillcreepwhenthevalve
centers.

Figure838.Inchingcircuit
withpumpunloaded,

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Ifthecylinderneedstofloatwhileblockingpumpflow,use
thecenterconditionshowninFigure840.

cylinderfloating.

Figures841to846showseveralcommonlyused4way
hydraulicvalvecenterconditions.Thefirstfouraccountfor
about90%ofall3positionhydraulicvalvesinuse.
Thecenterconditionofa3positionvalvecanunloadapump,
openactuatorportstotankforfreemovement,blockactuator
portstostopmovement,giveregeneration,orworkin
combinationsofthesefunctions.
Figure839.Inchingcircuit
Figure841showsanallportsopencenterconditionvalve.
withpumpunloaded,
Theopencenterconditionunloadsthepumpandallowsthe
cylinderblocked.
actuatortocoasttoastoporfloat.Inthecrossoveror
transitionconditionitcausesverylittleshock.Fixedvolumepumpsusethiscenter
condition.

TheallportsblockedcenterconditionvalveofFigure842
appearstoblockthecylinderports.Inactualuse,leakageoil
acrossthespoollandspressurizesAandBports,possibly
causingasinglerodcylindertoextend.Thisisnotagood
choiceforstoppingandholdingacylinderasthesymbol
seemstoindicate.Topositivelystopacylinder,useavalve
withthecylinderportshookedtotank,andpilotoperated
checkvalvesinthecylinderlineorlines.(Seethesectionon
CheckValvesasDirectionalValves.)
Figure840.Inchingcircuit

Figure841.Allportsopen,
centercondition.

withpumpblocked,cylinder
ThefloatcentervalveofFigure8
floating.
43allowstheactuatortofloat
whileblockingpumpflow.Pumpoutputisavailablefor
othervalvesandactuatorswiththiscentercondition.Italso
workswellforpilotoperatedcheckvalvelockingcircuitsor
withcounterbalancevalves.

Thisisthenormalcenterconditionforthesolenoidvalveon
asolenoidpilotoperated,springcentereddirectionalvalve.
Figure844showsatandem
centervalve.Atandemcenter
Figure842.Portsblocked,
valveletsthepumpunload
centercondition.
whileblockingthecylinder
ports.Thecylindersitsstillunlessthereisanoutsideforce
Figure843.Floatcenter
tryingtomoveit.Anymetaltometalfitspoolvalvenever
condition.
fullyblocksflow.Withexternalforcesworkingonthe
cylinder,itmayslowlycreepwiththevalvecentered.Thisisanothercommoncenter
conditionforfixedvolumepumps.
TheregenerationcenterpositionofthevalveinFigure845
pressurizesandconnectsbothportsofacylindertoeach
other.Connectingpressureoiltobothcylinderportsandto
eachotherregeneratesitforwardwhenthevalvecenters.This
valveisthepilotoperatorforhydraulicallycentered
directionalvalvesornormallyclosedslipincartridgevalves.

Figure844.Tandemcenter
condition.

Tounloadthepumpwhileblockingthecylinderfrom
moving,usethevalveshowninFigure846.However,the
metaltometalfitspoolwillnotlockthecylinderwhenthere
areexternalforces.
Figure845.Regeneration

Figures847to848showwhatiscommonlyreferredtoas
centercondition.
thecrossoverortransitionconditionofaspool.Insome
actuatorapplicationsitisimportanttoknowwhatthevalveportflowconditionsareasit
shifts.Asshowninthesefigures,dashedlinedboxesshowcrossovercondition.Normally
discussionsaboutcrossoverconditionscoveropenorclosedtypesinreality,the
crossoverconditionmaybeacombinationoftheseandmaybedifferentoneithersideof
center.

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Opencrossoverstopsshockwhilethespoolshifts,whilea
closedcrossoverreducesactuatoroverridetravel.Ifthe
crossoverconditionisimportanttothecircuitormachine
function,showitontheschematicdrawing.
Figure846.Pumpunload,

portBblocked,center
Figure849showsanallportsblockedcentercondition,
condition.
solenoidpilotoperatedvalve,asasimplifiedandcomplete
symbol.Onmostschematics,thesimplifiedsymbolis
sufficient.Thesolenoidslashandenergytriangleintheoperatorboxshowthevalvehasa
solenoidoperatedvalvepilotingapilotoperatedvalve.

Theboxesshowthefunctionofthemainor
workingspoolthatcontrolstheactuator.On
valveswithotherhardwareadded(here,pilot
chokesandstrokelimiters),itisbettertoshowthe
completesymbol.BothsymbolsinFigure849
Figure847.Opencrossoverortransition
condition.
representthesamevalve.Thecompletesymbol
givesmoreinformationaboutthevalvefunction
andhelpswithtroubleshootingandvalvereplacement.
Using5wayairvalves
The5wayselectorvalveandshuttlevalvein
Figure850workswherea3wayselectormay
not.The3wayselectordoesfinewhengoingfrom
lowtohighpressure,butifthereisnoairusageto
allowexpansion,itis
almostimpossibletogo
fromhightolowpressure.

Figure848.Closedcrossoverortransition
condition.

The5wayandshuttle
valvearrangementgives
anexhaustpathforhigh
pressureairwhenshifting
tolowpressure.Afterthe
Figure849.Solenoidpilotoperatedvalvewithpilotchokesandstroke
airexhauststothelower
limiters.Internalpilotsupply(X)andexternaldrain(Y).
pressure,PR.1,theshuttle
shiftsandlowpressureholdsinthesystem.
Figure851showsapairof5wayvalvespipedtoactlikea
threewaylightswitch.Eithervalvemovesthecylindertoits
oppositepositionwhenactivated.
Figure852showsthenormalhookupofa5wayvalve.
Normally,inputairgoestothecenterportofthesidewiththree
ports.Alotofairvalvemanufacturerscallthis#1port.Intheat
restcondition,airflowsfrom#1to#4portandontothe
cylinderrodend,while#2portexhauststhecylindercapend
through#3port.

Figure850.Pressure
selector.

Aftershiftingthevalve,orextending,airflowsfrom#1portthrough#2porttothe
cylindercapend.Flowfromthecylinderrodendgoesto#4portandexhauststhrough
#5port.Theexhaustportsoftenhavespeedcontrolmufflerstoreducenoiseandcontrol
theamountofexhaustflow.Speedcontrolmufflersgiveindividualmeteroutspeed
controlineachdirectionoftravel.
Deenergizingthesolenoid,orretracting,
letsthevalvespringreturntoitsnormal
conditioncausingthecylindertoretract.
InFigure853,the5wayhasadualinlet
insteadofdualexhaust.Useaspooltype
valveforthishookup,sinceittakes
pressureatanyportwithoutmalfunction.

Figure851.Operatinganactuatorfromtwo
locations.

Onmostaircircuitsthecylinderdoeslittle
ornoworkontheretractstroke.Puttinglowpressureontherodsideofthecylinderuses
lesscompressorairwithoutaffectingtheoperation.Thisairsavingsresultsinlower
operatingcostandleavesmoreairtorunotheractuators.Installflowcontrolsinthelines
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tothecylinderportsforindividualspeedcontrol.
Ifthevalveissolenoid
pilotoperated,thesupply
tothepilotvalveusually
comesfromport#1.This
means,withadual
pressureinlet,pilotsupply
mustcomefromsome
othersource.Onthe
circuitinFigure853a
Figure852.Operatingadoubleactingcylinderwithone5wayvalve.
pilotlinefromsystem
pressuregoesdirectlytothepilotvalve.Systempressuregoesintotheexternalpilot
supplyportandaplugshutsofftheinternalpilotport.Changingthepilotlineinthefield
withassistancefromthesupplierscatalogisquiteeasy.
Figures854to861show
anotherreasonforusing
dualpressureinlets.They
depictaircylinder
movementwith
conventionalhookup.The
cylinderpausesbefore
raisinganddropsrapidly
whenstartingtoretract.
Figure853.Airsavingcircuitusinga5wayvalve.

Dualpressure5way
valvesforaircylinderactuation
Avertical,upactingaircylinder,withaheavyload,givessluggishandjerkyoperation
whenvalvedconventionally.Figure854showsaconventional5wayvalvehookupona
cylinderraisinga600lbload.Thisfigureshowsweight,capandheadendareas,and
pressuresatbothcylinderports.
Whenthedirectionalvalveshifts,asseeninFigure855,
thereisapausebeforethecylinderextends.Theweight
tocylinderforceratioandtherateofcylindertravelspeed
controlthelengthofpause.Theheaviertheweightand
theslowerthecylinderspeed,thelongerthepause.The
delaycouldbethreetofoursecondsinextremecases.
Thepausecomesfromweightpushingdownalongwith
forcefromairpressureonthecylinderrodend.Atthe
momentthevalveshiftstoextendthecylinder,down
forcesareupto1240lbwhileupforceisonly800lb.As
longasdownforcesexceedupforce,thecylinderwillnot
move.Theslowertheairexhausts,thelongerittakestoget
enoughdifferentialpressureacrossthecylinderpistonto
moveit.Thespeedofexhaustingaircontrolshowfastthe
cylindermovesonceitstarts.

Figure854.Cylinderatrest.

Figure855.Valvejustshifted,
cylinderpauses.

Figure856.Cylinderstartsto
moveafterrodendpressure
drops.

Whenpressureintheheadendofthecylinderreachesabout15psi,asshowninFigure
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856,thecylinderstartstomove.Itmovesupsmoothlyandsteadilyaslongastheload
remainsconstant.
Whenthevalveshiftstoretractthefullyextendedcylinder,thereisanotherproblem.
Figure857showsthecylinderatrestatthetop.Upforceis800lbfromairpressureon
thecapend,anddownforceis600lbfromtheweight.

Figure857.Cylindertravelsto
endofstroke.

Figure858.Valveshiftedto
retractcylinder,whichdrops
rapidly.

Whenthedirectionalvalvereturnstonormal,asshowninFigure858,downforce
quicklychangesto1240lb.Nowtheloaddropsrapidlyuntilairpressureinthecap
compressestoapproximately120psi.Ittakesabout120psionthe10in.2areatoslowthe
cylindersrapidretraction.
Bothpausesthatoccurwhenextendingandretractingareeliminatedbyusingthedual
inletfeatureofa5wayvalve.
WithadualinletpressurecircuitshowninFigure859,thecapendporthas80psiwhile
therodendportisonly15psi.Thissetsapressuredifferentialacrossthepistonbeforethe
valveshifts.

Figure859.Dualpressurevalve
atrest.

Figure860.Valveshifts,cylinder
startsmovingquickly.

Whenthevalveshifts,asseeninFigure860,downforceis720lbandupforceis800lb.
Thecylinderstartstomovealmostimmediatelyandcontinuesmovingsmoothlytothe
end.
InFigure861thevalveshiftsandthecylinderretracts.Withtheheadendregulatorset
at15psi,downforcefromairpressureandtheloadisalmostoffsetbyupforce.Theload
lowerssmoothlyandsafelywithoutlungingorbouncing,asfastascapendairexhausts.
Infigure859to861,thecylinderstrokessmoothlyandquicklyinbothdirectionswith
dualpressurevalve.
Checkvalvesasdirectionalvalves
Normallyacheckvalveisnotthoughtofasadirectional
controlvalve,butitdoesstopflowinonedirectionand
allowflowintheoppositedirection.Thesearetwoofthe
threeactionsadirectionalcontrolvalvecanperform.An
inlinecheckvalvestopsanychanceofreverseflowandis
usefuland/ornecessaryinmanyapplications.Figure8
62showsthesymbolforaplaincheckvalve.
Anotherapplicationforacheckvalveisarelieffunction,
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whichcanbeseeninFigure863.Heatexchangers,
filters,andlowpressuretransferpumpsoftenneedalow
pressurebypassorreliefvalve.Acheckvalvewitha25
125psispringmakesaninexpensive,nonadjustable,flow
pathforexcessfluid.Itprotectslowpressuredevicesin
caseofthroughflowblockage.Pilotoperateddirectional
valvescommonlyuseacheckvalveinthetankorpump
linetomaintainatleast5075psipilotpressureduring
pumpunload.Somemanufacturersmakeacheckvalve
withanadjustablespring,forpressuresupto200psior
more.
Figure861.Valveshiftsto
normal,cylindermoveswithno
Somecheckvalveshavearemovable
lunge.
threadedpluginthemthatmaybe
drilledtoallowcontrolledflowinthe
reversedirection.Thesymbolin
Figure862.Plain
checkvalve.
Figure864showshowtorepresent
thisinasymbol.Acommonusefora
drilledcheckvalveisasafixed,tamperproof,flowcontrolvalve.Fluidfreeflowsinone
direction,buthascontrolledflowintheoppositedirection.Theonlywaytochangeflowis
tochangetheorificesize.Thisflowcontrolvalveisnotpressurecompensated.

Manyofthecircuitsinthismanualshowstandardcheckvalvesin
use.HiLpumpcircuits,reversefreeflowbypassforflowcontrols,
sequencevalvesorcounterbalancevalves,andmultipumpisolation,
tonameafew.Figure865showssomeotherapplicationsforcheck
valves.

Figure863.
Backpressurecheck
valve

Whenthetankishigherthanthepumpordirectionalvalves,alwaysinstallsomemeans
toblockflowlinesformaintenance.Ifthevalvesarenotblocked,thetankmustbe
drainedwhenchangingahydrauliccomponent.Shutoffvalvesaretheonlyoptionfor
linesthatflowoutofthetanktoapumporotherfluidusingdevice.
Toavoidrunningthepumpdry,itsshutoffshouldhavealimit
switchindicatingfullopenbeforetheelectricalcontrolcircuitwill
allowthepumptostart.Allreturnlinesthough,canhaveacheck
valvepipedasshowninFigure865.Acheckvalvewithalow
pressurespring,calledantankisolationcheckvalve,oneachreturn
Figure864.Check
lineallowsfreeflowtotank,whileblockingflowoutofit.Acheck
valvewithorifice
plug.
valveinthetanklinesmakesshutoffautomaticandeliminates
chancesofblowingafilterorwreckingavalveatstartup.
Thebackpressurecheck
valveinthepumpline
maintainsaminimum
pilotpressurewhilethe
pumpunloads.Hereitis
inthelinefeedingthe
directionalvalves,other
timesitisinthetankline.
Ineithercaseitprovides
pilotpressuretoshiftthe
directionalvalveswhena
newcyclestarts.
ThecircuitinFigure865
alsoshowsananti
Figure865.Checkvalvesindifferentcircuitapplications.
cavitationcheckvalvefor
thecylinderwithareliefvalvetoprotectitfromoverpressure.Anexternalforcecanpull
againstthetrappedoilinthecylinderandcausedamageorfailurewithoutrelief
protection.Whenoutsideforcesmovethecylinder,fluidfromtherodendgoestothecap
end,butisnotenoughtofillit.Ifavoidinthecapofthecylinderisnoproblemthenan
anticavitationcheckvalveisunnecessary.However,thisvoidcancauseerraticaction
whenthecylindercyclesagain,soinstallananticavitationcheckvalve.Theanti
cavitationcheckvalvehasaverylowpressurespring,whichrequires13psitoopen,soit
allowstankoiltofillanyvacuumvoidthatmightform.Theanticavitationcheckvalve
hasnoeffectduringanyotherpartofthecycle.
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Pilotoperatedcheckvalves
Therearesomecircuitsthatneedthepositiveshutoffofacheckvalvebutinwhich
reverseflowisalsonecessary.Thefollowingimagesshowsymbolsofpilotoperatedcheck
valvesthatallowreverseflow.Figure866showsthesymbolforastandardpilottoopen
checkvalve.Figure867showsapilotoperatedcheckwithadecompressionfeature.The
symbolinFigure868showsapilotoperatedcheckvalvewithanexternaldrainforthe
pilotpiston.Eachofthesepilotoperatedcheckvalvesallowreverseflow,buttwoofthem
haveaddedfeaturestoovercomecertaincircuitconditions.

Figure866.Pilotoperatedcheckvalve.

Figure867.Pilotoperatedcheckvalvewithdecompressionpoppet.

Figure868.Pilotoperatedcheckvalvewithexternaldrain.

Toholdacylinderstationary,itmusthaveresilientcontinuousnonleakingseals,no
plumbingleaks,andanonleakingvalve.Metaltometalfitspoolvalveswillnotholda
cylinderforanylengthoftime.AsshowninFigure869,ablockedcentervalvecan
actuallycauseacylindertocreepforward.Verticallymountedcylinderswithdownacting
loadsalwayscreepwhenusingametaltometalfitspoolvalve.Hydraulicmotorsalways
haveinternalleakagesothecircuitsshownherewillnotholdthemstationary.Figures8
70,871,and872showatypicalpilotoperatedcheckvalvecircuitthatpreventscylinder
creep.

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Figure869.Blockedcenterdirectionalvalve,cylindercreepingforward.

ThecircuitinFigure870showsahorizontallymounted,nonleakingcylinder,positively
lockedinplaceanytimethedirectionalcenters.Whenusinganonofftypesolenoid
valve,afastmovingcylinderstopsabruptlywhenthedirectionalvalvecenters.Usea
proportionalvalvewithramptimerstodeceleratetheactuatorandeliminateshock
damage.

Figure870.Pilotoperatedcheckcircuitatrestwithpumprunning.

NoticethedirectionalvalvehasAandBportsopentotankinthecentercondition.This
centerconditionallowspilotpressuretodropandthepilotoperatedcheckvalvesto
close.UsingadirectionalvalvewithblockedAandBportsincentercondition,maykeep
thepilotoperatedcheckvalvesopenandallowcylindercreep.Ifitisonlynecessaryto
keepthecylinderfrommovinginonedirection,onepilotoperatedcheckvalvewill
suffice.
WhensolenoidA1onthedirectionalvalveshifts,asseeninFigure871,thecylinder
extends.Pumpflowtothecylindercapendbuildspressureinthepilotlinetotherodend
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ofthepilotoperatedcheckvalve,causingittofullyopen.Thepilotoperatedcheckvalve
inthelinetothecapendopensbypumpflowlikeanycheckvalve.Energizingand
holdingadirectionalvalvesolenoidcausesthecylindertomove.Pilotoperatedcheck
valvespositivelylockthecylinderbutareinvisibletotheelectriccontrolcircuit.

Figure871.Pilotoperatedcheckcircuitwithcylinderextending.

WhensolenoidBonthedirectionalvalveshifts,asseeninFigure872,thecylinder
retracts.Pumpflowtothecylinderrodendbuildspressureinthepilotlinetothecapend
ofthepilotoperatedcheckvalve,causingittofullyopen.Thepilotoperatedcheckvalve
inthelinetotherodendopensbypumpflowlikeanycheckvalve.Energizingand
holdingadirectionalvalvesolenoidcausesthecylindertomove.

Figure872.Pilotoperatedcheckcircuitwithcylinderretracting.

Thefollowingwilldescribehowpilotoperatedcheckvalvescancauseproblemsinsome
applications.
Pilotoperatedcheckvalves
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Figure873showshowusingapilotoperatedcheckvalvetokeepaheavyplatenfrom
driftingcancauseproblems.

Figure873.Pilotoperatedcheckvalveonrunningawayload,atrest,
pumprunning.

Whenacylinderhasaload,tryingtoextenditcausesloadinducedpressure.Inthe
examplecited,a15,000lbplatenpullingagainsta26.51squareinchrodendareagivesa
566psiloadinducedpressure.Thisloadinducedpressureholdsagainstthepoppetin
thepilotoperatedcheckvalve,forcingitclosed.Thepilotpistonmusthavesufficient
pressuretoopenthepoppetwith566psipushingagainstit.Thepilotpistononmost
pilotoperatedcheckvalveshasanareathatisthreetofourtimesthatofthepoppet.This
meansitwilltakeapproximately141188psiatthecapendcylinderporttoopenthe
poppetforreverseflow.
Whenthedirectionalvalveshifts,startingthecylinderforward,asshowninFigure874,
pressureinthecapendcylinderportstartsclimbingto150psi.Atabout150psithe
poppetinthepilotoperatedcheckvalveopensandallowsoilfromthecylinderrodenda
freeflowpathtotank.Thecylinderimmediatelyrunsaway,pressureincylindercapport
drops,thepilotoperatedcheckvalveclosesfastandhard,andthecylinderstops
abruptly.Whenthepilotoperatedcheckvalvecloses,pressureatthecapendcylinder
portagainbuildsto150psi,openingthecheckvalve,andtheprocessstartsagain.A
cylinderwiththeseconditionsfallsandstopsallthewaytotheworkunlessitmeets
enoughresistancetokeepitfromrunningaway.

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Withthiscircuit,system
shockveryquickly
damagespiping,
cylinders,andvalves.

Figure874.Pilotoperatedcheckvalveonrunningawayload,cylinder
extending,freefall.

Addingaflowcontrol
betweenthecylinderand
pilotoperatedcheckvalve
isonewaytokeepitfrom
runningaway.However,
therestrictioncouldcause
fluidheatingandslow
cycling,andwouldneed
frequentadjustmentto
maintainoptimum

control.
Placingaflowcontrolafterthepilotoperatedcheckvalvecausesbackpressureagainstits
pilotpistonandcouldkeepitfromopeningatall.Withtheflowcontrolafterthepilot
operatedcheckvalve,useonewithanexternaldrain.Whenthereismuchbackpressure
ontheoutletofapilotoperatedcheckvalve,itisbesttouseonewithanexternaldrain.
Itisbesttocontrolthecylindershownherewithacounterbalancevalve.Seechapterfive
forthedifferenttypesofcounterbalancecircuits.
Evenwithsomespooltypecounterbalancevalves,thecylinderstilldrifts.Addingan
externallydrainedpilotoperatedcheckvalvebetweenthecounterbalancevalveandthe
cylinderholdsitstationary.Thecounterbalancevalvekeepsthecylinderfromrunning
awaynomattertheflowvariations,whilethepilotoperatedcheckvalveholdsit
stationarywhenstopped.

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Apilotoperatedcheck
valvewiththe
decompressionfeature
wouldnothelpinthis
circuit.

Figure875.Pilotoperatedcheckvalveonrunningawayload,cylinder
stoppingonclosedP.O.check.

Figures876and878
showanotherpossible
problemusingapilot
operatedcheckvalveto
keepaverticaldown
actingcylinderfrom
drifting.Thecylinderin
thisexamplehasaheavy
weightpullingagainstthe
rodside.Aloadinduced
pressureof1508psiplus
142psifrompilotpressure
actsagainstthepoppetin
thepilotoperatedcheck
valve.Thisrequiresahigh
pilotpressuretoopenthe
pilotoperatedcheck
valve.

Figure876.Pilotoperatedcheckvalveonrunningawayload,cylinder
juststartingtoextend.

Itrequiresapproximately500psipilotpressuretoopenthepilotoperatedcheckvalve
with1650psiagainstthepoppet.Aspilotpressurebuildstoopenthepoppet,italso
pushesagainstthefullpistonareaofthecylinder.Thiscylinderhasnearlytwicethearea
onthecapsideastherodside,soevery100psionthecapsidegivesabout200psionthe
rodside.Aspilotpressurebuildstothe500psirequired,pressureagainstthepoppetin
thepilotoperatedcheckvalveincreasesattwicetherate.Figure877showsthestartof
thiscondition.

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Figure877.Pilotoperatedcheckvalveonrunningawayload,cylinder
stilltryingtoextend.

InFigure877,thecylinderrodendpressureisat300psi,whichadds570psitothe
1508psiloadinducedpressure.Theextrahydraulicpressurepushesharderagainstthe
pilotoperatedcheckvalvepoppet,makingpilotpressureincreaseevenmore.
Aspilotpressureincreases,downforceandrodendpressureescalatesalso.InFigure8
78,rodendpressureisat3565psibecausepilotpressurecontinuestoclimb.Inthe
situationshownhere,itisobviousthereliefvalvewillopenbeforereachingapilot
pressurehighenoughtoopenthepilotoperatedcheckvalve.Evenifpilotpressurecould
gohighenoughtoopenthepilotoperatedcheckvalve,thecylinderrunsawayandstops.

Figure878.Pilotoperatedcheckvalveonrunningawayload,cylinder
stilltryingtoextend.

Apilotoperatedcheckvalvewithadecompressionpoppetwouldnothelpinthis
situation.Flowfromthesmalldecompressionpoppetisnotenoughtohandlecylinder
flow.Thecylinderwouldextendwithadecompressionpoppet,butataveryslowrate.
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Itisbesttocontrolthecylinderinthisexamplewithacounterbalancevalve.Seechapter
fiveforthedifferenttypesofcounterbalancecircuits.
Evenwithsomespooltypecounterbalancevalves,thecylinderstilldrifts.Addingan
externallydrainedpilotoperatedcheckvalvebetweenthecounterbalancevalveandthe
cylinderwillholditstationary.Thecounterbalancevalvekeepsthecylinderfromrunning
awaynomattertheflowvariations,whilethepilotoperatedcheckvalveholdsit
stationarywhenstopped.
Shownarecircuitsthatrequireapilotoperatedcheckvalvetohaveexternaldrainand/or
decompressioncapabilities.
Astandardpilotoperatedcheckvalvecircuitusuallyhasminimumbackpressureatthe
reverseflowoutletport.Ifthereisarestrictioncausinghighbackpressureinthereverse
flowoutletport,astandardvalvemaynotopenwhenapplyingpilotpressure.Thereason
thismighthappenisthepilotpistonseesbackpressurefromthereverseflowoutletport.
Ifthepilotoperatedcheckvalvepoppethasloadinducedpressureholdingitshut,plus
reverseflowoutletportbackpressureopposingthepilotpiston,thereisnotenoughpilot
pistonforcetoopenthecheckpoppet.
Ifthereverseflowoutletportbackpressurecannotbeeliminated,thenspecifyapilot
operatedcheckvalvewithanexternaldrain.Pipetheexternaldraintoaloworno
pressurelinegoingtotank.Withanexternaldrainpilotoperatedcheckvalve,thepilot
pistonusuallyopensthecheckpoppettoallowreverseflow.

Figure879.Pilotoperatedcheckvalvecircuitwithexternaldrainfunction
atrest,pumprunning.

TheschematicdrawinginFigure879showsacylinderwithpilotoperatedcheckvalves
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ateachportandmeteroutflowcontrolsdownstreamofthereverseflowoutletport.If
thiscircuitdidnothaveexternallydrainedpilotoperatedcheckvalves,thecylinder
wouldoperateinjerksornotatallwhenthedirectionalvalveshifts.Backpressurefrom
theflowcontrolscanpushthepilotpistonclosedandstopthecylinder,thenpressure
woulddropanditwouldstartagain.Thisoscillatingmovementwouldcontinueuntilthe
cylindercompetesitsstroke.Withexternallydrainedpilotoperatedcheckvalves,the
cylinderiseasytocontrolatanyspeed.
PlacingtheflowcontrolsinFigure879betweenthecylinderportsandthepilotoperated
checkvalveeliminatesbackpressure.Thismoveeliminatestheneedforexternallydrained
pilotoperatedcheckvalves.
InFigure880,arunningawayloadhadadriftingproblemwithonlythecounterbalance
valveinstalled.Addingapilotoperatedcheckvalveinfrontofthecounterbalancevalve
stoppedcylinderdrifting.Usingadecompressionpoppetmadeiteasytoopenthemain
checkpoppetagainstthehighloadinducedpressure.Thedecompressionpoppetreleases
trappedfluidinthepipingbetweenthepilotoperatedcheckvalveandthe
counterbalancevalveallowingthemaincheckpoppettoopen.

Figure880.Pilotoperatedcheckonrunningawayloadwithexternal
drainanddecompressionpoppetwithP.O.checkfornoleakholding,
counterbalancevalveforsmoothcontroloftheextendstrokeatrest,with
pumprunning.

Noticethepipebetween
thepilotoperatedcheckvalveandthecounterbalancevalveisatzeropsiwhilethe
cylinderisheldretracted.Thispressurewouldhavebeenabout1200psiwhilethe
cylinderwasretracting,butquicklydropstozerowhenthedirectionalvalvecenters.The
reasonforthispressuredropisleakagepastthecounterbalancevalvespool,whichisthe
reasonforaddingthepilotoperatedcheckvalve.
Ifthepilotoperatedcheckvalvedidnothaveanexternaldrain,backpressurefromthe
counterbalancevalvecanforceitshutwhenthecylinderstartsmoving.Theexternal
drainanddecompressionfeaturesarebothnecessaryinthisholdingcircuit.
Placingthepilotoperatedcheckvalveinthelineafterthecounterbalancevalvewould
requireneitheranexternaldrainnordecompressionfeature.However,thereasonfor
installingthepilotoperatedcheckvalvewastostopdrifting.Withthepilotoperated
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checkvalveafterthecounterbalancevalve,thecounterbalancevalvemusthavean
externaldrain.Anexternaldrainindicatesthereisinternalleakage,sothedriftproblem
maydecreasebutwouldnotgoaway.

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