Proportional valves add options to mobile equipment system designs

Two new hydraulic valves for the off-highway equipment industry are intended to give design engineers added options for configuring control schemes for their machines. PRV electro-proportional relief valve and PSV electro-proportional four-way directional control valve from Sauer-Danfoss Inc. offer smooth proportional functionality for hydraulic circuits.

Developed by engineers from Reggio Emilia, Italy, and Hillsboro, OR, to meet the needs of international manufacturers of aerial lift and material handling vehicles, both valves are suited for mobile equipment applications in turf care, road building, agriculture, construction, municipal, and other industries. Devices may be used in custom manifolds to create hydraulic integrated circuits (HICs) that offer less plumbing, easier installation, fewer leak points, and easier service than traditional valve systems. The new valves are Plus 1 compliant for integration into a customized electronic control system developed with the company’s Plus 1 software and hardware released in March.

The valves are said to help regulate precise load pressure, providing optimal machine performance and improved operator comfort and safety with smoother driving, lifting, and loading work functions. PRV valve controls pressure proportional to the valve input signal. Normally closed, it allows operator control over the pressure in a hydraulic system or control of pressure to a specific actuator, such as a hydraulic motor operating a fan to cool an engine. It comes in two sizes to fit industry standard cavities of 10-2 (flow capability 21 gpm or 80 lpm) and 12-2 (flow capability 50 gpm or 190 lpm).

PSV four-way, three-position valve controls output flow proportional to the valve electrical input. It gives the operator fine control of the direction and speed of a cylinder or motor. It fits industry standard cavity of 10-4 and is rated for flows from 0 to 22 lpm (5.7 gpm) and pressures to 250 bar (3,600 psi).

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering, jkatzel@reedbusiness.com

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