A Fluidic, Hydraulic Servovalve

Abstract

This study focuses upon the analysis, design, and experimental evaluation of a hydraulic servovalve constructed from laminar proportional fluid amplifiers and resistance feedback elements. A servovalve has been developed in which the pressure/flow characteristics can be contoured to match a specific application through appropriate design of the proportional amplifiers and selection of the feedback elements. A set of design equations have been derived to select the appropriate feedback elements. Using the design procedure, two valve configurations have been constructed and tested. Experimental evaluations of the two configurations in terms of static pressure and flow gains and dynamic response have agreed closely with analyses.