A New Technique for Steady State Flow Force Compensation in Spool Valves

In improving the performance of some hydraulic systems a significant factor is the compensation of the steady state flow force in spool valves. This paper presents a new method, or configuration, to reduce the steady state flow force in spool valves and gives the results of theoretical analyses and experimental research which indicate that the new configuration can remove 56–69 per cent of the steady state flow force in spool valves. The configuration is so simple and economical to manufacture that it only needs a simple annular groove to be machined on the spool.