Numerical and experimental investigation for the design of a directional spool valve

Hydraulic valves are one of the most studied component in the fluid power field since they control the flow in complex systems. Directional control spool valves allow the shifting of the flow to different users through the displacement of a spool, which slides inside the valve's core opening and closing the flow paths. The research presented in this paper shows the designing of a directional spool valve using a three-dimensional fluid dynamic approach. The valve is a size 10, with pressure up to 350 bar and standard flow rate up to 160 l/min. The numerical approach has been validated through experimental tests on a preliminary valve, already available on the market, which has same performance and size. The final design of the new valve has been then studied with a FEA approach in order to minimize issues related to the body deformation. The final result is a new valve designed by minimizing the prototyping requirement and development costs with lower pressure drop and performance equal or superior to valves which have had a longer prototyping processes.