Simulation and Experimental Investigation of an Innovative Combined Hydraulic Valve for High-Pressure Washing

During the last decades, the design requirements for hydraulic systems and components have been focused on a general performance improvement, together with a contemporary reduction of power losses, weights and volumes. Indeed, for actual hydraulic systems, a significant increase of the delivered flow rates and maximum pressure levels has been continuously registered. Thus, the constant increase of power density and safety requirements leads to the necessity of developing innovative miniaturized components with combined features and functions. With this aim, in this paper, the main design features of an innovative combined hydraulic valve for high-pressure washing applications have been investigated by means of lumped and distributed numerical simulations and experimental testing. First of all, a very detailed lumped and distributed numerical model of the combined valve has been developed, with particular attention devoted to the coupling between all the mechanical internal components and to the valve body inner hydraulic connections. Then, the predictive capability of this lumped and distributed numerical model has been clearly presented and verified by means of a numerical versus experimental comparison, performed for a wide range of operating conditions and geometrical parameters. Finally, the previously validated numerical model has been applied in order to study, for a typical working cycle, the influence of the sealing gaps on the valve operation, performance and internal leakages.