Open AccessDevelopment of metallic 3d-printed water hydraulic proportional directional control valve
Author(s) -
Jan Bartolj,
Anže Čelik,
Franc Majdič
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
DOI - 10.18690/978-961-286-513-9.4
Subject(s) - inconel , mechanical engineering , materials science , machining , 3d printing , finite element method , hydraulics , inconel 625 , globe valve , 3d printed , metallurgy , engineering , structural engineering , corrosion , manufacturing engineering , alloy , aerospace engineering
New additive metal powder technologies are increasingly used for various prototypes. Different powder materials can be used for very complex shapes. Water hydraulics needs new technologies and new approaches to enable more frequent use by users. A new shape of housing for a water hydraulic proportional directional control valve was designed. FEM and CFD analyses of the valve housing were performed. Based on the results of the initial numerical analyses, topological optimization of the valve housing was performed. The prototype of the valve was fabricated from non-corrosive Inconel powder using 3D printing process. After machining, the valve was assembled and experimentally validated on the water hydraulic test rig. The new 3D-printed Inconel valve housing is more than 3 times lighter than similar housings of industrial valves.