Overcenter Valves are Key to Hydraulic Control
March 27, 2012 Design World Sta ! 0 Co""ents
By Raj Dabholkar, Chief Design Engineer, SiCV Div. and Suhas Indulkar, Manager,
Business Developen!
Oten used as #ra$ing valves, these co"%onents $ee% HS&s ro" overrunning'
&raditional hydraulic valves are #eing ousted in avor o slee$er, lighter and hardier cartridge
valves' With the a#ility to #e "ounted straight into "achined "aniolds that internally
connect the valves rather than e(ternal %i%ing as in the case o traditional valves, these
hydraulic integrated circuits )H*Cs+ eli"inate unnecessary tu#es, hoses and ittings' ,s each
itting %rovides t-o %otential lea$age %oints, the #asic %rinci%les o hydraulic "achinery
o%erations are u%held to a higher standard'
,s -ith the "any o%tions -ith traditional %arts.in.#ody ty%e valves, cartridge valves "aniest
the"selves in a "yriad o or"s, ro" the hu"#le chec$ valve to the state.o.the.art
%ro%ortional solenoid direction control valves'
&he lieguard, ho-ever, or any hydraulic actuator, is the overcenter valve' &his "otion
controlling "arvel is the successor o the counter#alance valve' &he na"e counter#alance
ca"e ro" the counter#alancing -eights used in the earlier "achine tools to %revent the #all
scre- ro" co"ing under heavy load' &hese valves -ere designed in the early thirties #y
Harry Vic$ers/ tea", -ho develo%ed the" as s%ool ty%e valves and hence -ere not ound to
#e 0ero lea$'
While counter#alance valves "aintain a healthy a"ount o #ac$ %ressure, they orce the
%u"% to develo% the ull set %ressure on the counter#alance s%ring #eore they allo- the
actuator to "ove' ,s sho-n in 1igure 1, a counter#alance valve attached to the ull.#ore
)ca% end+ area o the cylinder and set to 120 #ar, at 0ero load, -ill orce the %u"% to develo%
a %ressure o 300 #ar at the annular )rod end+ area #eore the cylinder is allo-ed to "ove )i
the annular area is hal the ull #ore+'
*n turn, -hat the overcenter valve does is use a %ilot assist ro" the o%%osite end o the
actuator to "ove the %o%%et against the s%ring' ,n overcenter valve can #e descri#ed as a
%ilot.assisted relie valve -ith an integral ree lo- chec$' &he %eror"ance o overcenter
valves are at #est -hen "ounted into the actuator, -hether it is a linear )cylinder+ or a rotary
)hydraulic "otor+ actuator' Ho-ever, i not, they should #e connected to the actuators -ith
rigid %i%ing'
&he dis%arity #et-een a %ilot.o%erated chec$ valve and %ilot.assisted relie valve "ust #e
noted here' While a %ilot.o%erated chec$ valve o%ens ully as soon as the %ilot %ort develo%s
a %ressure that is suicient to o%en the %o%%et, in case o the overcenter valve, the %ilot
%ressure has to overco"e a strong s%ring' &he s%ring/s orce is reduced #y the si"ultaneous
action o %ressure on the cylinder %ort due to the -eight o the load' *n short, in %ilot.
o%erated chec$ valves, the %ilot %ressure and load %ressure act against each other, -hile in
%ilot.assisted relie valves, they act in the sa"e direction against the s%ring' &his o%ens the
%o%%et gradually and causes the lo- to "eter'
"ver#en!er valves $ere used ainly for !he follo$ing purposes%
&oad holding% &he overcenter valve %revents the "ove"ent o a load -hen the directional
valve is in the neutral %osition, %er"itting the use o o%en center directional valves and
negating lea$age %ast the s%ool o closed center directional valves'
&oad #on!rol% &he overcenter valve %revents the actuator running ahead o the %u"% due to
the load.induced energy, there#y eli"inating cavitation in the actuator and loss o control'
&oad safe!y% *n the case o hose ailure, an overcenter valve "ounted onto or into a cylinder
-ill %revent uncontrolled "ove"ent o the load' When a cylinder is used in a #oo", as in a
crane, then hose ailure %rotection is vital as the loss o load control could cause da"age to
%eo%le or %ro%erty'
4elie setting o the overcenter valve or "ost a%%lications is a "atter o co""on sense and
5udg"ent' *n the case -here the load varies drastically and sudden i"%act loads are
e(%ected, the relie %ressure could #e 20.306 "ore than the load %ressure' Ho-ever, or
hori0ontal cylinders, this could #e as lo- as 2.106' &his ensures that -ith the "a(i"u" load
on the actuator the valve -ill re"ain closed until %ilot %ressure is a%%lied' &he %ilot %ressure
re7uired to o%en the valve -ill de%end on the %ilot ratio that is the ratio #et-een the relie
area and the %ilot area' &he %ilot %ressure can #e calculated as ollo-s!
8ilot %ressure 9 valve setting : load %ressure ; %ilot ratio
1igure 2 sho-s the %ressure dro% curves o t-o valves -ith dierent %ilot ratios' &he higher
%ilot ratio valve is "ore restrictive than the lo- %ilot ratio valve' &his sho-s that a#ove a
certain %ressure, the lo-er %ilot ratio valve is "ore eicient than the higher %ilot ratio valve' *t
is i"%ortant that the total %eror"ance is ta$en into account #eore s%eciying an overcenter
valve'
1ig' 2! 4elationshi% #et-een lo- and %ilot ratio' ,#ove a certain %ressure, the lo-er %ilot ratio valve is "ore
eicient than the higher %ilot ratio valve'
&o e(%lain the need or overcenter valves, the %erect e(a"%le -ould #e an inverse
%endulu", as sho-n in 1igure 3' Here, a cylinder is attached to a %endulu" -hich has a
load at its end' &he cylinder/s retraction and e(tension hel%s the %endulu" s-ay #ac$-ard
and or-ard' &o %ush the %endulu" ro" one e(tre"ity to another during its ascent, the
cylinder acts against the load and the orce o gravity<hence the %endulu" is al-ays in
control -ith the %u"% driving the load'
1ig' 3! &he hy%othetical inverted %endulu" is the #est e(a"%le or the need or an overcenter valve'
,s the %endulu" goes over its center o gravity and starts its descent, the load #eco"es
un#alanced, -ith the %endulu" trying to "ove aster than the cylinder -ill allo- it to' =o-
the load ends u% driving the %u"% since the load and gravity are acting in the sa"e direction
as the cylinder' Here the overcenter valve -ould regulate the "ove"ent o the cylinder #y
"etering the lo- out o it and su#se7uently $ee%ing the load in control at all ti"es'
1ig' >! Overcenter valves should never #e connected to #loc$ed center directional control valves' * there is
a sudden s-itch to the #loc$ center )1+ or a %ressure s%i$e due to te"%erature rise o the luid )2+, the luid
has no %lace to esca%e and can end u% #ursting hoses, da"aging e7ui%"ent or even %utting o%erator/s
lives at ris$'
Since the scenario is re%eated in the reverse direction, a second overcenter valve is re7uired
or the sa"e reason on the o%%osite line' *n this case, a dual overcenter valve is used, -hich
regulates the lo- out o a cylinder at #oth ends'
Dual overcenter valves also ind use in trac$ -heels o large earth "oving e7ui%"ent )1igure
2+, -here the "achines are re7uired to cli"# stee% inclines' ?7ui%"ent needs to #e a#le to
"ove #oth or-ard and in reverse on stee% slo%es' Moving or-ard on a descending slo%e
and reversing on an ascending slo%e, the "achine tends to roll or-ard or #ac$-ard
res%ectively' Dual overcenter valves connected to the hydraulic "otors $ee% the load ro"
running a-ay #y controlling the out-ard lo- o oil in #oth directions' Ho-ever, a %ar$ing
#rea$ is a "ust or rotary actuators'
1ig' 2! &here are cases -here "o#ile e7ui%"ent on an incline "ay go out o control, due to inade7uate
control o the trac$ -heels' 4eversing on inclines and or-arding on slo%es result in the load running a-ay'
Overcenter valves are also used on hydraulic "otors in a%%lications such as -inches, as
ela#orated in 1igure @' 4eeling in the -inch -hile liting the load ha%%ens against the orce
o gravity, -hich results in the %u"% driving the load' While lo-ering, ho-ever, the load and
gravity act in the sa"e direction' &his results in the load running a-ay and a %ossi#le loss o
control' Here the overcenter valve "eters the lo- out o the hydraulic "otor to $ee% the load
in %lace'
1ig' @! Winches inherently re7uire overcenter valves to %revent load runa-ay -hile lo-ering the load' &his
ho-ever is not a ail.sae "ethod to hold the load in %lace' , %ar$ing #rea$ should #e installed to %rotect the
load ro" alling catastro%hically'
Overcenter valves are ty%ically "ounted on the ca% o a linear actuator or they can #e line
"ounted -ith rigid %i%ing #et-een the actuator and the valve' &he cylinder %ort o the valve
is connected to one end o the actuator -hile the valve %ort is connected to the directional
control valve' &he %ilot %ort is connected to the o%%osite end o the actuator'
*n 1igure 7, the cylinder has to #e e(tended against the -eight o the load<the oil lo-s to
the ca% end over the chec$ valve e(tending the %iston, -hile the o%%osite end is drained o
oil' 1or retraction, the overcenter valve restricts the lo- o oil out o the ca% end, resulting in
the %ressure rising at the o%%osite end' &his %ressure is sensed at the %ilot %ort o the
overcenter valve, -hich, assisted #y the load induced %ressure, co"%resses the s%ring
giving an outlet to the oil ro" the ca% end'
1ig' 7! O%erating an overcenter valve -ith a linear actuator'
* the load -ere to run a-ay, the lo- out o the ca% end -ould increase starving the rod end
o oil, resulting in a dro% in %ressure' Conse7uently, the %ilot %ressure -ould no longer #e
high enough to $ee% the s%ring co"%ressed' &his shuts o the lo- "oving out o the
cylinder' *n this -ay, the load and its "ove"ent -ould #e #ac$ under control #y continuously
"etering the lo- out o the cylinder'
,s -ith any hydraulic valve, there is al-ays a unctional variety' &he sa"e goes or the
overcenter' &he valves co"e in t-o ty%es o relie designs' One is a direct acting relie valve
-hich eatures 7uic$ res%onse and 0ero lea$ characteristic' &he other is a dierential area
overcenter, -hich gives a higher lo- ca%acity )A300 l%"+ #ut -ith a %oor reseating
characteristic'
Overcenter valves used in con5unction -ith %ro%ortional valves are re7uired to #e ully
#alanced and -ill allo- the do-nstrea" %ressure to #e high -ithout aecting the relie s%ring
setting'
, note o caution! saying that the Overcenter valve is a load holding valve, is true only in the
%urvie- o linear actuators )cylinders+' &his is #ecause o the inherent lea$ages -ithin the
"otor<the rotor o the "otor -ill al-ays have lea$ages ro" the high %ressure to lo-.
%ressure 0one'
1or controlling a rotary actuator, a %ar$ing #ra$e engaged -ith the hel% o a shuttle valve, a
s%ring.loaded cylinder and %erha%s a %ressure reducing valve is "andatory' 8ressure in any
o the lines -ill #e sensed #y the shuttle valve, $ee%ing the %ar$ing #ra$e disengaged' When
the %ressure in #oth the lines is 0ero )-hen the valve is in the neutral %osition+, the %ressure
sto%s holding #ac$ the s%ring in the cylinder o the %ar$ing #ra$e and engages it -ith the
hydraulic "otor, sto%%ing its "otion'
,nother %oint o care is that overcenter valves should never #e connected to directional
control valves -ith a #loc$ed center s%ool' &he neutral %osition o the valve should al-ays
#e o a loat center coniguration' &his reduces the %ilot %ressure to 0ero in the neutral
%osition, ensuring that the %iston reseats correctly' &his also "eans that the valve can
unction as ther"al relie and can even eli"inate un-anted %ressure in the cylinder %ort'
Discuss this on &he ?ngineering ?(change!
'u#son (ydro#on!rols
---'tucsonhydrocontrols'co"
