Miniaturization of Check Valves

This contribution deals with principles of developing and constructing technologies to enable the optimization of hydraulic components. The focus is on conventional check valves with a goal of achieving a reduction in size and an accompanying optimization of the housing. For this purpose, check valves, which up to now have had to be installed as additional equipment, are first analyzed, the requirements determined and then redesigned. Here, a conventional rigid-body valve is replaced by a compliant model, creating a monolithic component and uniting the functions of multiple elements, such as springs and closing members (steel balls). The model based development of the novel valve system was carried out by Finite Element Method (FEM). The new valve was improved, in relation to weight and design space, compared to the ball check valve.