Hydraulics, your way
We should really rename HydroSym, our software package for quick and easy hydraulic design, to “HydroSym, hydraulic schematics, your way!”
In the latest HydroSym update we revealed a new flexibility for your hydraulic design needs. This time, in the freedom to design with four way directional control valves with complete flexibility on the naming sequence of the ports.
Why did we do this?
Well, first and foremost, this is a feature our users have asked for.
Secondly, we believe it is important to make it as easy as possible for hydraulic engineers to choose and design easily with hydraulic parts of any brand.
This way your hydraulic software works for you, and you choose the part that fits your design best regardless of the brand.
In hydraulics, there is not a set rule on the sequence of ports in a four way directional control valve, and it is possible to come across different manufacturers using a different naming sequence. For example, the most standard one you can come across is P-A-B-T. But, as you know, it is not the only way you can see it on a schematic.
4-way directional control valve
This is how Matlab defines what a 4-way directional control valve is:
The 4-Way Directional Control Valve is a directional control valve that has four ports and three positions, or flow paths. The ports connect to what in a typical model are a hydraulic pump (port P), a storage tank (port T), and a double-acting actuator (ports A and B). Fluid can flow from the pump to the actuator via path P-A or P-B and from the actuator to the tank via path A-T or B-T — depending on the working side of the actuator.
Now that we’ve reviewed the four way directional control valve, let’s look at some examples.
P-A-B-T Example
The most common way to denote the sequence is P-A-B-T.
A good example of that is with these sandwich check valves from a Bosch Rexroth datasheet:
But this is not the only way to arrange the diagram.
Let’s take a look at a few other variations that you can come across.
P-T-B-A Example
In the technical datasheet from Sun Hydraulics sandwich valve body, EB2, the sequence is done as P-T-B-A:
A-P-T-B Example
Below, we see another example of a Wandfluh sandwich flow control valve. Here, the sequence is marked as A-P-T-B:
All 3 ways with HydroSym
With HydroSym you can easily click and add any part you want to use from the extensive Paro Component Library of over 40.000 hydraulic symbols — no matter how the manufacturer chooses to sequence the ports. You can simply add them to your diagram and carry on!
Below, we show a quick schematic to show you all three different ways in HydroSym, with both top and bottom configurations:
Do you have a preferred way to sequence ports? Is there a specific reason for it? Let us know!
Try it yourself
Try out the different ways to sequence ports with HydroSym! We offer a 1 month free trial — no credit card required.
