Valve assembly having electrical actuator with stepped armature

A method of operating a valve assembly comprising:

• changing an energy state of an electrical actuator of the valve assembly;
• moving an armature coupled with a valve member in the valve assembly from a rest position toward a stator in the electrical actuator in response to the change to the energy state of the electrical actuator, the moving of the armature includes tilting a top surface of the armature forming the raised surface and the lower, gap-forming surface relative to the face of the stator;
• stopping the moving of the armature at an activated position at which a raised surface at a radially inward location of the armature is adjacent to a face of the stator;
• forming a gap at the activated position between a lower, gap-forming surface at a radially outward location of the armature and the face of the stator;
• and
• displacing a fluid from between the armature and the stator by way of the gap.

A valve assembly comprising:

• a valve member;
• an electrical actuator including a stator, and an armature coupled to the valve member;
• the electrical actuator including a solenoid electrical actuator having the stator, a winding, and an overmolding encasing the winding;
• the stator includes an annular outer stator portion and an annular inner stator portion, and a channel formed radially between the outer stator portion and the inner stator portion, and the winding and overmolding are received within the channel, the inner stator portion includes an inner stator end face and the outer stator portion includes an outer stator end face, and the inner stator end face and the outer stator end face are positioned in a common plane;
• and
• the overmolding has an annular slot formed therein that extends inwardly from the common plane, and the gap is in fluid communication with the annular slot at the second position of the armature;
• the armature including an armature plate defining an armature center axis, and being movable between a rest position and an activated position to vary a position of the valve member, in response to a change to an energy state of the electrical actuator;
• the armature plate including a top armature surface facing the stator, a bottom armature surface, and an outer perimetric surface extending circumferentially around the armature center axis and axially between the top armature surface and the bottom armature surface;
• and
• the top armature surface having an inwardly stepped-up profile forming a raised surface at a radially inward location that is adjacent to the stator at the activated position, and a lower, gap-forming surface at a radially outward location that forms a gap between the armature and the stator at the activated position.