Additively manufactured hydraulic valve components
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsKevin L. Martin, Paul A. Zwart, Michael Charles Marstall, Mikhail A. Sorokin, Lonnie James Devier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of manufacturing a hydraulic valve component using additive manufacturing includes laying successive layers to form a flow aperture for a hydraulic valve component, and creating a lattice or mesh structure that at least partially defines the flow aperture of the hydraulic valve component, or a feature that forms an undercut along a direction that is parallel to a flow direction of the flow aperture, or a flow aperture having a size varying along a circumferential direction of the valve component.
Claims13
A valve assembly comprising:
- a housing member defining a plurality of bores;
- at least one valve component that is disposed in at least one of the plurality of bores and that defines a central axis, the at least one valve component extending along a radial direction that is orthogonal to the central axis and having a solid portion;
- wherein the at least one valve component includes:
- a valve seat member having a flow orifice that is at least partially defined by a lattice structure.
A valve assembly comprising:
- A housing member defining a plurality of bores;
- and
- a valve component that is disposed in at least one of the plurality of bores and that is movable along an axis of translation, the valve component extending along a radial direction that is orthogonal to the axis of translation,
- wherein the valve component includes a poppet valve member having a longitudinal axis about which the poppet valve member is configured to rotate,
- the poppet valve member having one or more structures formed by additive manufacturing, the one or more structures including a flow orifice that is asymmetrical about a plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
A valve assembly comprising:
- a housing member defining a plurality of bores;
- and
- a valve component that is disposed in at least one of the plurality of bores and that is movable along an axis of translation, the valve component extending along a radial direction that is orthogonal to the axis of translation:
- Wherein the valve component has one or more structures formed by additive manufacturing, and
- wherein valve component includes a compensator cup, and the one or more structures formed by additive manufacturing includes a flow aperture that changes in size along a circumferential direction that surrounds the axis of translation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.