Valve on the basis of electrorheological and/or magnetorheological fluids

• US 6,378,558 B1
• Filed: 11/08/2000
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dark Horse Pty., Ltd., Denise Lyons, CARL Schenck AG (Durr AG), Garry Neil Lyons, Ranken Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Carl Schenck
• Inventors: Pohl, Andreas, Buesing, Klaus, Wendt, Eckhardt, Rosenfeldt, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAMBERS, A MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/700,096
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 137/807, 137/827, 251/126, 251/127
• US Class Current: 137/827
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/34 Special valve constructions F16F9/44, F16F9/50 take precedence; filtering details F16F9/3285 ; valves in general F16K; Shape or construction of throttling passages
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/53 Means for adjusting damping characteristics by varying fluid viscosity, e.g. electromagnetically F16F13/30 takes precedence; brakes comprising a medium with electrically or magnetically controlled friction F16D57/002; electrorheological fluids per se C10M171/001; magnetorheological fluids per se H01F1/447
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2082 Utilizing particular fluid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2191 By non-fluid energy field affecting input [e.g., transducer]

Abstract

A valve (1) on the basis of electrorheological and/or magnetorheological fluids includes a fluid inlet channel (3) connected through a valve gap (5) to a fluid outlet channel (4). The valve gap is filled with an electrorheological and/or magnetorheological fluid and is bounded by bounding surfaces that are embodied as electrically energizable capacitor electrodes and/or coil arrangements, whereby the field excitation thereof acts on the fluid flowing through the valve gap. At least one bounding surface of the valve gap is embodied to be movable selectively toward and away from another bounding surface, so as to superimpose a squeeze mode and a flow mode of the electrorheological and/or magnetorheological effect. The valve gap may define a meandering or spiral flow path for the fluid. In this manner, a compact valve can provide high blocking pressures and high through-flow rates.

Claims

1. An arrangement including a fluid flow control valve and a fluid selected from the group consisting of electrorheological fluids, magnetorheological fluids and combinations thereof, wherein:

said valve comprises first and second bounding surfaces defining therebetween a valve gap that extends from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet;

said fluid is in said valve gap;

at least one of said first and second bounding surfaces comprises an electrically energizable coil arrangement adapted to generate a magnetic field in said fluid in said valve gap, or said first and second bounding surfaces comprise electrically energizable capacitor electrodes adapted to generate an electric field in said fluid in said valve gap, so as to induce a flow mode rheological effect in said fluid; and

at least one of said first and second bounding surfaces is movable relatively toward and away from another of said first and second bounding surfaces so as to change a spacing distance between said first and second bounding surfaces that defines a width of said valve gap, so as to induce a squeeze mode rheological effect in said fluid.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said fluid comprises said electrorheological fluid, said first and second bounding surfaces each comprise said capacitor electrodes, and said flow mode rheological effect and said squeeze mode Theological effect are simultaneously superimposed and induced in said electrorheological fluid.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said fluid comprises said magnetorheological fluid, at least one of said bounding surfaces comprises said coil arrangement, and said flow mode Theological effect and said squeeze mode rheological effect are simultaneously superimposed and induced in said magnetorheological fluid.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said valve further comprises a rectangular valve housing and an actuator arranged in said housing, said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet are respective holes in said housing, said valve housing includes said first bounding surface, said actuator includes said second bounding surface, and said actuator is supported in said housing so that said second bounding surface thereof is movable relatively toward and away from said first bounding surface in a direction perpendicular to a flow direction of said fluid through said valve gap.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said valve further comprises:

a hollow cylindrical valve housing comprising a cylindrical shell housing wall that includes a cylindrical inner surface forming said first bounding surface and that has at least one slot extending lengthwise along and through said housing wall;

a cylindrical element that is arranged coaxially in said valve housing and that includes said second bounding surface; and

an actuator that is connected to said housing wall and adapted to selectively enlarge and reduce a width of said slot and thereby expand and contract said housing wall relative to said cylindrical element, whereby said first and second bounding surfaces are selectively movable relatively apart from one another and toward one another.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said valve further comprises:

a hollow cylindrical valve housing extending along a cylinder axis;

a plurality of disk-shaped elements that each respectively have a fluid through-flow opening therethrough, that are arranged successively spaced axially apart from one another along said cylinder axis in said valve housing with said fluid through-flow openings of successive ones of said disk-shaped elements being angularly offset from one another respectively by 180°

about said cylinder axis, and that each have first and second disk surfaces respectively comprising at least portions of said first and second bounding surfaces, with portions of said valve gap respectively defined between said first disk surface of one of said disk-shaped elements and said second disk surface of a next successive one of said disk-shaped elements; and

a disk-shaped actuator that is arranged parallel to and spaced axially apart from one of said disk-shaped elements on said cylinder axis, that includes an actuator surface arranged spaced axially apart from one of said disk surfaces of an adjacent one of said disk-shaped elements and defines a portion of said valve gap therebetween, and that is selectively movable relatively toward and away from said one of said disk surfaces of said adjacent one of said disk-shaped elements.

7. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said valve further comprises a valve housing and a piezoelectric actuator arranged in said valve housing so as to selectively move at least one of said first and second bounding surfaces relative to another of said first and second bounding surfaces.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said valve further comprises a valve housing and a magnetostrictive actuator arranged in said valve housing so as to selectively move at least one of said first and second bounding surfaces relative to another of said first and second bounding surfaces.

9. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said valve further comprises a valve housing and a hydraulic actuator arranged in said valve housing so as to selectively move at least one of said first and second bounding surfaces relative to another of said first and second bounding surfaces.

10. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said valve further comprises a valve housing and an oscillating actuator arranged in said valve housing so as to selectively oscillatingly move at least one of said first and second bounding surfaces relative to another of said first and second bounding surfaces.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said first and second bounding surfaces are so configured and arranged to bound said valve gap so as to define a flow path having a meandering pattern along said valve gap from said fluid inlet to said fluid outlet.

12. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said first and second bounding surfaces are so configured and arranged to bound said valve gap so as to define a flow path having a helical or spiral pattern along said valve gap from said fluid inlet to said fluid outlet.

13. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said arrangement is a shock absorber comprising a shock absorber housing, said valve arranged as a piston in said shock absorber housing, and a piston rod that is connected to said piston and that extends out of said housing.

14. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said arrangement is a controllable piston-cylinder arrangement comprising a cylinder, a piston arranged in said cylinder to separate two cylinder chambers from each other in said cylinder, and a piston rod that is connected to said piston and that extends out of said cylinder, wherein said valve is interposed in a fluid flow path connected to at least one of said cylinder chambers.

15. An arrangement including a fluid flow control valve and a fluid selected from the group consisting of electrorheological fluids, magnetorheological fluids and combinations thereof, wherein:

said valve comprises first and second bounding surfaces defining therebetween a valve gap that extends from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet;

said fluid is in said valve gap;

at least one of said first and second bounding surfaces comprises an electrically energizable coil arrangement adapted to generate a magnetic field in said fluid in said valve gap, or said first and second bounding surfaces comprise electrically energizable capacitor electrodes adapted to generate an electric field in said fluid in said valve gap, so as to induce a flow mode

rheological effect in said fluid; and

said first and second bounding surfaces are so configured and arranged to bound said valve gap so as to define a flow path having a meandering pattern along said valve gap from said fluid inlet to said fluid outlet.

16. The arrangement according to claim 15, wherein said valve further comprises:

a hollow cylindrical valve housing extending along a cylinder axis; and

a plurality of disk-shaped elements that each respectively have a fluid through-flow opening therethrough, that are arranged successively spaced axially apart from one another along said cylinder axis in said valve housing with said fluid through-flow openings of successive ones of said disk-shaped elements being angularly offset from one another respectively by 180°

about said cylinder axis, and that each have first and second disk surfaces respectively comprising at least portions of said first and second bounding surfaces, with portions of said valve gap respectively defined between said first disk surface of one of said disk-shaped elements and said second disk surface of a next successive one of said disk-shaped elements.

17. The arrangement according to claim 15, wherein said arrangement is a shock absorber comprising a shock absorber housing, said valve arranged as a piston in said shock absorber housing, and a piston rod that is connected to said piston and that extends out of said housing.

18. The arrangement according to claim 15, wherein said arrangement is a controllable piston-cylinder arrangement comprising a cylinder, a piston arranged in said cylinder to separate two cylinder chambers from each other in said cylinder, and a piston rod that is connected to said piston and that extends out of said cylinder, wherein said valve is interposed in a fluid flow path connected to at least one of said cylinder chambers.

19. An arrangement including a fluid flow control valve and a fluid selected from the group consisting of electrorheological fluids, magnetorheological fluids and combinations thereof, wherein:

said valve comprises first and second bounding surfaces defining therebetween a valve gap that extends from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet;

said fluid is in said valve gap;

at least one of said first and second bounding surfaces comprises an electrically energizable coil arrangement adapted to generate a magnetic field in said fluid in said valve gap, or said first and second bounding surfaces comprise electrically energizable capacitor electrodes adapted to generate an electric field in said fluid in said valve gap, so as to induce a flow mode rheological effect in said fluid; and

said first and second bounding surfaces are so configured and arranged to bound said valve gap so as to define a flow path having a helical or spiral pattern along said valve gap from said fluid inlet to said fluid outlet.

20. The arrangement according to claim 19, wherein said arrangement is a shock absorber comprising a shock absorber housing, said valve arranged as a piston in said shock absorber housing, and a piston rod that is connected to said piston and that extends out of said housing.

21. The arrangement according to claim 19, wherein said arrangement is a controllable piston-cylinder arrangement comprising a cylinder, a piston arranged in said cylinder to separate two cylinder chambers from each other in said cylinder, and a piston rod that is connected to said piston and that extends out of said cylinder, wherein said valve is interposed in a fluid flow path connected to at least one of said cylinder chambers.