Cartridge Valves

Cartridge valves do not have a housing, as the valve’s internal components are screwed directly into the hydraulic system. The housing is replaced by corresponding recesses in the valve block.

An exemplary application is the connection with a directional control valve. In this connection, the control spool is attached to the actuator with the help of the valve. The following describes five exemplary application areas for cartridge valves.

Cartridge Valves – Application in Check Valves

Cartridge valves are found in a wide variety of applications. One area of application for cartridge valves is in check valves. These are characterized by a spherical poppet and a low-leakage design. This type of valve results in only a small pressure drop in the hydraulic system. Furthermore, cartridge valves as check valves exhibit very good tolerance to contamination and a high flow capacity. The average maximum inlet pressure for this type of hydraulic connection technology is 350 bar with a flow rate of up to 300 liters per minute. Check valves are available in various designs as seat valves or ball valves. In addition, there are pilot-operated cartridge valves and control spools in check valves.

Cartridge Valves – Application as Shuttle Valves

While the ball design offers good tolerance to contamination, the flow capacity of the spool type is significantly higher. The spool type is suitable for use as a flushing valve in various transmission applications.

Cartridge Valves – Application as Load Holding Valves

Load holding valves are usually equipped with a lowering brake mechanism. This gives them a very compact design. They function very stably compared to other valves and are easy to control. Users can choose between different control ratios for the lowering brake design.

Cartridge Valves – Application as Flow Control Valves

Needle-type flow control valves have a high flow capacity with a very compact design. However, these valves are very sensitive to operate. Due to the pressure-compensating effect, the pressure in the hydraulic system changes only minimally, even with high pressure fluctuations.

Cartridge Valves – Application as Flow Dividers

Pressure-compensated flow dividers or flow combiners can utilize the pressure-compensated property in both dividing and combining modes.

Cartridge Valves – Application as Pressure Relief Valves

Cartridge valves with pressure relief function are available in six basic designs. Directly acting pressure relief valves are almost leak-free due to the screw connection. They react quickly and are stable across the entire flow range. The pressure range is variable and, depending on the design, is approximately 5 to 500 bar.

Differential area-controlled pressure relief valves are characterized by a linear and equally very fast response. If cartridge valves with pressure relief function and high flow capacities are required, pilot-operated cartridge valves are particularly suitable. These valves are available with tank venting and back pressure functions with uniform return flow.

Relievable pressure relief valves are particularly well suited for hydraulic systems where rapid pressure relief is required. This can, for example, relieve pressure from a pump. The cross-over design can relieve the hydraulic system in both directions. This design is characterized by high flow capacity and a relatively low price.

Furthermore, there is a special design for accumulator discharge circuits, which has a fixed pressure differential between the opening and closing of the valve.