Valve on the basis of electrorheological and/or magnetorheological fluids

US6378558B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Carl Schenck AG · DE

Inventors

• Andreas Pohl · Groß-Umstadt, DE
• Horst Rosenfeldt · Groß-Zimmern, DE
• Eckhardt Wendt · Leverkusen, DE
• Klaus Buesing · Odenthal, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 8, 2000
• Grant date: Apr 30, 2002
• Expiry date: Nov 8, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T137/2191
• WIPO field: Mechanical elements
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

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.