Three Keys to Specifying Long Life Servo Valves The servo valve plays a critical role in the performance of a hydraulic positioning, velocity or pressure control application. Moog Mechanical Feedback Servo Valves incorporate a feedback Moog Mechanical mechanism that precisely determines the position of the spool Feedback Servo Valve in the valve and stops it at a position that is proportional to the electrical input of the valve. This technological breakthrough revolutionized the industry and has made Moog synonymous with servo valves more than 60 years later. Key 1: Carbide ball construction With so many servo valves designs for such a wide range Premature wear of the ball in the feedback mechanism is of industrial applications, it can be increasingly difficult to a common issue with stainless steel materials. Carbide pinpoint the characteristics that contribute to high performance and sapphire materials have been introduced to replace over a long life above one billion cycles. In fact, the design, stainless steel and provide extended protection to the ball. manufacturing and construction methods of the servo valve can make a significant difference in the overall life expectancy. In fact, Moog R&D evaluated the wear characteristics of a steel, carbide and sapphire ball by subjecting each to one billion test cycles in a controlled environment with clean Increasing the longevity of servo valves hydraulic fluids and steady temperatures. While the steel ball revealed significant wear, the results confirmed that With rising operational costs and increasing pressure on carbide and sapphire ball did not show any signs of wear. design engineers to achieve greater results in machine performance, it is critical to evaluate each component’s impact on the total lifecycle cost of the machine.
There are three keys to increasing longevity, minimizing
unplanned downtime and ensuring reliable performance in servo valves. These include:
• use of carbide ball on the feedback mechanism STEEL CARBIDE SAPPHIRE
• use of ball-in-hole design in the spool After one billion test cycles, stainless steel ball exhibits visible • use of brazing to bond the ball to the wire wear. Carbide and sapphire do not. Moog uses the carbide ball due to its proven performance and long life. The carbide material also has the advantage of enabling the feedback mechanism wire to be bonded with a brazing process, providing even greater reliability in industrial environments.
Key 2: Ball-in-hole design Key 3: Brazing in the manufacturing process
While “ball-in-slot” design was the industry standard for Brazing is a specialized soldering process that joins the more than 40 years, Moog developed carbide “ball-in-hole” carbide ball and stainless steel wire at temperatures above technology to maximize the longevity and reliability of 450 °C (842 °F). This manufacturing process is only possible Moog Servo Valves. This design breakthrough reduces with carbide—not sapphire—and is critical in enabling the ball concentrated contact of the ball with the spool at any one to withstand both high temperatures and deterioration from point on the surfaces—a process that radically improves chemicals in the hydraulic fluids. the overall life expectancy of the servo valve by eliminating wear in the spool. Tests show that the epoxy used as to join the feedback mechanism ball and wire in sapphire ball-based mechanisms Moog engineers found that after one billion cycles in can break down even within normal operating temperatures a controlled environment, ball-in-slot designs showed between -17.7 °C (0 °F) to 71 °C (160 °F). visible wear marks in the spool slot, while the ball-in-hole configuration exhibited no signs of wear.
In addition, further investigation concluded that “adhesive look to moog for servo valve longevity wear” (slow spool rotations between 1 and 4 RPM) cause The selection of carbide material as ball on the feedback the most significant damage to ball-in-slot designs, yet mechanism, the incorporation of ball-in-hole spool design have minimal effect on the ball-in-hole configuration. and the integration of brazing to bond the carbide ball to wire are essential for long life and reliability of servo valves. Today, more than 95% of all Moog Mechanical Feedback Servo Valves have been converted to ball-in-hole All three innovations are the result of a dedicated research technology due to its superior performance and extended and development capability spearheaded by Moog engineers lifetime in industrial applications. with years of experience and an unsurpassed reputation for developing motion control solutions for the world’s most complex manufacturing challenges.
Moving forward, feedback mechanism design will continue
to evolve as advanced microprocessing and digital control For more information, download our white paper algorithms add new possibilities for functionality and on the designing of long life servo valves at longevity. Look to Moog experts to keep you on top of these developments. http://www.moogservovalves.com/WhitePaper or visit www.moog.com/industrial
