A common problem in fluid power control systems is the synchronization of two loads. A frequent solution to this problem is to use a flow divider valve. Typical flow divider valves can deliver flow to two circuits such that the ratio of flows is independent of the load pressures, but it is not possible to easily change the ratio after manufacturing. In this paper, the design process used to develop a new variable ratio flow divider valve is introduced. As the first step, a preliminary model was used to optimize the physical parameters for a prototype. In the second step, a valve was subsequently constructed and the performance experimentally determined. The prototype constructed exhibits low dynamic and steady state error with low pressure losses in experimental tests. This novel valve shows sufficient feasibility to warrant future study and development for commercialization.

Keywords: flow divider, hydraulic valve, variable ratio, multiobjective optimization, experimental