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Mobile Hydraulics: Modular Load-Sensing Valves Speed

Design, Enable Flexibility

It’s no secret that OEMs want hydraulic controls that make mobile equipment

easier to design and build and flexible enough to be applied to a range of

applications. Modular Rexroth load-sensing valves are growing in popularity as an

alternative to traditional monoblocks because of the flexibility they bring to the

control of hydraulic systems. And new generations of directional-control valves

incorporate both flow and pressure control into modular sandwich-style units.

While it has been possible to control various equipment functions by either flow

or pressure, doing so has meant added complexity and cost through additional

external plumbing. By incorporating both flow control and pressure control into

the same valve, design is simplified, flexibility is increased and reliability is

enhanced since there are fewer components and reduced plumbing.

Bosch Rexroth Corporation

The Rexroth M4 series of valves (Figure 1) exemplifies this new generation. The Mobile Hydraulics
1700 Old Mansfield Road
M4 is a pressure-compensated directional control valve for medium- and high- Wooster, OH 44691
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pressure applications ranging from forestry and agricultural equipment to

construction equipment. It offers both adjustable mechanical flow limiters and

load-sensing pressure limiters on each port. This ensures that the proper flow is

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delivered to each function independent of the overall loads on the hydraulic

systems. In a crane, for example, functions include outriggers for leveling and

stabilizing the device, boom extensions and retractions, boom rotation, and so

forth. For each function, the motor or pump speed and cylinder positioning can

be precisely controlled over a wide range of conditions—simply and without

complex design challenges of adding external components.

The M4 is available in three sizes, M4-12, -15 and -22, to accommodate different

flow requirements. Since pressure and flow requirements will differ not only

across different types of equipment, but within a single piece of equipment, being

able to stack different valves sizes together adds flexibility to the design. M4-12

and M4-15 valves are easily combined, as are M4-15 and M4-22 valves. Figure 2

summarizes the three versions, all of which are available as open-center control

for fixed-displacement pumps and closed-center control for variable-

displacement pumps.

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The M4 valves use a sandwich-plate modular design allowing the size 12 and 15 1700 Old Mansfield Road
Wooster, OH 44691
(up to 10 valve elements) to be ganged into a single sealed unit. The M4-22 Telephone (330) 263-3434
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valves can have up to eight sections. Valves can be flexibly combined to meet the

specific needs of the application. Each valve has the option to be operated

manually, hydraulically or electrically in either an on/off or proportional manner.

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Mechanical override actuation by hand lever of each valve section can be added

to electrical or hydraulic actuation in two ways:

• Engaged lever: the lever moves with every movement of the control

spool. Operators use this feature as a visual feedback for safety.

• Disengaged lever: the lever remains in the neutral position when the

valves are operated electrically or hydraulically. The advantage is that

the resulting reduced friction also lowers hysteresis for faster reaction

times. Low hysteresis also makes it possible to achieve high accuracy

without the use of position feedback on the spool—again simplifying

design and reducing complexity.

Each service port can be individually adjusted through pressure-limiting valves to

maintain constant flow under varying loads. Maximum flow can be mechanically

adjusted by stroke limiters. Each load port can be equipped with a companion

measuring port to provide real-time evaluation of flow and pressures. To further Bosch Rexroth Corporation
Mobile Hydraulics
protect the system the M4 offers another option that allows for system and 1700 Old Mansfield Road
Wooster, OH 44691
component protection. The M4 offers a shock/anti-cavitation option per work Telephone (330) 263-3434
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port. This option will protect the end device from pressure spikes. Overall, the

load-sensing valves can be programmed to achieve very sensitive, precise control

over a wide range of loads and conditions.

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Electronic control coupled with the valves simplifies and adds flexibility

Intelligent electrohydraulic controls are clearly the future of hydraulic systems.

They bring finer control, allow faster development, and can significantly simplify

the structure of hydraulic systems by eliminating complex wiring with a

streamlined bus architecture. The processing power of inexpensive

microprocessors not only provides high levels of intelligence for better control

but also to enable better safety, easier operation, and sophisticated diagnostics.

And, combined with electronic hardware, development software is more

powerful and easier to use which speeds up design and implementation.

The use of electronics can be applied to load-sensing valves in two main ways:

external controller or on-board electronics.

External controllers, such as Rexroth’s RC family, use 16-bit controllers for

open- and closed-looped applications with the possibility of handling analog and Bosch Rexroth Corporation
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digital signals at both input and output ports. Solenoid outputs use pulse-width 1700 Old Mansfield Road
Wooster, OH 44691
modulation to achieve proportional control with high accuracy and low Telephone (330) 263-3434
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hysteresis. A key feature of any mobile controller is rugged reliability—being

able to withstand vibration, temperature extremes, water and dirt, and

electromagnetic interference.

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Sophisticated development and diagnostic software typically provides Windows-

based graphical interface and uses high-level block-oriented programming based

on IEC 61131-3 programming standards. Because the software offers modules

for most standard functions and applications, development can proceed swiftly.

Typical modules operate at one of three levels:

• Hardware level: timers, FLASH download

• Standard routines: ramps, curves, PID control

• Application: drive program with load-limiting control

Cut complexity by taking the bus

A drawback to electronic control is the complexity of the wiring system if point-

to-point wire-harness connections are used. However, most electronically

controlled hydraulics applications are moving toward CANbus, an open

architecture that uses only four wires to connect devices in a serial daisy chain.

As shown in Figure 3, CANbus significantly simplifies the communication Bosch Rexroth Corporation
Mobile Hydraulics
architecture by allowing communication over a single bus. 1700 Old Mansfield Road
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Distributing intelligence

Electronic control can be built into the valve to achieve several advantages by

bringing control closer to the action:

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• Faster response, lower hysteresis for greater precision

• Even simpler wiring

• Off-load chores from central controller

On-board electronics in the valve does not replace the central controller. But it

does provide an option for a smaller version that can still be customized to the

application. It supplements it by knowing how to execute commands from the

CANbus and provides feedback for use in the system. The ganged valve units are

connected externally and act as a single unit in the CANbus daisy chain, further

simplifying the wiring.

Application example

Figure 4 shows a typical application of M4 valves—in this case, a truck-mounted

loading crane. A single Rexroth variable displacement pump supplies the six-

section valve used to control the various functions of the crane:

• Main arm

• Articulated arm Bosch Rexroth Corporation

Mobile Hydraulics
• Telescopic cylinder 1700 Old Mansfield Road
Wooster, OH 44691
• Open gripper Telephone (330) 263-3434
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• Close/lower gripper

• Slewing gear

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5150 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192, www.boschrexroth-us.com
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For maximum machine productivity, multiple functions will operate

simultaneously as the operator moves a load. The loads placed on each function

can vary depending on materials being moved and the nature of movement.

Using a Rexroth variable displacement pump has many benefits over a fixed

displacement pump. With a fixed displacement pump you will always get the

same flow from the pump; if no functions are operated you will have to dump

that oil to the tank, which is an inefficient waste of energy. With a Rexroth

variable displacement load-sensing pump, you reduce this inefficiency by having

the pump provide only the flow required by the operations at the valve. The

pump will de-stroke and go to low-pressure standby until it gets a signal showing

that one of the functions is to be operated. This makes the system more efficient.

For safety reasons, the static controls used to stabilize the truck rely on a different

set of valves. A key requirement of the crane is that the functions must be able to

occur simultaneously and with precise control. The valves must be able to handle

changing load and flow requirements. Bosch Rexroth Corporation

Mobile Hydraulics
1700 Old Mansfield Road
Wooster, OH 44691
Conclusion Telephone (330) 263-3434
Fax (330) 202-3734

The growing popularity and acceptance of modular load-sensing valves brings

new levels of both sophistication and simplicity to hydraulic controls. The

sophistication comes from the finer control and energy efficiency of the devices.

Bosch Rexroth Corporation, Corporate Communications

5150 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192, www.boschrexroth-us.com
Technical Overview www.boschrexroth-us.com

The simplicity is achieved by simpler overall design with less piping, fewer

components and less control wiring. With the addition of on-board electronics

and a bus-based control architecture, engineering, commissioning, and

troubleshooting/maintenance are significantly simplified. What’s more, the

ability to add advanced capabilities that promote easier and safer operation

ensures that modular load-sensing valves have a bright future.

IMAGES:

Figure 1. M4-12 load-sensing valves (BRM004_M4_LoadSensing_valve_H.jpg)

M4-12 M4-15 M4-22

Flow (gpm) 35 53 105

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Pressure, Pump Side (psi) 5000 Mobile Hydraulics
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Pressure, Actuator Side (psi) 6100 Wooster, OH 44691
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Actuation Hydraulic
Manual
Figure 2. M4 load-sensing valve family

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5150 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192, www.boschrexroth-us.com
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Figure 3. CANbus simplifies wiring while providing the advantages of advanced

electronic control. (CAN with M4-12.jpg)

Bosch Rexroth Corporation

Mobile Hydraulics
1700 Old Mansfield Road
Figure 4. M4-12 application diagram of load-sensing valves in a truck-mounted
Wooster, OH 44691
crane. (M4-12 application diagram.jpg )(TruckCrane.jpg) Telephone (330) 263-3434
Fax (330) 202-3734

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(LKW-Aufbauten forest crane.jpg)

(M4 cross section sn_m4-12_de.jpg)

Bosch Rexroth Corporation

Mobile Hydraulics
1700 Old Mansfield Road
Wooster, OH 44691
Telephone (330) 263-3434
Fax (330) 202-3734

Bosch Rexroth Corporation, Corporate Communications

5150 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192, www.boschrexroth-us.com