Boom Motion Control Using Pressure Control Valve

Abstract

This paper focuses on the reduction in oscillations created by counterbalance valves by using a proportional pressure control valve. The motion control of a cylinder boom is presented using this valve, which is a 4/3-way directional control valve with the main spool in series with an upstream compensator. The input to the valve control is a main spool position reference and, indirectly, the compensator downstream pressure. This gives a different flow gain and, therefore, a different feedforward scheme as compared to applications with the more common pressure compensated flow control valve. The theory behind the pressure control valve is presented and applied to both a theoretical and experimental implementation of closed loop motion control of the jib boom of a commercial vehicle loader crane.