Research on wear reduction of mid-convex type valve core based on simulation analysis: Design and application in spring-loaded check valve

Abstract

The study aims to address the prevalent issue of wear and sticking in spring-loaded check valves under extreme working conditions. Owing to the influence of guide clearance and spring eccentricity, the valves are particularly susceptible to misalignment issue in the axial alignment of the valve core. This misalignment will lead to wear and sticking in the valve guiding pairs, which can significantly impair the service performance of the valve. Therefore, based on the failure analysis of the check valve sticking, the paper proposed a design method for the sectional profile of the valve core constrained by the valve's service performance. The valve core before and after design was analyzed using the wear simulation model that considers the effect of flow field, thereby verifying the effectiveness of the design method. Furthermore, the influence mechanism of profile parameters on wear was discussed and the optimal parameters of the valve core profile were determined. The experimental results demonstrate a clear improvement in the optimized valve core: the mid-convex type valve core shows a 41.4% reduction in maximum wear depth and a 17.2% decrease in wear volume, which effectively lowers the probability of the valve sticking. These research findings are of great significance in the design of wear-reducing structure for spring-loaded check valves operating under extreme service conditions.