Research on Model, Experiment and Application of Gravity Valve

Abstract In this paper, two kinds of gravity valves are designed: copper bead gravity valve and hose gravity valve. Firstly, the stress distribution on the substrate of the gravity valve is simulated when the copper bead and the substrate of the gravity valve is in the non-touched, half-touched or full-touched states respectively, and the fluid leakage laws are also analyzed in the different states, by ABAQUS 6.16. The flow rate control effects of the copper bead gravity valve with different cone angle are measured and analyzed experimentally, and the optimal cone angle are obtained. Secondly, the cross-section shapes of the hose are compared and analyzed by FEA (Finite Element Analysis) for several kinds of hose gravity valve. It is concluded that the shuttle hose has the best performance. Then the shuttle hose gravity valve is made and its flow characteristics are measured and analyzed with different length of the hose. Finally, the two kinds of gravity valve are compared and applied. The copper bead gravity valve is used in chemical reaction self-driven rolling robot. The hose gravity valve is used to control the end of bending brake stably for the angle sensor, and the hose gravity valve can also be used to establish mechanical feedback loop to facilitate the flow rate control by the angle.