HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING VALVE

摘要

A rotary valve for a hydraulic power steering gear. The valve comprises an input shaft relatively rotatable within a sleeve. The input shaft and sleeve each have an array of longitudinal slots that are arranged together to form a plurality of parallel hydraulic wheatstone bridges. Either the array of slots in the sleeve or the input shaft is evenly spaced around its axis with its slots alternating between a first and second type of slot. The first type of slot communicates with a supply of hydraulic fluid. The second type of slot is extended to provide a return path for hydraulic fluid, and the second type of slot is narrower than the first type of slot.