Reciprocal Actuator with Differential Cylinders

Open Model

This example shows a double-acting actuator with differential cylinders. The pump output is connected to cylinder B of the actuator while cylinder A of the actuator can be connected to either the pump or the reservoir through the 3-way directional valve. When cylinder A is connected to the pump, pressures at both cylinders become equal. Because of the larger effective piston area in cylinder A, the interface force in cylinder A is larger than that of in cylinder B which causes the piston to extend. When cylinder A is connected to the reservoir, the piston starts to retract. The 3-way directional valve is controlled by a sinusoidal signal to achieve repeating reciprocal motion in the actuator.