Abstract
Hydraulic proportional valves generally suffer from their large size and heavy weight due to their complicated structures using large solenoids or motors. Therefore, they have some limitations of design or decrease mobility of hydraulic systems. In this paper, we present a small hydraulic flow control valve using particle excitation by a PZT vibrator. This valve can control the flow rate of water by the applied voltage to the PZT vibrator. The prototype of the proposed valve evaluated the relationship between the applied voltage, the impressed pressure, and the flow rate. This fundamental evaluation successfully indicated the flow-controllability of the proposed valve.
