Abstract: From the view of flow field control, the influence of internal structure on cavitations as well as cavitating induced noise within a hydraulic relief valve is investigated. The CFD (Computational fluid dynamics) and flow visualization approaches are used to obtain static pressure distributions and cavitation images in the channel of the main stage of the valve. The predicted low-pressure regions agree well with the observed cavitation areas. In addition, the noise level from two main internal structures of relief valves are tested and compared. The results show that the main element with circumferential undercut groove can suppress the cavitations and cavitating noise. The work provides some useful reference for the low noise design of hydraulic component involving internal structure optimization.

Key words: Cavitation, Flow field control, Noise, Relief valve