Study on the casting of a 4-way plug valve body in a submarine from Cu-Zn-Si copper alloy

Abstract

Copper alloy plug valves are used to close and switch hydraulic/pneumatic circuits in many fields, including 4-port plug valves used in the vertical balancing system of submarines. The 4-port plug valve has the advantage of a simple structure, including a body, plug, and other details. The valve body is usually manufactured by casting, then mechanically processed, and finally lapped between the plug and the body surface to seal. Due to the large number of ports, the valve body shape is complex, leading to the casting design of the valve body requiring strict requirements to avoid casting defects such as incomplete casting shape, shrinkage, gas porosity, etc. In this paper, the solution combines calculating the casting design to simulate and analyze the thermal field and casting defects, from there, choosing a reasonable casting design option and parameters, and finally, making the casting experiment for validation. The research results are the basis for implementing and perfecting valve body casting technology.