Development of

Single Actuator Circuit

GROUP 5

Benz Andrew R. Regis

May Ann Luchavez
Mark Lemuel Genita
Jhan Rhiel Lucero
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter, Student should be able to:

• Differentiate between pneumatic circuit and pneumatic circuit diagram

• State basic rules used in design of pneumatic circuits
• Explain the memory, delay, OR , AND and NOT functions
• Explain the direct and indirect control of single acting cylinder
• Explain the direct and indirect control of double acting cylinder
• Differentiate supply and exhaust air throttling
• Design pressure and time dependant circuits
 Pneumatic Circuit
• Pneumatic control systems can be designed in the form of pneumatic circuits.
• A pneumatic circuit is formed by various pneumatic components, such as
cylinders, directional control valves, flow control valves, pressure regulator,
signal processing elements such as shuttle valve, two pressure valve etc.

Pneumatic circuits have the following functions:

•  To control the entry and exit of compressed air in the cylinders.
•  To use one valve to control another valve
•  To control actuators or any other pneumatic devices
Pneumatic Circuit Diagram

• A pneumatic circuit diagram uses pneumatic symbols to describe its design.

Some basic rules must be followed when drawing pneumatic diagrams.

To be able to design pneumatic circuits, it is better for one to have basic

knowledge on the designingsimple pneumatic circuits. With this foundation, one
would be able to move on to the designing more complicated circuits involving
many more cylinders.
 Direct Control of a Pneumatic Cylinder
• The simplest level of control for the single or double- acting cylinder involves
direct control signals. With this, the cylinder is actuated directly via manually
or mechanically actuated valve, without any intermediate switching of
additional directional control valves. If the port sizes and how values of the
valve are too large, the operating forces required may be too great for direct
manual operation.

Reference values for limits of direct cylinder control:

• Cylinder with piston diameter smaller than 40 mm.
• Valves with connection sizes smaller than 1/4”.
Direct Control of a Single-Acting Cylinder

• Pneumatic cylinders can be directly

controlled by actuation of final
directional control valve.
• These valves can be controlled
manually or electrically. This circuit can
be used for small
• cylinders as well as cylinders which
operates at low speeds where the flow
rate requirements are less.
https://www.slideshare.net/muhamadshukriahmaludin/pneumatic-circuits
symbols
Indirect Control of a Pneumatic Cylinder

• Cylinders with a large pistondiamter have a high air requirement. A control

element with high nominal flow rate must be used to actuate these. If the
force should prove too high for a manual actuation of the valve, then an
indirect actuation should be constructed, whereby a signal is generated via
a second smaller valve, which willprovide the force necessary to switch the
control element.
Indirect Control of a Single-Acting Cylinder
• This type of circuit (Figure 1.4) is suitable
for large single cylinders as well as
cylinders operating at high speeds.

• The signal pressure required can be

around 1-1.5 bar. The working
pressure passing through the final
control valve depends on the force
requirement which will be around 4-
6 bar. Indirect control as permits
processing of input signals. Single
piloted valves are rarely used in
applications where the piston has to
retract immediately on taking out
the set pilot signal.
CONTROL OF SINGLE ACTING CYLINDER USING “OR” VALVE

• Shuttle valve is also known as double

control valve or double check valve. A
shuttle valve has twoinlets and one
outlet (Figure 1.6). At any one time, flow
is shut off in the direction of whichever
inlet is unloaded and is open from the
loaded inlet to the outlet. This valve is
also called an OR valve.

• A shuttle valve may be installed for

example, when the cylinder or valve is to
be actuated from two points, which may
be remote from one another.
 The single acting cylinder in Figure 1.7
can be operated by two different circuits.
Examples include manual operation and
relying on automatic circuit signals, that is,
when either control valve  or control
valve  is operated, the cylinder will work.
Therefore, the circuit in Figure 1.7
possesses the OR function.
CONTROL OF SINGLE ACTING CYLINDER USING “AND” VALVE
This valve is the pneumatic AND valve. It is also derivate of Non Return Valve. A
two pressure valve requires two pressurised inputs to allow an output from itself. The
cross sectional views of two pressure valve in two positions are given in Figure 1.8. As
shown in the Figure 1.8, this valve has two inputs 12 and 14 and one output 2. If the
compressed air is applied to either 12 or input 14, the spool moves to block the flow,
and no signal appears at output 2. If signals are applied to both the inputs 12 and 14,
the compressed air flows through the valve, and the signal appears at output 2.
 Another name for an AND function is
interlock control. This means control is
possible only when two conditions are
satisfied. A classic example is a pneumatic
system that works only when its safety
door is closed and its manual control valve
is operated. The flow passage will open
only when both control valves are
operated. Figure 1.9 shows the circuit
diagram of an AND function circuit.
The cylinder will work only when both
valve  and  are operated.
CONTROL OF SINGLE ACTING CYLINDER USING “NOT” VALVE

Another name for a NOT function is

inverse control. In order to hold or lock an
operating conveyor or a similar machine,
the cylinder must be locked until a signal
for cancelling the lock is received.
Therefore, the signal for cancelling the
lock should be operated by a normally
open type control valve. However, to
cancel the lock, the same signal must also
cancel the locks on other devices, like the
indication signal . Figure 1.10 shows
how the normally closed type control valve
 can be used to cut off the normally open
type control valve  and achieve the goal
of changing the signal.
DIRECT CONTROL OF DOUBLE ACTING CYLINDER

The only difference between a single

acting cylinder and a double acting cylinder is
that a double acting cylinder uses a 5/2
directional control valve instead of a 3/2
directional control valve (Figure 1.11). Usually,
when a double acting cylinder is not operated,
outlet ‘B’ and inlet ‘P’ will be connected. In this
circuit, whenever the operation button is
pushed manually, the double acting
cylinder will move back and forth once
INDIRECT CONTROL OF DOUBLE ACTING CYLINDER USING MEMORY
VALVE

The circuit is called a memory

circuit because it uses a 5/2 way
double pilot memory valve. 5/2 way
valve can remember the last signal
applied in terms of the position of the
spool in the absence of reset springs,
thus memorising or storing the
pneumatic signal. Double piloted 4/2
way valve also can be used as
memory valve
SUPPLY AIR THROTTLING AND EXHAUST AIR THROTTLING

• It is always necessary to reduce the speed of cylinder from maximum speed

based on selected size of final control valve to the nominal speed depending
on the application. Speed control of Pneumatic Cylinders can be conveniently
achieved by regulating the flow rate supply or exhaust air. The volume flow
rate of air can be controlled by using flow control valves which can be either
two way flow control valve or one way flow control valve

There are two types of throttling circuits for double acting cylinders:
i) Supply air throttling
ii) Exhaust air throttling
Supply air throttling

This method of speed control of double

acting cylinders is also called meter –in circuit
(Figure
1.15a). For supply air throttling, one way flow
control valves are installed so that air entering
the cylinder is throttled. The exhaust air can
escape freely through the check valve of the
throttle valve on the outlet side of the cylinder.
There is no air cushion on the exhaust side of the
cylinder piston with this throttling arrangement.
As a result, considerable differences in stroking
velocity may be obtained even with very small
variations of load on the piston rod. Any load in
the direction of operating motion will accelerate
the piston above the set velocity. Therefore
supply air throttling can be used for single acting
and small volume cylinders.
Exhaust air throttling

This method of speed control of double acting

cylinders is also called meter-out (Figure 1.15b).
In exhaust air throttling throttle relief valves are
installed between the cylinder and the main valve in
such a way that the exhaust air leaving the cylinder is
throttled in both directions of the motion of the cylinder.
The supply air can pass freely through the
corresponding check valves in each case. In this case,
the piston is loaded between two cushions of air while
the cylinder is in motion and hence a smooth motion of
the cylinder can be obtained. The first cushion effect is
due to supply air entering the cylinder through check
valve, and second cushion effect is due to the exhaust
air leaving the cylinder through the throttle valve at a
slower rate. Therefore, exhaust air throttling is practically
used for the speed control of double acting cylinders.
Arranging throttle valves in this way contributes
substantially to the improvement of feed behaviour.
PRESSURE DEPENDENT CONTROLS
Pressure sequence valve is essentially
a switch on or off valve. Sequence Valve
generates a
pneumatic signal if the sensing pressure
[signal input] is more than the desired set
pressure. This
generated output signal is used to control
the movement of cylinder by using it as a
set signal or reset signal to the final control
valve to obtain forward or return motion
respectively. Used for applicationssuch as
bonding cylinders, clamping cylinder etc. to
ensure desired minimum pressure in the
cylinder. This is a combination valve,
having two sections. One of the section is a
3/2 directional
control and the other a pressure control
valve. Schematic diagram of pressure
sequence vavle is
shown in Figure 1.17
TIME DEPENDENT CONTROLS
• Pneumatic timers are used to create time delay of signals in pilot operated circuits. Available
as normally closed timers and normally open timers. Usually pneumatic timers are on delay
timers. Delay of signals is very commonly experienced in applications such as bonding of
two pieces. Normally open pneumatic timers are also used in signal elimination. Normally
open pneumatic timers are used as safety device in two hand blocks
• Time delay valve is a combination of a pneumatically actuated 3/2 direction control valve, an
air reservoir and a throttle relief valve. The time delay function is obtained by controlling the
air flow rate to or from the reservoir by using the throttle valve. Adjustment of throttle valve
permits fine control of time delay between minimum and maximum times. In pneumatic time
delay valves, typical time delays in the range 5-30 seconds are possible. The time delay can
be extended with the addition of external reservoir.

Pneumatic timer can be classified as:

1. On –delay timer- the 3/2 DCV is actuated after a delay with reference to the
application of pilot signal and is rest immediately on the application of the pilot signal.
2. Off – delay timer - the 3/2 DCV is actuated immediately on the application of the pilot
signal and is reset only after a delay with reference to the release of the pilot signal.
• Pneumatic timers can also be classified according to type of
pneumatically actuated 3/2 DCv as:
1) Time delay valve, NC type
2) Time delay valve, NO type.
Time delay valve, NC type.

The constructions of an on-

delay timer (NC) type in the
normal and actuated are shown
in Figure 1.19 It can be seen
that 3/2 DCV operates in the on
delay mode permanently. But,
in some designs, the valve can
be operated in the off-delay
mode by connecting the check
valve in reverse direction. For
this purpose, the ports of the
throttle check valve should be
brought out.
Time delay valve, NO type.

The construction and function of

an on-delay timer (NO) type is similar
to that of an on-delay timer (NC) type
except for the type of 3/2 DCV valve.
In the on-delay valve
(NO) type, a 3/2 DCV (NO) type is
used whereas in the on-delay timer
(NC) type, a 3/2 DCV (NC) type is
used. Timing diagrams for all four
type of Pneumatic delay valve is
given in Table 1.1