Development of a Hydraulic Power Steering Check Valve to Reduce Backpressure and Improve Steering Wheel Kick

The aim of this paper is to describe the development process of a hydraulic power steering check valve focusing on three pillars: Better steering behavior (steering wheel kick performance), lower backpressure and lower cost in comparison to baseline. The check valve concept is based on basic principles of a one way valve: a sphere inside housing which allows flow in one direction and blocks the flow when the fluid tries to flow in the opposite direction, like an electrical diode. An experimental test procedure with objective measurements was developed in order to allow a complete and fast evaluation of the different design options. Finally, the backpressure decrease was translated to vehicle fuel economy benefit.