Abstract A power steering gear assembly including a centrally bored rack toothed piston dividing a power cylinder in a pair of fluid pressurized chambers, a sector gear meshing with the piston, a valve assembly communicating the pressure chambers with a source of pressurized fluid and including a pair of rotatable valve members nested together in telescopic relation, a centrally bored worm connected to the outer valve member for joint rotation therewith and extending into the bore of and connected to the piston to cause rotation of the worm in response to axial movement of the piston, an operating shaft formed integrally with or connected to the inner valve member for joint rotation therewith and a torsion rod providing follow-up movements between the valve members, the torsion rod extending into the bore of the worm, which worm bore in turn communicates certain axial slots formed in the outer valve member with the pressure chamber spaced farthest therefrom, other axial slots formed in the outer valve member opening directly to the pressure chamber immediately adjacent the valve assembly and fluid inlet and outlet ports communicating with the axial slots through the inner valve member.
A generally cylindrically shaped valve sleeve for use in combination with a cooperating valve member for performing a valving function. said valve sleeve having formed therein a fluid flow passage a portion of which extends in an axial direction, and comprising a plurality of separately formed valve elements secured together in fixed assembly effectively to provide a unitary operating structure having a plurality of walls including an inner peripheral wall, an outer peripheral wall and a pair of end walls, said valve elements having contiguous axially overlapping wall surfaces and recess means formed in at least one of said wall surfaces to provide said axially extending portion of said fluid flow passage, said passage terminating at one end at said inner peripheral wall and at the opposite end at one of said end walls.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
134 words
A generally cylindrically shaped valve sleeve for use in combination with a cooperating valve member for performing a valving function. said valve sleeve having formed therein a fluid flow passage a portion of which extends in an axial direction, and comprising a plurality of separately formed valve elements secured together in fixed assembly effectively to provide a unitary operating structure having a plurality of walls including an inner peripheral wall, an outer peripheral wall and a pair of end walls, said valve elements having contiguous axially overlapping wall surfaces and recess means formed in at least one of said wall surfaces to provide said axially extending portion of said fluid flow passage, said passage terminating at one end at said inner peripheral wall and at the opposite end at one of said end walls.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said valve elements are concentrically arranged and said fluid flow passage is disposed wholly within the inner valve element.