Gearbox Oil Temperature Valve With Memory Alloy Switching

The patent replaces the traditional thermal expansion-based mechanical valve core with a shape memory alloy spring that directly responds to temperature changes through phase transformation. This substitution eliminates the thermal expansion delay and provides instantaneous response to temperature variations, resolving the contradiction between achieving flow path switching and maintaining fast response time.

The patent changes the material parameter of the spring from ordinary metal to shape memory alloy, which exhibits different mechanical properties at different temperatures. Below the transformation temperature, the alloy is soft and flexible; above it, the alloy becomes hard and elastic. This parameter change enables the valve to respond rapidly to temperature changes without the hysteresis associated with thermal expansion, thus improving response speed while reducing time loss.

The patent extracts and eliminates the traditional spring component from the valve core assembly by using the shape memory alloy spring as the sole actuating element. This removal of redundant components significantly reduces the valve core volume while maintaining the flow path switching function, resolving the contradiction between achieving ease of operation and minimizing component size.

By changing the material properties to shape memory alloy, the spring achieves both actuation and return functions with a single component. The material's ability to undergo reversible phase transformation allows it to provide the necessary force for flow path switching without requiring additional mechanical components, thus reducing valve core volume while maintaining operational effectiveness.