Design and Ultrafast Laser Direct Writing of Drag-Increasing Structures on Valve Surfaces

Abstract

To address the issues of significant damping attenuation and short service life of existing drag-increasing valves, this study proposes a design and fabrication method for such valves based on recessed microstructures. The finite element method (FEM) was employed to simulate the effects of microstructural geometric parameters on gas flow pressure drop, and the optimal structural parameters were determined as follows: groove depth of 0.63 mm, bottom parameter of 0.66 mm, and base angle of 43.67°. Subsequently, a picosecond laser integrated with a power stabilization system was used to fabricate the microstructures on rotating workpieces, achieving a geometric accuracy better than 3 μm. Tests under actual operating conditions indicate that the drag of the processed workpiece is increased by approximately 50% compared with the unprocessed counterpart.