Is a 5-port valve a 5-way valve?

[admin]

I have a copy of the Norgren “ISO symbols”. It described a 5-port valve as 5-way. People I’ve talked too they said “if the valve has two output ports (say A & B), then it is a 4-way. Other people is telling me “the no. of ports (supply,outputs, exhaust ports, not counting the pilot ports), is the number of way”. Is just a little bit confusing.
Who actually started using the “way” in describing directional control valve, It is Mac Valve?

[admin]

They are called 4 way(which I think is correct) or 5 way for the number of ports. I think that the original valve companies used to make them with a common exhaust (4 port) and the name stuck. So when the 5th port shopwed up it caused some confususion.

[admin]

for example 5/2 way valve… 5 means the no. of port, and 2 means the no. of position.

[admin]

I normally tell people that when describing a directional control valve, to just use numbers and avoid “ways”. example is: if during a telephone conversation, the person on the other end of a line wants to crossover a “four-way valve”. I that is receiving the call, don’t really know whether he is using a 4-port or a 5-port valve (unless I ask him how many exhaust ports his valve has). This is the reason why I avoid “way”. It is just very confusing to all. Why just use numbers…like a 4/2 valve is a 4-port, 2-position AND a 5/2 valve is a 5-port, 2-position. I’ve seen books describing a 5-port as five-way (the Industrial Training Zone, ITZ). Whereas other books described a 5-port as “four-way”

[Author]

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