Design of a load-responsive mechanical pressure limiter for overload protection in hydraulic actuators

To improve the overload protection performance of hydraulic actuators under dynamic load variations, a load-responsive mechanical pressure-limiting device is proposed with a wheel loader as the application background. The device integrates a pressure-sensitive element, a pressure-limiting control component, and a pressure regulation unit to achieve rapid response at the millisecond scale and adaptive pressure regulation. A coupled methodology combining theoretical modeling and AMESim simulation is employed to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the proposed system under multiple operating conditions. The results demonstrate that the device effectively suppresses transient pressure spikes, achieving a response delay of as low as 12 ms and maintaining pressure overshoot within 5%. These findings indicate that the proposed device exhibits high stability, fast responsiveness, and strong adaptability to varying load conditions, thereby providing a reliable solution for overload protection in hydraulic systems.