Importance

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Abstract

A hydraulic control package or assembly (30) for use in a marine steering system (10) having a steering helm pump (12) with port (14) and starboard (16) fluid outlets and a return inlet (18) for hydraulically actuating a piston (22) in a hydraulic cylinder (20) having port (24) and starboard (26) inlets for moving the piston (22) back and forth in the cylinder (20) in response to fluid delivered from the helm pump (12). A fluid reservoir (32, 34, 36) is closed and pressurized with air and is defined by an open ended tube (32) having a cap (34) sealing the top end of the tube (32) and a valve body (36) sealing the bottom end of the tube (32). The valve body (36) houses the control valve means for controlling the fluid flow in the system between the helm pump (12) and the actuating cylinder (20). The cap (34) and valve body (36) are held against the respective ends of the tube (32) by tie rods (50). The assembly may also include a plurality of steering pumps (12, 12') connected in parallel and through shuttle-tee check valves (120, 124) to the control valve means (36) with a restricted bypass (127, 128) extending about each shuttle-tee check valve for preventing the nonactive pump from motoring in response to steering fluid output of the active pump while allowing a limited amount of the steering fluid output to flow to the nonactive steering pump.

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First Claim