A meter-in flow control valve controls actuator speed by which action?

• A. Increasing the flow to the actuator
• B. Lowering the fluid temperature
• C. Restricting the flow to the actuator
• D. Bypassing the flow around the actuator

Answer: (C)

Meter-in flow control governs speed by throttling the fluid entering the actuator. The piston’s movement is driven by how much oil flows into the cylinder per unit time, so when the valve restricts that inbound flow, less fluid reaches the piston each moment and the actuator moves more slowly. If you opened the valve to allow more flow, the actuator would speed up; if you bypassed the actuator or tried to change temperature instead, you wouldn’t reliably control its speed. Thus, restricting the flow to the actuator is the mechanism that sets the speed.