Patent ID: 7380571

Claim:
A directional control valve for switching an output port between a state of communicating with a supply port and a state of communicating with a discharge port, the directional control valve comprising: a valve casing in which a valve accommodating hole and said supply port and said discharge port which are shifted in an axial direction and communicating with the valve accommodating hole are formed, and said output port is formed between said supply port and said discharge port; a valve shaft inserted in said valve accommodating hole of said valve casing so as to be reciprocable in an axial direction; a circular elastic valve element attached to said valve shaft and used for switching between a communication state where the elastic valve element is spaced away from an inner peripheral sealing surface of said valve accommodating hole such that said supply port and said output port communicate with each other and a shut-off state where the elastic valve element comes in contact with said inner peripheral sealing surface and the communication is shut off; and a composite valve element which is equipped with a circular reinforcement ring and an elastic seal integrally provided to the reinforcement ring, attached to the valve casing, and used for switching between a communication state where the composite valve element is spaced away from a sealing surface of said valve shaft such that said output port and said discharge port communicate with each other and a shut-off state where the composite valve element comes in contact with the sealing surface such that the communication is shut off.