Hydraulic symbology 204 – flow control valves
By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor The words flow control valves broadly describe any hydraulic component capable of diminishing fluid volume downstream of itself relative to upstream. It goes without saying a flow control valve only reduces flow since the laws of nature remain unbroken. The method of...
What type of of air prep is required for plant compressed air?
Here are some best practices to supply safe, clean and dry air to a machine or piece of equipment. Plant-supplied compressed air often travels a long and varying path from the air compressor to where it is connected to a machine or piece of equipment. Along this...
What does pressure really mean?
Pressure is simply the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. However, there are many ways to reference and identify pressure, which is largely dependent upon the application. In many applications, there is a common misconception...
What is the “toast” test?
An important characteristic of many hydraulic fluids is the ability to maintain performance at high temperatures. Higher temperatures can cause oxidation—the reaction of the fluid and its constituents with oxygen. The rate of reaction accelerates as temperature increases, as does the presence of catalyst metals like copper...
Storage and cleaning of elastomer seals
Elastomer seals are built to handle a wide range of demanding hydraulic and pneumatic applications. A seal’s design and its material properties are two keys to lasting performance. The engineers at Parker Hannifin’s Engineered Materials Group in Germany also offer some important recommendations on how to store,...
WHAT IS INTEGRATED SYSTEMS ENGINEERING?
The application of Hydraulics and Pneumatics across every sector of industry worldwide, are now being interfaced at various levels with Electrical/Electronic Control Systems of some kind. From Apprentice level through to Qualified Engineers, the knowledge and skills levels must now take into consideration this additional technology and be...
What hydraulic pump type is best for my HPU design?
By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor The type of pump you choose for your power unit affects the nature of the HPU builds. Pump choice boils down to cost, complexity and performance. There are three major types of pumps: the gear pump, the vane pump and the piston...
Electrohydraulic control smooths sawmill performance
When an application calls for high forces and heavy loads, hydraulics is usually the choice, but motion controllers provide the necessary precision and safety. By Richard Meyerhoefer, International Sales Manager, Delta Computer Systems, Battle Ground, Wash. Hydraulics is the go-to technology when applications demand high forces and...
What you need to know about hydraulic flow meters
What you need to know about hydraulic flow meters By Martin Cuthbert, Managing Director, Webtec Ltd What is flow? Flow is the measurement of the volume of a liquid that passes a fixed point in a unit of time. For most hydraulic applications, flow is measured in...