What is a hydraulic system?

A hydraulic system is a drive technology where a fluid is used to move the energy from e.g. an
electric motor to an actuator, such as a hydraulic cylinder. The fluid is theoretically
uncompressible and the fluid path can be flexible in the same way as an electric cable.
Hydraulic systems use the pump to push hydraulic fluid through the system to create fluid
power. The fluid passes through the valves and flows to the cylinder where
the hydraulic energy converts back into mechanical energy. The valves help to direct the
flow of the liquid and relieve pressure when needed

Hydraulic system

What is a hydraulic system used for?

Hydraulic systems are mainly used where a high power density is needed or load requirements
chance rapidly. This is especially the case in all kinds of mobile equipment such as excavators
and in industrial systems such as presses.

In wind turbines, hydraulics is used for pitch and brake control. In some cases, different auxiliary
systems such as hatches and cranes are also powered by hydraulic systems.

Why are hydraulic systems used?

The main reason for using hydraulics is the high power density and secondly the simplicity
coming from using few components to realize complex and fast moving machines with a high
degree of safety.
Purpose of Hydraulic systems

Hydraulic systems are used in all kinds of large and small industrial settings, as well as
buildings, construction equipment, and vehicles. Paper mills, logging, manufacturing, robotics,
and steel processing are leading users of hydraulic equipment.

How Does a Hydraulic System Work?

Hydraulic systems are made up of numerous parts:

• The reservoir holds hydraulic fluid.

• The hydraulic pump moves the liquid through the system and converts mechanical
energy and motion into hydraulic fluid power.

• The electric motor powers the hydraulic pump.

• The valves control the flow of the liquid and relieve excessive pressure from the system
if needed.

• The hydraulic cylinder converts the hydraulic energy back into mechanical energy.

There are also numerous types of hydraulic systems, but each contains the same main
components listed above. They’re also all designed to work the same way.

Hydraulic systems use the pump to push hydraulic fluid through the system to create fluid power.
The fluid passes through the valves and flows to the cylinder where the hydraulic energy
converts back into mechanical energy. The valves help to direct the flow of the liquid and relieve
pressure when needed.

Hydraulic Ram

A hydraulic ram, is a cyclic water pump powered by hydropower. It takes in water at one
"hydraulic head" (pressure) and flow rate, and outputs water at a higher hydraulic head and lower
flow rate. The device uses the water hammer effect to develop pressure that allows a portion of
the input water that powers the pump to be lifted to a point higher than where the water
originally started. The hydraulic ram is sometimes used in remote areas, where there is both a
source of low-head hydropower and a need for pumping water to a destination higher in
elevation than the source. In this situation, the ram is often useful, since it requires no outside
source of power other than the kinetic energy of flowing water.
The hydraulic ram uses the water hammer effect to develop pressure that allows a portion of the
input water that powers the pump to be lifted to a point higher than where the water originally
started.

A hydraulic ram has only two moving parts, a spring or weight loaded "waste" valve sometimes
known as the "clack" valve and a "delivery" check valve, making it cheap to build, easy to
maintain, and very reliable.
hydraulic ram, has no moving parts. This pump claims to have no moving valves and uses high-
pressure air.
Operation of hydraulic ram
hydraulic ram is shown in Figure 2. Initially, the waste valve [4] is open (i.e. lowered) because of
its own weight, and the delivery valve [5] is closed under the pressure caused by the water
column from the outlet [3].
The water in the inlet pipe [1] starts to flow under the force of gravity and picks up speed
and kinetic energy until the increasing drag force lifts the waste valve's weight and closes it.
The momentum of the water flow in the inlet pipe against the now closed waste valve causes
a water hammer that raises the pressure in the pump beyond the pressure caused by the water
column pressing down from the outlet.
This pressure differential now opens the delivery valve [5], and forces some water to flow into
the delivery pipe [3]. Because this water is being forced uphill through the delivery pipe farther
than it is falling downhill from the source, the flow slows; when the flow reverses, the delivery
check valve [5] closes., the water hammer from the closing of the waste valve also produces a
pressure pulse which propagates back up the inlet pipe to the source where it converts to a
suction pulse that propagates back down the inlet pipe. This suction pulse, with the weight or
spring on the valve, pulls the waste valve back open and allows the process to begin again.
A pressure vessel [6] containing air cushions the hydraulic pressure shock when the waste valve
closes, and it also improves the pumping efficiency by allowing a more constant flow through
the Delivery pipe.

Hydraulic ram
Hydraulic Brake

The most common arrangement of hydraulic brakes for passenger vehicles, motorcycles,
scooters, and mopeds, consists of the following:

• Brake pedal or lever

• A pushrod (also called an actuating rod)
• A master cylinder assembly containing a piston assembly (made up of either one or two
pistons, a return spring, a series of gaskets/ O-rings and a fluid reservoir)
• Reinforced hydraulic lines
• Brake caliper assembly usually consisting of one or two hollow aluminum or chrome-plated
steel pistons (called caliper pistons), a set of thermally conductive brake pads and
a rotor (also called a brake disc) or drum attached to an axle.
The system is usually filled with a glycol-ether based brake fluid (other fluids may also be used).
At one time, passenger vehicles commonly employed drum brakes on all four wheels. Later, disc
brakes were used for the front and drum brakes for the rear. However disc brakes have shown
better heat dissipation and greater resistance to 'fading' and are therefore generally safer than
drum brakes. So four-wheel disc brakes have become increasingly popular, replacing drums on
all but the most basic vehicles. Many two-wheel vehicle designs, however, continue to employ a
drum brake for the rear wheel.
Operation
In a hydraulic brake system, when the brake pedal is pressed, a pushrod exerts force on the
piston(s) in the master cylinder, causing fluid from the brake fluid reservoir to flow into a
pressure chamber through a compensating port. This results in an increase in the pressure of the
entire hydraulic system, forcing fluid through the hydraulic lines toward one or more calipers
where it acts upon one or more caliper pistons sealed by one or more seated O-rings (which
prevent leakage of the fluid).
The brake caliper pistons then apply force to the brake pads, pushing them against the spinning
rotor, and the friction between the pads and the rotor causes a braking torque to be generated,
slowing the vehicle. Heat generated by this friction is either dissipated through vents and
channels in the rotor or is conducted through the pads, which are made of specialized heat-
tolerant materials such as sintered glass.
Alternatively, in a drum brake, the fluid enters a wheel cylinder and presses one or two brake
shoes against the inside of the spinning drum. The brake shoes use a similar heat-tolerant friction
material to the pads used in disc brakes.
Subsequent release of the brake pedal/lever allows the spring(s) in the master cylinder assembly
to return the master piston(s) back into position. This action first relieves the hydraulic pressure
on the caliper, then applies suction to the brake piston in the caliper assembly, moving it back
into its housing and allowing the brake pads to release the rotor.
The hydraulic braking system is designed as a closed system: unless there is a leak in the system,
none of the brake fluid enters or leaves it, nor does the fluid get consumed through use. Leakage
may happen, however, from cracks in the O-rings or from a puncture in the brake line. Cracks
can form if two types of brake fluid are mixed or if the brake fluid becomes contaminated with
water, alcohol, antifreeze, or any number of other liq
Applications-:
Hydraulic Press

it is a machine press using a hydraulic cylinder to generate a compressive force[1]. It uses the
hydraulic equivalent of a mechanical lever,.

Main principle
The hydraulic press depends on Pascal's principle-the pressure throughout a closed system is
constant. One part of the system is a piston acting as a pump, with a modest mechanical force
acting on a small cross-sectional area; the other part is a piston with a larger area which
generates a correspondingly large mechanical force. Only small-diameter tubing (which more
easily resists pressure) is needed if the pump is separated from the press cylinder.
Pascal's law: Pressure on a confined fluid is transmitted undiminished and acts with equal force
on equal areas and at 90 degrees to the container wall.
Pressure of fluid due to the application force F1
P=F1 / A1 (1)

Resulting force F2 on the larger cylinder due to the pressure of the fluid. With A1 and A2 being
the areas of cylinder 1 and 2 respectively.

F= PA2 =F1 A2 / A1 (2)

F2 / F1 = A2 / A1 (3)
A small effort force acts on a small piston. This creates a pressure which is transferred through
the hydraulic fluid to apply a greater force on the larger piston.

Application
Hydraulic presses are commonly used for forging, clinching, moulding, blanking, punching, deep
drawing, and metal forming operations. The hydraulic press is advantageous in manufacturing, it
gives the ability to create more intricate shapes and can be economical with materials. A
hydraulic press will take up less space compared to a mechanical press of the same capability.

HYDRAULIC ACCUMULATOR

It is a pressure storage reservoir in which a non-compressible hydraulic fluid is held under

pressure that is applied by an external source of mechanical energy. The external source can be
an engine, a spring, a raised weight, or a compressed gas. An accumulator enables a hydraulic
system to cope with extremes of demand using a less powerful pump, to respond more quickly to
a temporary demand, and to smooth out pulsations. It is a type of energy storage device.
Compressed gas accumulators, also called hydro-pneumatic accumulators, are by far the most
common type.
Functioning of an accumulator
Hydraulic accumulators are energy storage devices. Analogous to rechargeable batteries in
electrical systems, they store and discharge energy in the form of pressurized fluid and are often
used to improve hydraulic-system efficiency.

An accumulator itself is a pressure vessel that holds hydraulic fluid and a compressible gas,
typically nitrogen. The housing or shell is made of materials like steel, stainless steel, aluminum,
titanium and fiber-reinforced composites. Inside, a moveable or flexible barrier—usually a piston
or rubber bladder—separates the oil from the gas.

In these hydropneumatic units, hydraulic fluids only compress slightly under pressure. In
contrast, gases can be compressed into smaller volumes under high pressures, and engineers take
advantage of this property in accumulator design and application. In essence, potential energy is
stored in the compressed gas and released on demand to force oil from the accumulator and into
a circuit.

To use the device, the gas volume is first precharged—generally to around 80 to 90% of the
minimum system working pressure. This expands the gas volume to fill most of the accumulator
with only a small amount of oil remaining inside. In operation, the hydraulic pump raises system
pressure and forces fluid to enter the accumulator. (Valves control oil flow in and out.) The
piston or bladder moves and compresses the gas volume because fluid pressure exceeds the
precharge pressure. This is the source of stored energy.

Movement stops when system and gas pressures are balanced. When a downstream action such
as actuator movement creates system demand, hydraulic system pressure falls and the
accumulator releases the stored, pressurized fluid to the circuit. When movement stops, the
charging cycle begins again.

An accumulator can maintain the pressure in a system for periods when there are slight leaks
without the pump being cycled on and off constantly. When temperature changes cause pressure
excursions the accumulator helps absorb them. Its size helps absorb fluid that might otherwise be
locked in a small fixed system with no room for expansion due to valve arrangement.
The gas precharge in an accumulator is set so that the separating bladder, diaphragm or piston
does not reach or strike either end of the operating cylinder. The design precharge normally
ensures that the moving parts do not foul the ends or block fluid passages. Poor maintenance of
precharge can destroy an operating accumulator. A properly designed and maintained
accumulator should operate trouble-free for years.