NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORT

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

BACHELOR DEGREE IN MECHANICAL

ENGINEERING
MODULE NAME:
INDUSTRIAL
AUTOMATION

MODULE CODE: MEU 08107

LECTURER NAME: IBRAHIM MWASUBILA

TASK: GROUP ASSIGNMENT

GROUP:
S/N NAME
1 JOSEPH, Nyabuta
2 MNIWE, Edward G
3 MLAWA, Abdulaziz M
4 MAFFA, FRANKLIN F
5 YORAM, GASTRONE M
6 GODFREY DICKSON
7 CHIRYA, Jackline S
8 MWAIBULA, Simon Lloyd
9 MWAKIBINGA, REINER JEREMIAH
10 KIBODYA, THABIT M
11 MLACKY, Amani Amos
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REGISTRATION
NIT/BMEL/2018/951
NIT/BMEL/2018/834
NIT/BMEL/2018/835
NIT/BMEL/2018/845
NIT/BME/2019/944
NIT/BMEL/2019/977
NIT/BMEL/2018/855
NIT/BMEL/2018/926
NIT/BMEL/2018/900
NIT/BMEL/2018/876
NIT/BMEL/2018/824
HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS
Introduction
Hydraulic system is the kind of enclosed fluid based system using pressurized incompressible
fluid as transmission media. Used for transmission of power through the medium of hydraulic
oil. The hydraulic system works on the principle of Pascal’s law which says that “ the pressure in
a fluid at rest is transmitted uniformly in all directions” . The fluid medium used is hydraulic oil,
it may be mineral oil or water or combinations.

The enclosed fluid can also be used as prime movers to provide controlled motion and force to
the object or substance. The specially designed enclosed fluid systems can provide both linear as
well as rotary motion. Hydraulic systems contains different components which are sub divided
into two parts which are major components and supporting components.

The major components are prime mover, pump, control valves, Actuators (hydraulic motors and
piston), piping system and fluid while the supporting components are filters, strainers, storage
tank, heat exchanger, pressure gauges, sensors, protective devices, control devices and
Accumulators.

COMPONENT OF HDRAULIC SYSTEM

HYDRAULIC FLUID
Hydraulic fluid must be essentially non-compressible to be able to transmit power
instantaneously from one part of the system to another. At the same time, it should lubricate the
moving parts to reduce friction loss and cool the components so that the heat generated does not
lead to fire hazards.

PRIME MOVER
Prime mover is the device which develop mechanical power, power developed by a prime
movers is used to drive the pump.

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 Figure 1 electrical motor
HDRAULIC PUMPS
Hydraulic pump is a device which convert mechanical energy to fluid energy. The hydraulic
pumps takes hydraulic fluid from storage tank and derivers it to the rest of hydraulic circuit. The
hydraulic pumps are characterized by its flow rate capacity, power consumption, drive speed,
pressure derived at the outlet and the efficiency of the pump.

Figure 2 hydraulic pump

There are two types of hydraulic pumps which are non-positive displacement and positive
displacement

i) Non positive displacement pump (hydro-dynamic pump)

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 In a non positive displacement pump, fluid is pressurized by rotation of the propeller and
fluid pressure is proportional to the rotor speed, pump used for low pressure and high
volume flow application Example Centrifugal pumps.
ii) Positive displacement pump
Positive displacement pump a constant volume of fluid in a cycle, the output fluid flow is
constant and independent of the system pressure. Used in most of the industrial fluid power
applications. Examples of positive displacement pump are vane pump, Piston pump and gear
pump.

CONTROL VALVE
Control valve used to control mechanical output (motion and force). The proper selection of
control ensures the desired output safe function of the system.

There are basically three types of valves employed in hydraulic system which are directional
control valve, flow control valve and pressure control valve.

Figure 3 mechanical directional control valve

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 Figure 4 hydraulic flow control valve
HDRAULIC ACTUATORS
Hydraulic actuators employ hydraulic pressure to drive an output member, actuators are used
where high speed and large force is required and convert fluid power into mechanical power.

They can be classified as linear actuators (cylinder and piston) and rotary motion (motor)
depending on motion.

Hydraulic cylinders

Cylinders are linear actuators that produce straight line motion and/force. Cylinders are classified
as single acting cylinder (has only one fluid chamber and exert forces in one direction) and
double acting cylinder (operated by hydraulic fluid in both direction, two fluid chambers and is
capable of a power stroke either way).

Figure 5 double acting hydraulic cylinder

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Hydraulic motors
In hydraulic motors fluid is forced into the motor from pump outlet at high pressure and is
converted to mechanical energy.
The fluid pressure creates the motion of the motor shaft. There are three common used hydraulic
motors which are vane motors, gear motors and piston motors.

Figure 6 hydraulic motor

HYDRAULIC RESERVOIR
Hydraulic fluid required to drive the hydraulic system is stored in a reservoir/tank. The size of
the reservoir will vary depending on the hydraulic system and application used for. A reservoir is
designed in such a way to remove trapped air and to cool the pressurized hydraulic fluid. Also,
extra space is provided in the system to avoid overfilling as a result of oil expansion.

Vented reservoir and pressurized reservoir are the two categories of the reservoir. The vented
reservoir is open to the atmospheric pressure and the air enters and escapes through the vent line
of the reservoir.  A filter is integrated on the vent line to remove contamination from the
atmosphere. Such reservoirs are placed at the highest point of the hydraulic system to provide
maximum gravity/force to the flow. High altitude applications like aircraft use pressurized
reservoirs to store hydraulic fluids.

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 Figure 7 hydraulic reservoir
FILTERS
Filters are used in hydraulic systems to remove these unwanted particles and to purify the fluid.
It is important to clean or replace the filter at regular intervals. Otherwise, the pressure of the
hydraulic fluid gets reduced.

Figure 8 hydraulic filters

The reservoir filters are placed before the pump to prevent the entry of contaminants into the
pump. They are of two types; suction filter and return filter. The suction filters are installed at the
pump suction port and the return filter clean the fluid returning to the reservoir after the

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operation. Line filters are used to remove contaminants from the working fluid. These filters are
selected depending on the pressure, flow rate and filtration ratings.

ACCUMULATORS
Hydraulic systems use accumulators for energy accumulation, shocks absorption, and absorption
of pulsations. Accumulators help to achieve a large flow rate and to minimize the noises and
pulsations. There are three types of accumulators which are Bladder type, diaphragm type and
piston type.

Figure 9 Types of hydraulic accumulators

HYDRAULIC SEALS
Hydraulic seals are usually non-metallic, quite soft rings made out of materials like rubber. Seals
prevent leakage of hydraulic fluids. Static and dynamic seals two major classifications of
hydraulic seals. Dynamic seals are used between parts having relative motion. Similarly, static
seals are used in between parts, that doesn’t require motion. Piston seals, rod seals are examples
for dynamic seals.

Figure 10 hydraulic seals

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HYDRAULIC HOSES
The flexible hydraulic hoses connect separate components like pumps, motors, cylinders, etc.
and transfer fluid between them. The flexible nature of hoses makes it suitable for applications
requiring less space. Also, ease of maintenance and installation are other benefits of hydraulic
hoses. Since the hydraulic system operates under high temperature and pressure, the hoses are
constructed with several layers of reinforcement. Reinforced, coiled, corrugated, articulated and
multi-element are different types of hydraulic hoses available.

Figure 11 hydraulic hoses

TUBING AND PIPINGS
Hydraulic tubes and pipes have the same function of hydraulic hose. They transfer fluid between
the components of the hydraulic system. A pipe/tube is a tubular section or hollow cylinder that
will allow the passage of hydraulic pressure. Due to its rigid nature, such connections require
more space and installation time.

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 Figure 12 hydraulic tubing and piping
Applications of hydraulic systems
The hydraulic systems are mainly used for precise control of larger forces. The main applications
of hydraulic system can be classified in five categories:
i. Industrial: Plastic processing machineries, steel making and primary metal extraction
applications, automated production lines, machine tool industries, paper industries,
loaders, crushes, textile machineries, R & D equipment and robotic systems etc.
ii. Mobile hydraulics: Tractors, irrigation system, earthmoving equipment, material
handling equipment, commercial vehicles, tunnel boring equipment, rail equipment,
building and construction machineries and drilling rigs etc.
iii. Automobiles: It is used in the systems like breaks, shock absorbers, steering system,
wind shield, lift and cleaning etc.
iv. Marine applications: It mostly covers ocean going vessels, fishing boats and navel
equipment.
v. Aerospace equipment: There are equipment and systems used for rudder control,
landing gear, breaks, flight control and transmission etc. which are used in airplanes,
rockets and spaceships.
ADVANTADES OF HYDRAULIC SYSTEM
i) High power to weight ratio compared to electrical systems
ii) Allows easy control of speed and position, and direction
iii) Facilitates step less power control
iv) Allows combination with electric controls
v) Delivers consistent power output which is difficult in pneumatic or mechanical drive
systems
vi) Performs well in hot environment conditions

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DISADVANTAGES OF HDRAULIC SYSTEM
i) Material of storage tank, piping, cylinder and piston can be corroded with the
hydraulic fluid. Therefore one must be careful while selecting materials and hydraulic
fluid.
ii) Structural weight and size of the system is more which makes it unsuitable for the
smaller instruments.
iii) Small impurities in the hydraulic fluid can permanently damage the complete system.
Therefore suitable filter must be installed.
iv) Leakage of hydraulic fluid is also a critical issue and suitable prevention method and
seals must be adopted.
v) Hydraulic fluids, if not disposed properly, can be harmful to the environment

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REFERENCES

i. Hydraulic Power System Analysis, A. Akers, M. Gassman, & R. Smith, Taylor & Francis,
New York, 2006, ISBN 0-8247-9956-9
ii. Basics of Hydraulic Systems, Second Edition, By Qin Zhang, Copyright Year 2018
iii. Fluid Power with Applications” by Anthony Esposito
iv. Fluid Power: Hydraulics and Pneumatics” by James R Daines

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