Module II

Hydraulic and Pneumatic

actuators
Pneumatic system is a system that uses compressed air to
transmit and control energy.

Pneumatic systems are used extensively in various industries.

Most pneumatic systems rely on a constant supply of
compressed air to make them work.
This is provided by an air compressor.

Pneumatic systems are most commonly used in construction,

factories, mills, and other areas of building and technology,
often using a centralized source of compressed air to power
whatever motion needs to take place.
Hydraulic systems work by using pressurized fluid to
power an engine.

These hydraulic presses put pressure on a small amount

of fluid in order to generate a large amount of power.
Here's a basic idea of a hydraulic system

The major components that make up a hydraulic system

are the reservoir, pump, valve(s) and actuator(s)
(motor, cylinder, etc.)
The hydraulic systems consists a number of parts for its
proper functioning. The schematic of a simple hydraulic
system is shown.

It consists of:
• a movable piston connected to the output shaft in an
enclosed cylinder
• storage tank
• filter
• electric pump
• pressure regulator
• control valve
• leakproof closed loop piping.
The storage/fluid tank is a reservoir for the liquid used
as a transmission media
The liquid used is generally high-density incompressible
oil. It is filtered to remove dust or any other unwanted
particles and then pumped by the hydraulic pump.

The capacity of the pump depends on the hydraulic

system design. These pumps generally deliver constant
volume in each revolution of the pump shaft.

Therefore, the fluid pressure can increase indefinitely at

the dead end of the piston until the system fails.
The pressure regulator is used to avoid such
circumstances which redirect the excess fluid back to the
storage tank. The movement of piston is controlled by
changing liquid flow from port A and port B.
 The main applications of the hydraulic system can be
classified into five categories:

1. Industrial: Plastic processing machinery, steel making

and primary metal extraction applications, automated
production lines, machine tool industries, paper
industries, loaders, crushes, textile machinery, R & D
equipment and robotic systems etc.

2. Mobile hydraulics: Tractors, irrigation system,

earthmoving equipment, material handling equipment,
commercial vehicles, tunnel boring equipment, rail
equipment, building, and construction machinery and
drilling rigs etc.
3. Automobiles: It is used in the systems like breaks, shock
absorbers, steering system, wind shield, lift, and cleaning
etc.

4. Marine applications: It mostly covers ocean-going

vessels, fishing boats, and navel equipment.

5. 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.
Gear pumps are commonly used for pumping high
viscosity fluids such as oil, paints. They are also
preferred in applications where accurate dosing or high
pressure output is required.

Vane pumps are commonly used as high-pressure

hydraulic pumps and in automobiles, including
supercharging, power-steering, air conditioning and
automatic-transmission pumps.

Gear and vane pumps are primarily used for fixed flow
applications; they are positive displacement pumps that
deliver the same volume for each cycle of
the pumping element.
A single-acting cylinder in a reciprocating engine is
a cylinder in which the working fluid acts on one side of
the piston only. A single-acting cylinder relies on the
load, springs, other cylinders, or the momentum of a
flywheel, to push the piston back in the other direction.
A double-acting cylinder is a cylinder in which the
working fluid acts alternately on both sides of the
piston. ...

A double-acting hydraulic cylinder has a port at each

end, supplied with hydraulic fluid for both the retraction
and extension of the piston.

Double-acting cylinders are typically used in all

applications where the thrusts and stroke lengths
required are in excess of those available from
single-acting cylinders.
What is cushioning of cylinder?
Cushioning of some sort normally is required to
decelerate a cylinder's piston before it strikes the end
cap. ... Reducing the piston velocity as it approaches the
end cap lowers the stresses on cylinder components and
reduces vibration transmitted to the machine structure.

Cushioning of some sort normally is required to

decelerate a cylinder's piston before it strikes the end
cap. ... Reducing the piston velocity as it approaches the
end cap lowers the stresses on cylinder components and
reduces vibration transmitted to the machine structure.
Pneumatic compressors
An air compressor is a device that converts power (using
an electric motor, diesel or gasoline engine, etc.) into
potential energy stored in pressurized air (i.e.,
compressed air). ...
An air compressor must be differentiated from a pump
because it works for any gas/air, while pumps work on a
liquid.

Air compressors work by forcing air into a container and

pressurizing it. Then, the air is forced through an
opening in the tank, where pressure builds up. Think of
it like an open balloon: the compressed air can be used
as energy as it's released.
The three most common air compressors are the
reciprocating, rotary screw and centrifugal.
Reciprocating air compressors are considered positive
displacement machines, which means they increase the
pressure of the air by reducing its volume
Hydraulic valves

Hydraulic valves are mechanical devices that are used to

regulate the flow of fluid within a hydraulic circuit or
system. They can be used to completely close a line, to
redirect pressurized fluid or to control the level of flow
to a certain area.

Hydraulic valves are subdivided into three main

categories: directional control valves, pressure control
valves and flow control valves
Directional control valves (DCVs) are one of the most
fundamental parts of hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
DCVs allow fluid flow (hydraulic oil, water or air) into
different paths from one or more sources. DCVs will usually
consist of a spool inside a cylinder which is mechanically or
electrically actuated.

What is a spool in a valve?

Spool valves regulate the flow of fluid in hydraulic
systems. Spool valves would slide backward and forward
so that the fluid flow can be either in one direction or
another around a circuit of pipes.
What is a four way directional control valve?

Four-way, directional-control valves are used

to control the direction of fluid flow in a hydraulic
circuit, which controls the direction of movement of a
work cylinder or the rotation of a fluid motor.

What is a 5 3 valve?

The 5/3 or 4/3 series are directional-control valves.

The 5/3 and 4/3 body design allow compressed air to
flow to one port of a double acting air actuator while
simultaneously allowing air to exhaust from the other
port on the same air actuator at the same time.
What is a four way directional control valve?

Four-way, directional-control valves are used

to control the direction of fluid flow in a hydraulic
circuit, which controls the direction of movement of a
work cylinder or the rotation of a fluid motor.

What is a 5 3 valve?
The 5/3 or 4/3 series are directional-control valves.

The 5/3 and 4/3 body design allow compressed air to

flow to one port of a double acting air actuator while
simultaneously allowing air to exhaust from the other
port on the same air actuator at the same time.
Pressure control valves

Pressure-control valves are found in virtually every hydraulic

system, and they assist in a variety of functions, from keeping
system pressures safely below a desired upper limit to
maintaining a set pressure in part of a circuit.

Sequence valve is a pressure valve designed to open

when its set pressure is reached, providing a path of
flow alternate and sequential to the primary circuit.

In some ways, a sequence valve is a directional valve,

allowing flow to occur. However, it's just a
relief valve with some added features.