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ME 453 Hydraulics & Pneumatics

Dr.Yesuenyeagbe A.K. Fiagbe

Department of Mechanical Engineering
KNUST, Kumasi

Hydraulic/Pneumatic System
Circuit Design

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Fluid Power System Design

 Type of Circuit employed depend on the user
 Influence on the component selection
 Circuits can be arranged in various ways using alternative
components
 Different components designs are available to perform a
specific function

 Knowledge of
 Range of hydraulic components that are available
 Operating characteristics of components and their use circuits
and control system
 Available type of hydraulic circuits
 Analytical methods to for determining the system performance
to meet the machine specification

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System Design Process

 Evaluate the machine specification and determine type of
system to use
 Establish the types and size of the major hydraulic
components
 Select an appropriate design of the hydraulic components
 Carry out a performance analysis of the system and
determine its ability to meet the machine specification

System Circuit Design

 Circuit is an arrangement of components interconnected to
provide a desired form of Fluid Power.
 The Circuit designer is limiter only by the boundaries of his
own ingenuity and knowledge of components available
 Three main consideration in Circuit design
 System must operate Safely
 System must be Functional
 System must be Efficient

 One most important is Knowledge of components available

and how they operate in a circuit.

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Safety
 Pressure ratings of the system components.
 Temperature rating of system components.
 Operating speed where pertinent.
 Compatibility between system components.
 Environmental conditions.
 Interlock for sequential operations.
 Emergency shutdown features.
 Power failure locks or safety pins.
 Fire hazards.
 Protective devices for operators and service men.

Functional
 System components must meet the required performance
specifications.
 Components selected according to duty circle
 Life expectancy of components should be that of system
 When the system involves electrical or mechanical hookups with
fluid power, compatibility for fabrication and control is essential.
 System components should facilitate good maintenance practice.
 System component should be selected with marginal safety to
withstand operational hazards
 Accumulators should be discharged when being stored or in rest
condition.

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Efficient
 Keep the system as simple as possible, but safe & functional.
 Use good fabrication techniques
 Standardize component parts as much as possible
 Maintain clean design with access to important parts that
may need repair & adjustment.
 Design to keep operation cost to a minimum.
 Design the system to prevent and remove contaminants.
 Supply good drawing.

Design Approach
 What are the specifications for the Job?
 Force requirement
 Length of work stroke
 Speed of piston
 What size of cylinder is needed?
 With AREA & FORCE, operating PRESSURE must be selected
 A large diameter cylinder operates at lower pressure, but requires a
bigger pump to give the required cylinder speed
 A small diameter cylinder must operate at higher pressure, but a small
pump is capable of the cylinder speed
NB: Both vane and gear pumps are relatively low in cost

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Design Approach
 What capacity pump is needed?
 Pump delivery is selected to provide the maximum cylinder speed
required by the circuit.
 Compute the flow rate
 It a good practice to select a standard pump
 What size electric motor is needed to drive the pump?
 Pump efficiency is about 85%
 Other looses: fluid friction, mechanical friction
 Shaft size and type, direction of rotation and mounting standard
should be indicated
 Type of flexible coupling between motor and pump should be
considered.

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Design Approach
 What size reservoir should be used?
 Rule of thumb: 2.5 – 3 times capacity of pump
 Total volume capacity of fluid should be calculated.
 What size pump inlet would be needed?
 Must be able to take care of the pump capacity plus the pump
slip
 What size discharge conductors & connectors are needed?
 The velocity of flow for the discharge should be maintained.
 Pipe or tubing (tubing is usually preferred because of less
potential leakage.)

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System Design Considerations

 What maximum system operating pressure (psi) is required?
 What volume of oil delivery is required?
 For manual pumps, cu. in. of oil per handle stroke; for powered
pumps, cu. in./min. of oil.
 Is a single- or 2-speed pump required?
 2-speed pumps deliver high oil volume at low pressure for rapid
cylinder piston advance, then shift to the high pressure, low
volume stage under load.

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System Design Considerations

 What is the preferred source of power?
 a) Manual (hand or foot operated). Provides portability, can be
used where electricity or shop air are not available.
 b) Air/Hydraulic. Uses shop air or a portable air compressor .
 c) Electric /Hydraulic. What voltage is available? Is a battery
operated pump preferred?
 d) Gasoline Engine/Hydraulic. Powers high-output pumps at
remote job sites where air or electricity are unavailable.

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System Design Considerations

 Is portability of the pump a factor to consider?
 Will the pump be used intermittently, or will it need to provide high-
cycle operation?
 Does the application require that the pump be capable of starting under
load?
 Is fluid heat build-up a factor in your application? High cycle
applications may require a larger capacity oil reservoir for cooling. Also,
if you are using large displacement cylinders, the reservoir capacity must
be sufficient to fully extend the piston of the cylinder .
 Will the application require large displacement or multiple cylinders?
Reservoir size and pump output levels will be factors to consider.
 Does the working environment require a pump having a low operating
noise (dBA) level?
 Must the pump operate in a spark-free environment?

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DESIGNING A SYSTEM

A. Determine System Parameters

B. Perform System Calculations

C. Choose System Components

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A. System Parameters
 What type of movement? (Linear or Rotary)
 actuator type
 How far does it travel?
 Stroke, degree of rotation
 How heavy is the object ?
 total weight of all materials
 What speed?
 How fast to move? safe travel speed ?
 How fast to get to full speed?
 Other needed components?

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B. System Calculations

 FORCE / TORQUE
 N of force
 Nm of torque

 SPEED / FLOW
 time for stroke
 time for rotation

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calculate AREA–PRESSURE /force

 F = P xA
load
 given a stated force needed
 start with assumed area
 pick a cylinder bore

 start with assumed system pressure

cylinder
 as low as possible for safety

 experiment with numbers until you find right

combination

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FLOW / Speed
 Rate of flow determined by pump delivery
 Flow determines speed of devices
 measured in GPM - gallons per minute

5 seconds 10 seconds

5 gpm 2.5 gpm

2” 2”
actuator actuator
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C. System Components
DCV (Directional Control Valve)

Other control devices

(pressure, flow, etc)

Power unit (pump)

Actuator
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(cylinder)

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Closed Loop vs. Open Loop

pressure line
pressure line

Return line Return line

pressure line pressure line

Return line
inlet exhaust
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Simple Hydraulic Circuit

 Reservoir
 Strainer
 Pump inlet line
 Pump
 Flexible coupling
 Electric Motor
 Discharge conductor and
connectors
 Relief valve
 Directional four-way valve
 Double acting single rod end
cylinder

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Regenerative Circuit
 Pressurized fluid discharged from a
component is returned to the system
to reduce power input requirement.
 Discharge from the rod end is
directed to the opposite end to
increase the speed
 No reduction in power input but
trades force for speed

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Accumulator Circuits
 Accumulators store fluid under
pressure as a source of fluid
power.
 Auxiliary Power source
 Emergency Power source
 Hydraulic shock absorber
 Leakage compensation
 Pressure transfer barrier

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Intensifier Circuit
 Device that converts low pressure
fluid power into high pressure
fluid power.
 As booster are used to multiply
forces when a great force is
needed through relatively short
distance.

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CAD Packages
 PneuSim Pro Circuit Design and Simulation Software for
Pneumatics, Hydraulics, PLC Ladder Logic, Electrical
Control, and SFC Grafcet for Engineer, Representative and
Technical Training
 FluidSIM Hydraulics

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Design Problem
 Limited load of 1tonne is to be moved through a maximum
height of 1m.
 A maximum tilt angle of 15o to the vertical is to be used.
 Design a hydraulic circuit that can be used.

15o 15o

1m

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