Two hydraulic cylinders interconnected

Cylinder C1 is one inch in radius, and cylinder C2 is ten inches in radius. If the force exerted on C1
is 10 lbf, the force exerted by C2 is 1000 lbf because C2 is a hundred times larger in area (S = r)
as C1. The downside to this is that you have to move C1 a hundred inches to move C2 one inch.
The most common use for this is the classical hydraulic jack where a pumping cylinder with a small
diameter is connected to the lifting cylinder with a large diameter.
Pump and motor
If a hydraulic rotary pump with the displacement 10 cc/rev is connected to a hydraulic rotary motor
with 100 cc/rev, the shaft torque required to drive the pump is 10 times less than the torque available
at the motor shaft, but the shaft speed (rev/min) for the motor is 10 times less than the pump shaft
speed. This combination is actually the same type of force multiplication as the cylinder example (1)
just that the linear force in this case is a rotary force, defined as torque.
Both these examples are usually referred to as a hydraulic transmission or hydrostatic transmission
involving a certain hydraulic "gear ratio".

Hydraulic circuits[edit]

A simple open center hydraulic circuit.

For the hydraulic fluid to do work, it must flow to the actuator and/or motors, then return to a
reservoir. The fluid is then filtered and re-pumped. The path taken by hydraulic fluid is called
a hydraulic circuit of which there are several types. Open center circuits use pumps which supply a
continuous flow. The flow is returned to tank through the control valve's open center; that is, when
the control valve is centered, it provides an open return path to tank and the fluid is not pumped to a
high pressure. Otherwise, if the control valve is actuated it routes fluid to and from an actuator and
tank. The fluid's pressure will rise to meet any resistance, since the pump has a constant output. If
the pressure rises too high, fluid returns to tank through a pressure relief valve. Multiple control
valves may be stacked in series [1]. This type of circuit can use inexpensive, constant displacement
pumps.

Closed center circuits supply full pressure to the control valves, whether any valves are actuated
or not. The pumps vary their flow rate, pumping very little hydraulic fluid until the operator actuates a
valve. The valve's spool therefore doesn't need an open center return path to tank. Multiple valves
can be connected in a parallel arrangement and system pressure is equal for all valves.