AIRCRAFT HYDRAULIC SYSTEM COMPONENTS

RESERVOIR
• The first of the basic components, the reservoir, stores the supply of
hydraulic fluid for operation of the system. It replenishes the system fluid
when needed, provides room for thermal expansion, and in some systems
provides a means for bleeding air from the system.
• There is a tendency to envision a reservoir as an individual component;
however, this is not always true.
• There are two types of reservoirs and they are:
o In-Line-this type has its own housing, is complete within it, and is
connected with other components in a system by tubing or hose.
o Integral-this type has no housing of its own but is merely a space set
aside within some major component to hold a supply of operational
fluid. A familiar example of this type is the reserve fluid space found
within most automobile brake master cylinders.
• In an in-line reservoir a space is provided in the reservoir, above the normal
level of the fluid, for fluid expansion and the escape of entrapped air.
• Reservoirs are never intentionally filled to the top with fluid.
• Most reservoirs are designed so the rim of the filler neck is somewhat
below the top of the reservoir to prevent over filling during servicing.
• Most reservoirs are equipped with a dipstick or a glass sight gauge by
which fluid level can be conveniently and accurately checked.
• Reservoirs are either vented to the atmosphere or closed to the atmosphere
and pressurized.
• In vented reservoirs, atmospheric pressure and gravity are the forces which
cause fluid to flow from the reservoir into the pump intake.

VENTED RESERVOIR (UNPRESSURISED RESERVOIR)

• Aircraft that fly at lower altitudes normally have hydraulic systems
supplied with fluid from unpressurised reservoirs.
• These reservoirs must be large enough to hold all of the fluid required for
any position of the actuating cylinders.
• The fluid return to the reservoir is usually directed in such a way that
foaming is minimized, and any air in the fluid is swirled out, or extracted.
• Some reservoirs have filters built into them at the return line so that all of
the fluid entering the tank is strained.
 • The filler cap on an unpressurised reservoir
may be opened while the system is operating.
• However, since the fluid is out in the system,
the level should only be measured with the system
at rest.
• If the fluid is added while the system is
operating, the maximum fluid level will likely be
exceeded when the system is shut down.
• Many reservoirs have two outlets. One is
located in the bottom and the other is either part
way up the side, or is connected to a standpipe
that sticks up inside the reservoir.
• A standpipe outlet feeds the engine-driven
pump. In the event of a break in the system that
causes the engine-driven pump to lose all its fluid,
the hand pump can still pick up enough fluid
• Many reservoirs incorporate strainers in the filler neck to prevent the entry
of foreign matter during servicing.
• These strainers are made of fine mesh screening and are usually referred to
as finger strainers because of their shape.
• Finger strainers should never be removed or punctured as a means of
speeding up the pouring of fluid into the reservoir.
• Some reservoirs incorporate filter elements.
• They may be used either to filter air before it enters the reservoir or to filter
fluid before it leaves the reservoir.
• A vent filter element, when used, is located in the upper part of the
reservoir, above the fluid level.
• A fluid filter element, when used, is located at or near the bottom of the
reservoir.
• Fluid, as it returns to the reservoir, surrounds the filter element and flows
through the wall of the element.
• This leaves any fluid contaminant on the outside of the filter element.
• Reservoirs with filter elements incorporate a bypass valve normally held
closed by a spring.
• The bypass valve ensures that the pump will not be starved of fluid if the
filter element becomes clogged.
• A clogged filter causes a partial vacuum to develop and the spring-loaded
bypass valve opens.
 • The filter element most commonly used in reservoirs is the micronic type.
• These filter elements are made of treated cellulose formed into accordion-
like pleats.
• The pleats expose the fluid to the maximum amount of filter surface within
a given amount of space.
• These micronic elements are capable of removing small particles of
contamination.
• Baffles and/or fins are incorporated in most reservoirs to keep the fluid
within the reservoir from having random movement such as vortexing
(swirling) and surging.
• These conditions can cause fluid to foam and air to enter the pump along
with the fluid.
• Some aircraft have emergency hydraulic systems that take over if main
systems fail.
• In many such systems, the pumps of both systems obtain fluid from a single
reservoir.
• Under such circumstances a supply of fluid for the emergency pump is
ensured by drawing the hydraulic fluid from the bottom of the reservoir.
• The main system draws its fluid through a standpipe located at a higher
level.
• With this arrangement, adequate fluid is left for operation of the emergency
system should the main system’s fluid supply become depleted.

PRESSURISED RESERVOIR
• Jet aircraft that operate at high altitudes where there is no enough air
pressure to assure a positive feed of hydraulic fluid to the pump have
pressurized hydraulic reservoirs.
• This ensures that an adequate supply of hydraulic fluid, free from foaming,
is always available at the pump inlet.
• There are three ways of pressurizing these reservoirs. They are:
o By using variable delivery hydraulic pump.
o By using engine bleed air.
o By using the hydraulic system pressure.
PRESSURISED RESERVOIR (BY USING VARIABLE DELIVERY HYDRAULIC PUMP)
• Since there is always some fluid flow back to the hydraulic reservoir, an
aspirator is installed in the return line to the hydraulic reservoir.
 • Hydraulic fluid flowing through the aspirator or venture-tee draws either
cabin or ambient air pressure by jet action into the hydraulic reservoir
thereby pressurizing it.
• A pressure regulator maintains a pressure of between 30 and 35 Psi in the
reservoir.

BY USING VARIABLE DELIVERY PUMP BY USING ENGINE BLEED AIR

PRESSURISED RESERVOIR (BY USING ENGINE BLEED AIR)

Another system uses bleed air from the aircraft’s turbine engines to maintain
pressure in the main hydraulic system reservoir of 40 Psi to 45 Psi.
All of the pressurizing air must be released before removing the reservoir cap.

PRESSURISED RESERVOIR (BY USING HYDRAULIC SYSTEM PRESSURE)

A third type of reservoir may be pressurized by hydraulic system pressure acting
on a small piston.
• The resulting force, produced by a larger piston attached to the smaller one,
causes a reduction of pressure on reservoir fluid.
• Pressure ratios of near 50:1 are common for this type of reservoir.
• This means that a 3000 psi system can pressurize the fluid to about 60 psi.
• The quantity of fluid in this type of reservoir is indicated by the amount of
piston sticks out of the body of the reservoir.

POWER PUMP
• The only function of a pump is to move the hydraulic fluid through the
system.
• There are two basic types of pumps namely constant displacement pump
and variable displacement pump.
• Hydraulic power pumps may be powered by an electric motor or by direct
drive from an engine accessory section.
• Pumps driven by the engine are usually protected by a shear shaft that
disconnects the pump from the engine if the pump should stall.

CONSTANT DISPLACEMENT PUMP

• A constant displacement pump moves a specific volume of hydraulic fluid
each time its shaft turns.
• It must have some form of regulator or relief valve in the system to relieve
the pressure that builds up when the pump moves more fluid than the
system can use.
• Constant displacement pumps come in several different types, each having
its own characteristics, and include
o Gear pump
o Gerotor pump
o Piston pump
o Vane pumps.

GEAR PUMP
• The gear pump is one of the most commonly used types of constant
displacement pumps for medium pressure hydraulic systems.
• Gear pumps are rugged and dependable and are relatively inexpensive to
manufacture.
• In the gear pump, two spur gears are placed side-
by-side and they mesh with each other.
• In this, one of the gears is driven by the engine
through a splined shaft.
• This gear rides in a close fitting housing and
drives the other gear.
• As the teeth of the two gears separate, the volume
of the inlet chamber increases and lowers the
pressure so that the fluid will flow into the pump
from the reservoir.
• This fluid is trapped between the teeth and the wall of the pump body, and
the fluid is moved around the outside of the gears to the outlet side of the
pump.
• A small amount of fluid leaks past the gears and around the shaft for
lubrication, cooling and sealing.
• This fluid drains into the hollow shafts of the gears where it is picked up by
the low pressure at the inlet side of the pump.
• A weak relief valve holds the oil in the hollow shafts until it builds up a
pressure of about 15 psi. This pressure is called “case pressure”.
• The case pressure is maintained so that in the event the shaft or seal
becomes scored, fluid will be forced out of the pump rather than air being
drawn in.
• Air in the pump would displace some of the fluid needed for lubrication,
and the pump would be damaged.
• The inside of the gear cavity of some of the pumps is fitted with a bushing
and flange, to minimize the problem of the case distorting when the output
pressure is high.
• Distortion will increase the leakage and cause a loss of pressure.
• Fluid from the outside of the pump is fed
back through a check valve into a cavity
under the bushing flange.
• As the output pressure rises, it forces the
flange tight against the gears.
• This minimizes the leakage and
compensates for wear.
GEROTOR PUMP
• The gerotor pump is a combination internal-external gear pump.
• The six-tooth spur type drive gear is turned by an accessory drive from the
engine, and as it turns, it rotates a seven-tooth internal-gear rotor.
• By following the relationship between the two gears, it can be seen that in
the view A the two marked teeth are meshed, and the tooth of the spur gear
almost completely fills the cavity in the rotor.
• As the drive gear rotates and pulls the driven gear around, the volume of
the cavity increases until in view C it is at a maximum.
• During the rotation from view A to view C, the expanding cavity is under the
inlet port and fluid is drawn into the pump.
• As the gears continue to rotate, the cavity formed by the marked teeth
moves under the outlet port.
• As the drive gear meshes with the cavity next to the marked cavity in the
rotor, its volume decreases.
• The fluid in this cavity is forced out of the pump through the outlet port.

GEROTOR TYPE PUMP

PISTON PUMPS
AXIAL PISTON PUMPS
• Piston-type power-driven pumps have flanged mounting bases for the
purpose of mounting the pumps on the accessory drive cases of aircraft
engines and transmissions.
• A pump drive shaft, which turns the mechanism, extends through the pump
housing slightly beyond the mounting base.
• Torque from the driving unit is transmitted to the pump drive shaft by a
drive coupling.
• The drive coupling is a short shaft with a set of male splines on both ends.
• The splines on one end engage with female splines in a driving gear; the
splines on the other end engage with female splines in the pump drive shaft.
 • Pump drive couplings are designed to serve as
safety devices.
• The shear section of the drive coupling, located
midway between the two sets of splines, is
smaller in diameter than the splines.

• If the pump becomes unusually hard to turn or becomes jammed, this

section will shear, preventing damage to the pump or driving unit.
• The basic pumping mechanism of piston-type pumps consists of a multiple-
bore cylinder block, a piston for each bore, and a valving arrangement for
each bore.
• The purpose of the valving arrangement is to let fluid into and out of the
bores as the pump operates.
• The cylinder bores lie parallel to and symmetrically around the pump axis.
• The term “axial-piston pump” is often used in referring to pumps of this
arrangement.
• All aircraft axial-piston pumps have an odd number of pistons

ANGULAR TYPE PISTON PUMP

• A typical angular-type pump is shown in the given figure.
• The angular housing of the pump causes a corresponding angle to exist
between the cylinder block and the drive shaft plate to which the pistons
are attached.
• It is this angular configuration of the pump that causes the pistons to stroke
as the pump shaft is turned.
• When the pump is operated, all parts within the pump (except the outer
races of the bearings which support the drive shaft, the cylinder bearing pin
on which the cylinder block turns, and the oil seal) turn together as a
rotating group.
• Because of the angle between the drive shaft and the cylinder block, at one
point of rotation of the rotating group a minimum distance exists between
the top of the cylinder block and the upper face of the drive shaft plate.
• At a point of rotation 180” away, the distance between the top of the
cylinder block and the upper face of the drive shaft plate is at a maximum.
• At any given moment of operation, three of the pistons will be moving away
from the top face of the cylinder block, producing a partial vacuum in the
bores in which these pistons operate.
• Fluid will be drawn into these bores at this time.
• Movement of the pistons when drawing in and expelling fluid is overlapping
in nature, and results in a practically non-pulsating discharge of fluid from
the pump.
 CAM TYPE HYDRAULIC PUMP

CAM TYPE PUMP

• Cam-type pumps utilize a cam to cause stroking of the pistons.
• There are two variations of cam-type pumps; one in which the cam turns
and the cylinder block is stationary, and the other in which the cam is
stationary and the cylinder block rotates.
• As an example of the manner in which the pistons of a cam-type pump are
caused to stroke.

OPERATION
• As the cam turns, it’s high and low points pass alternately and, in turn,
under each piston.
• When the rising ramp of the cam passes under a piston, it pushes the piston
further into, its bore, and causing fluid to be expelled from the bore.
• When the falling ramp of the cam comes under a piston, the piston’s return
spring extends the piston outward of its bore.
• This causes fluid to be drawn into the bore.
• Because the movement of the pistons when drawing in and expelling fluid is
overlapping in nature, the discharge of fluid from the cam-type pump is
practically non-pulsating.
• Each bore has a check valve that opens to allow fluid to be expelled from
the bore by movement of the piston.
• These valves close during the inlet strokes of the pistons.
 • Because of this, inlet fluid can be drawn into the bores only through the
central inlet passage.

CONSTANT DISPLACEMENT-PISTON TYPE PUMP VANE TYPE PUMP

VANE PUMPS
• Some hydraulic systems require a pump to move a relatively large volume
of fluids, but do not need to produce a very high pressure. For such
applications vane type pumps are used.
• The vanes in the pump are free-floating in the rotor and are held against the
wall of the sleeve by a spacer.
• As the rotor turns in the direction shown by the arrow, the volume between
the vanes on the inlet side increases, while the volume between the vanes
and the outlet decreases.
• This change in volume draws fluid into the pump through the inlet port and
forces it out through the outlet port.

VARIABLE DISPLACEMENT PUMP

• A Variable displacement pump does not move a constant amount of fluid
each revolution, but only the amount the system will accept.
• By varying the pump output, the system pressure can be maintained within
the desired range without the use of pressure regulators or relief valves.
• Variable displacement pumps can turn without any fluid being forced into
the system.
• So, to prevent overheating, these pumps usually bypass some fluid back to
the reservoir so there will always be some flow of fluid to cool the pump.
• Some force is needed to control the output of the variable displacement
pump with no need for a separate control valve.
• The variable displacement pump shown which is used on high-pressure
aircraft hydraulic system uses nine axially oriented pistons and cylinders.
• The pistons are driven up and down in the cylinders by a wedge shaped
cam, and the pistons bear against the surface of the cam with ball joint
slippers.
• When the thick part of the cam is against the piston, it is at the top of the
stroke.
• As the cam rotates, the piston moves down the cylinder until, at the thin
part of the cam, it is at the bottom.
• The stroke is the same, regardless of the amount of fluid demanded by the
system, but the effective length of the stroke controls the amount of fluid
pumped.
• The balance of forces that controls the pump pressure on the system is
between the compensator spring and the compensator stem piston.
• In the figure given a passage from the discharge side of the pump directs
the output fluid pressure around the compensator stem.
• This stem is cut with a shoulder that serves as a piston.
• As the system pressure rises, the fluid pushes the stem up, compressing the
compensator spring.
• The spider which moves the sleeve up or down the pistons is attached to
the stem.
• When the pressure is high it acts on the stem piston to raise the spider
against the compensator spring and the relief holes near the bottom of the
pistons are uncovered during the entire stroke.
• The pistons now stroke up and down, but no fluid is forced out of the pump,
since it is all relieved back into the pump.
• Near the top of the stroke, a bypass hole in the piston aligns with a passage
in the pump housing so that a small amount of fluid bypasses back into the
reservoir just enough for lubricating and cooling and cooling the pump.
• When the pressure is low the compensator spring forces the spider and
sleeves down the piston, covering the relief hole when the piston is near the
bottom of its stroke.
• In this way, the full stroke of the piston is utilized to move the fluid.
• Fluid is forced out through the check valve into the pump discharge line.
• In any condition of intermediate pressure, the sleeve closes the relief holes
at some point along the stroke of the piston.
• This allows just enough fluid to be pumped to maintain the system pressure
at that level for which the compensator is set.
VARIABLE DISPLACEMENT PUMP-AXIAL TYPE

VARIABLE DISPLACEMENT PUMP- PISTON TYPE

HAND PUMP
• Hand pumps are used for maintenance activities such as raising brake
pressure without starting the engines, opening cargo doors and can be used
for emergency power in flight.
• They always take their supply of fluid from the bottom of the reservoir.
• Single-action hand pump move fluid only on one stroke of the piston, while
double-action hand pumps move it on both strokes.
• Double-action hand pumps are the ones most commonly used in aircraft
hydraulic system because of their greater efficiency.
• One of the commonly used types of double-action hand pumps is called a
piston rod displacement pump, because it’s pumping action is caused by
the difference in area between the two sides of the piston.
• One side of the piston has less surface area because of the piston rod.

VIEW “A”
• The handle is moving in the direction to pull the piston to the left, and the
hydraulic fluid is drawn into the pump through the inlet check valve.
• When the piston is at the end of its stroke, chamber 1 is full of hydraulic
fluid, and the spring closes the check valve.

VIEW “B”
• As the handle is moved to the right, the piston is forced into the chamber1,
and the hydraulic fluid flow through the outlet check valve into chamber2.
• The volume of chamber2 is smaller than that of chamber1 because of the
piston rod, and so the hydraulic fluid fills chamber2, and the excess leaves
the pump through the outlet port.
• On the return stroke of the piston, the remainder of the fluid in chamber2 is
forced out, while a fresh charge is being brought into chamber1.
ACTUATING CYLINDERS (ACTUATORS)
• An actuating cylinder transforms energy in the form of fluid pressure into
mechanical force, or action, to perform work.
• It is used to impart powered linear motion to some movable object or
mechanism.
• A typical actuating cylinder consists fundamentally of cylinder housing, one
or more pistons and piston rods, and some seals.
• The cylinder housing contains a polished bore in which the piston operates,
and one or more ports through which fluid enters and leaves the bore.
• The piston and rod form an assembly.
• The piston moves forward and backward within the cylinder bore and an
attached piston rod moves into and out of the cylinder housing through an
opening in one end of the cylinder housing.
• Seals are used to prevent leakage between the piston and the cylinder bore,
and between the piston rod and the end of the cylinder.
• Both the cylinder housing and the piston rod have provisions for mounting
and for attachment to an object or mechanism which is to be moved by the
actuating cylinder.
• Actuating cylinders are of two major types:
1. Linear actuators
2. Rotary actuators.

LINEAR ACTUATORS
SINGLE-ACTION ACTUATING CYLINDER
• The single-action (single port) actuating cylinder is capable of producing
powered movement in one direction only.
• A single-action actuating cylinder is illustrated in the given figure.
• Fluid under pressure enters the port at the left and pushes against the face
of the piston, forcing the piston to the right.
• As the piston moves, air is forced out of the spring chamber through the
vent hole, compressing the spring.
• When pressure on the fluid is released to the point that it exerts less force
than is present in the compressed spring, the spring pushes the piston
toward the left.
• As the piston moves to the left, fluid is forced out of the fluid port.
• At the same time, the moving piston pulls air into the spring chamber
through the vent hole.
 • A three-way control valve is normally used for controlling the operation of a
single-action actuating cylinder.
• The wheel cylinders in shoe-type brakes are good examples of single acting
cylinders.

DOUBLE-ACTION ACTUATING CYLINDER

• The double-action (two ports) actuating cylinder is capable of producing
powered movement in two directions.
• A double-action (two-port) actuating cylinder is illustrated in the given
figure.
• The operation of a double-action actuating cylinder is usually controlled by
a four-way selector valve.
• The given figure shows an actuating cylinder interconnected with a selector
valve.
• Operation of the selector valve and actuating cylinder is discussed below.
• Placing the selector valve in the “on” position (refer figure) admits fluid
pressure to the left hand chamber of the actuating cylinder.
• This results in the piston being forced toward the right.
• As the piston moves toward the right, it pushes return fluid out of the right-
hand chamber and through the selector valve to the reservoir.
• When the selector valve is placed in its other “on” position, as illustrated in
the given figure, fluid pressure enters the right-hand chamber, forcing the
piston toward the left.
• As the piston moves toward the left, it pushes return fluid out of the left-
hand chamber and through the selector valve to the reservoir.
• Besides having the ability to move a load into position, a double-acting
cylinder also has the ability to hold a load in position.
• This capability exists because when the selector valve used to control
operation of the actuating cylinder is placed in the “off” position, fluid is
trapped in the chambers on both sides of the actuating cylinder piston.
• In addition to the two general design types of actuating cylinders discussed
(single-action and double-action), other types are available.
DOUBLE ACTING UNBALANCED ACTUATOR

• Double acting unbalanced or uncompensated actuators operate

hydraulically in both directions.
• As these actuators have only one ram attached to the piston the surface
area of each side of the piston varies.
• The variation is equal to the area of the ram.
• This result in the actuator producing a larger force on extension (ram
extending) than on retraction (ram retracting) for a given pressure, see the
diagram above.
• Double acting unbalanced actuators are normally used for such applications
as raising and lowering the landing gear.
• The fluid entering the up-port acts on the entire area of the piston, while
the fluid entering the down port acts only on that portion of the piston not
covered by the actuating rod.
• Because of this difference in effective piston area, there is a much greater
force produced to raise the landing gear than is used to lower it.
DOUBLE ACTING BALANCED ACTUATOR
• Double acting balanced actuators are useful in applications that require the
same amount of force in both directions of piston movement.
• For example, a double acting balanced actuator might be used as an
automatic pilot servo actuator.
 • Double acting balanced or compensating actuators have a ram of equal area
attached to each side of the piston, as per the diagram given.
• Thus for an equal pressure they will generate an equal force on both
extension and retraction.
• This type of actuator can be used to move a loop of cable, operate two items
in opposite directions simultaneously or have a service operated by one
ram only.

CUSHION TYPE LINEAR HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR

• The cushion type linear actuator is the one in which the piston starts its
movement slowly, accelerates to full speed, and then is cushioned at the end
of its movement.
• The hydraulic fluid enters the actuator through the gear down port, and it
must flow around the metering rod to move the piston out of the cylinder.
• As soon as the piston travels far enough to remove the metering rod from
the orifice, the fluid flow increases and moves the piston out at its full
speed.
• As the piston nears the end of its travel, the piston head contacts the poppet
and compresses the poppet spring to bring the piston to a smooth stop at
the end of its travel.
• When the selector is placed in the gear up position, the fluid enters the
gear-up port and moves the piston rapidly until the metering pin enters the
orifice.
• The travel is then slowed until it reaches the full-up position.

CUSHION TYPE LINEAR ACTUATOR

LINEAR ACTUATORS WITH PISTON LOCK FACILITY
• Some hydraulic actuators incorporate a means for locking the piston at the
end of its travel.
• When the piston is in its retracted position, the landing gear is down and
locked.
• The locking pin holds the locking ball in the groove in the piston so the
piston cannot move out of the cylinder.
• To raise the gear, fluid under pressure enters the gear-up port and moves
the locking pin back, which allows the ball to drop out of the groove in the
piston and release it so the fluid can move the piston out of the cylinder and
raise the landing gear.
• The collar holds the ball down in the step of the locking pin and prevents its
extending until the gear is lowered.
• The piston forces the collar back, allowing the ball to release the lock pin.
• This in turn locks the ball into the groove in the piston.

ROTARY ACTUATORS
• One of the simplest forms of a rotary actuator is the rack-and-pinion type
actuator.
• This type of rotary actuator is commonly used in the landing gear system
that is available in the popular high performance single engine Cessna
aircraft.
• The piston has a rack of teeth cut in its shaft, and these teeth mesh with
those in a pinion gear that rotates as the piston moves in or out.
• Rotation of the pinion shaft raises or lowers the landing gear.
HYDRAULIC MOTORS
• If a continuous rotational force is needed, a hydraulic motor may be used.
• Fluid under pressure from the system enters the motor through the inlet
port and forces the piston to the bottom of the cylinder block.
• As they move down the cylinder bore, they force the drive shaft to rotate.
• By the time the pistons reach the bottom of the bore, the cylinder block has
rotated until the cylinders whose pistons are moving upward are under the
outlet port, and as they move up they force the fluid into the return
manifold.

PISTON TYPE HYDRAULIC MOTOR

• The piston type rotary hydraulic motor is similar in operation to the piston
type hydraulic pump.
• The piston type rotary hydraulic motor converts the linear motion of
individual pistons into rotary motion of the assembly.
• Piston type hydraulic motors have many applications on larger aircraft
where it is desirable to have a considerable amount of power with good
control, the ability to instantaneously reverse the direction of rotation, and
no fire hazard if the motor is stalled.
 PISTON TYPE HYDRAULIC MOTOR VANE TYPE HYDRAULIC MOTOR

VANE TYPE HYDRAULIC MOTOR

• Vane type pumps are also classed as constant volume pumps.
• The vane type hydraulic motor works in the reverse manner to the vane
type hydraulic pump.
• Hydraulic pressure and flow is converted to rotary motion.
• Where less torque is needed, a vane type hydraulic motor may be used in
which the hydraulic pressure is directed to vanes on opposite sides of the
rotor to balance the load on the shaft.
• Hydraulic fluid under pressure enters the inlet chambers of the motor and
pushes the vanes around to the outlet chambers.
• The vanes are free to slide back and forth in the slots in the rotor, and
centrifugal force holds them against the outside of the chambers.

• They also move large volumes of fluid rapidly, and raise pressure by forcing
this volume into a restrictive outlet pipe.
• This pressure also acts back against the vanes, which limits their use to low
pressure systems.
• The pump consists of a cylindrical shaft that is offset within a circular
housing.
• The shaft is grooved to accept the vanes; these are sprung loaded to move
out radially so follow the contour of the housing as the shaft rotates.
 • This action is used to draw the fluid in from the inlet side and expel it into
the outlet pipe; again for one rotation of the shaft the pump will move a set
volume.
• A pressure relief valve can be incorporated to relieve excess outlet pressure
back to the inlet side to prevent damage to the pump.

HYDRAULIC ACCUMULATORS
• The accumulator is a steel sphere divided into two chambers by a synthetic
rubber diaphragm.
• The upper chamber contains fluid at system pressure, while the lower
chamber is charged with air.
• The function of an accumulator is to:
o Dampen pressure surges in the hydraulic system caused by actuation
of a unit and the effort of the pump to maintain pressure at a preset
level.
o Aid or supplement the power pump when several units are operating
at once by supplying extra power from it’s “accumulated)’ or stored
power.
o Store power for the limited operation of a hydraulic unit when the
pump is not operating.
o Supply fluid under pressure to compensate for small internal or
external (not desired) leaks which would cause the system to cycle
continuously by action of the pressure switches continually “kicking
in.”
DIAPHRAGM ACCUMULATOR
• Diaphragm type accumulators consist of two
hollow half-ball metal sections fastened
together at the centerline.
• One of these halves has a fitting for attaching
the unit to the system; the other half is
equipped with an air valve for charging the
unit with compressed air.
• Mounted between the two halves is a
synthetic rubber diaphragm which divides
the tank into two compartments.
• A screen covers the outlet on the fluid side of
the accumulator.
 • This prevents a part of the diaphragm from being pushed up into the
system pressure port and being damaged.
• This could happen whenever there is an air charge in the unit and no
balancing fluid pressure.
• In some units, a metal, disc attached to the center of the diaphragm is used
in place of the screen.

BLADDER-TYPE ACCUMULATORS
• The bladder-type accumulator operates on the same principle as the
diaphragm type.
• It serves the same purpose, but varies in
construction.
• This unit consists of a one-piece metal sphere
with a fluid pressure inlet at the top.
• There is an opening at the bottom for inserting
the bladder.
• A large screw-type plug at the bottom of the
accumulator retains the bladder and also seals
the unit.
• The high-pressure air valve is also mounted in
the retainer plug.
• A round metal disc attached to the top of the
bladder prevents air pressure from forcing the bladder out through the
pressure port.
• As fluid pressure rises, it forces the bladder downward against the air
charge, filling the upper chamber with fluid pressure.
• The broken lines in the given figure show the approximate shape of the
bladder when the accumulator is charged.

PISTON-TYPE ACCUMULATORS
• The piston-type accumulator also serves the same purpose and operates
much like the diaphragm and bladder accumulators.
• As shown in figure this unit is a cylinder (B) and piston assembly (E) with
openings on each end.
• System fluid pressure enters the top port (A), and forces the piston, down
against the air charge in the bottom chamber (D).
• A high-pressure air valve (C) is located at the bottom of the cylinder for
servicing the unit.
• There are two rubber seals (represented by the black dots) which prevent
leakage between the two chambers (D and G).
• A passage (F) is drilled from the fluid side of the piston to the space
between the seals.
• This provides lubrication between the cylinder walls and the piston.