Drive System and Boom Control

for Aerial Work Platforms

Drive System and Boom Control

for Aerial Work Platforms

Aerial work platforms (AWP’s) have proven them- control with hydraulic joystick pilot controllers ago, can be accomplished by scissor lifts today.
selves to be an indispensable tool on construction used a mere 10 years ago. As demonstrated by Therefore, we see a trend for hydraulic control
sites as well as in building maintenance on a the many presentations Rexroth has contributed systems and components suitable for increas-
world-wide basis. First developed in the U.S., to this conference, we have always been on the ingly simple machinery. Due to the tremendous
AWP’s have experienced a gigantic boom over the forefront of this technology development. quantities of machines required for these sim-
last 10 years and are now widely used in Europe. • At the same time more and more technology ple tasks, there are large market opportunities
Rexroth has made great strides to support and has been implemented into the Construction opening up. Rexroth embraces these challenges
participate in this exciting market place. On a more Industry in general. Tasks that would have re- as substantiated by the following AWP’s article.
general basis Rexroth views the AWP’s to be an quired a simple ladder or scaffording 10 years
excellent example of the increasing degree of tech-
nology in mobile equipment. This technology takes
place on two levels:
• In reviewing specific machines, for example an
excavator, there is an obvious trend towards
‚high tech.‘ Today a sophistiated LUDV system
with an electronic microprocessor control would
be used in place of a simple 6/3-way throttle

RT scissors lifts

Jörn Petersen
Glenn Schaal
Rexroth Hydraulics
Bethlehem/USA
Phone +1 610-694-83 00 Slab scissors lift
Fax +1 610-694-84 67

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 Drive System and Boom Control
for Aerial Work Platforms
AWP’s can generally be categorized in 4 groups:
1. Scissor lifts, battery powered
2. Scissor lifts, engine powered
3. Boom lifts, battery powered
4. Boom lifts, engine powered
Scissors lifts have less complex hydraulic systems
due to their comparatively simple design. Normally
there are only three functions needed for each
machine:
• Propel
• Lift
• Steer
Small, electrically-driven machines are used prima-
rily indoors. These drive systems utilize low-speed
orbit motors, while lift and steer operations are
cylinder functions. All these functions are control-
led by an integrated manifold. 4WE6 directional-
control valves in combination with screw-in car-
tridge valves can be a very compact package that
is cost-competitive and a reliable solution. The
‚Compact Hydraulic‘ Program, which was officially
launched by Rexroth earlier this year, enables
Rexroth to be the competent supplier of choice for
complete manifold systems which are engineered,
designed, machined, preassembled, tested, and
shipped to the OEM for their production line as-
sembly.
Compact hydraulics control manifold
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For these battery-driven machines it is very impor- With increasing machine weight, and therefore
tant to reduce pressure drops to save energy. Even larger prime movers, the drive systems are
more important is to utilize the optimum system equipped with a closed-loop transmission circuit.
design to prevent power draw out of the battery,
which is then transfered into heat in control valves.
Therefore, intelligent energy transformation is re-
quired, and for that reason load-sensing systems
are found in many of these machines. In addition,
there is a trend toward additional proportional
controls for these small machines, especially for
propel and lift functions. To accomplish this in a
power-saving fashion the gear pump is driven with
a variable speed DC motor. All directional-control
valves can then work as on/off valves, which sim-
plifies the electronic controls as well as the valving.
Adjustment of the flow rate as well as its’ distri-
bution have to be controlled electronically by a
microcontroller. This may appear to be an expen-
sive controller, however, the large quantities in-
volved drive development costs down, so that a
very sound technical and economical solution can
be achieved. Internal gear pump PGF
Articulated
boom lift
Directional control valve 4 WE6 (on/off)
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 Drive System and Boom Control
Axial piston motor A10VM / A10FM
Transmission pump A10VG
Horsepower controller EDA
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for Aerial Work Platforms
Advantages of this type system are:
• Better controllability of the propel function.
• Better energy utilization due to the direct
pump control of the drive, without metering
losses caused by control valves.
• Elimination of the counterbalance valves,
which results in additional power savings.
• Simple horsepower limitation without major
influences to the other actuators.
The easiest way to control the drive speed for the
transmission is with an electro-proportional pump.
Horsepower control can then be easily and reliably
accomplished by an analog controller card with
feedback capability. The EDA card was specifically
designed for this need and has proven beneficial
in many applications. Depending on the machine
design, the EDA card can work in conjunction with
an impulse speed pickup from the engine or an
amperage draw feedback from an electric motor
to limit pump stroke and maintain horsepower as
a constant. This is an ‚off-the-shelve‘ product which
can be used for any type of feedback control.
Although less precise, an even simpler and less-
costly solution is a newly-developed pump control
for the A10VG, called ED, or non-feedback control.
This control eliminates the internal feedback sig-
nal. Let’s look at a ‚normal‘ pump control to ex-
plain this effect. With an axial piston pump con-
trol there is the usual undesired effect of the in-
ternal forces of the rotary group trying to destroke
the pump as load pressure increases. This effect is
detrimental to the principle of a displacement con-
trol. In a standard EP control, for example, this
effect is eliminated by an internal feedback from
the control cylinder of the pump to the control
valve spool. The internal forces are continually try-
ing to automatically destroke the pump back to a
smaller displacement angle. With the new, simpli-
fied control these forces are now utilized to achieve
a horsepower limiting control. The control lets the
rotary group stroke the pump back with higher
pressures, which performs essentially as a horse-
power limiting function to decrease the vehicle
speed with increasing load pressure. Otherwise, the
control resembles a „normal“ EP with 2 solenoids
for forward and reverse and can be controlled with
a standard amplifier card. Note that calibration
of the pump and rotary group must be performed
by a qualified service technician to avoid malfunc-
tions.
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 Drive System and Boom Control
for Aerial Work Platforms
Wheel drives for transmission circuits, as compared
to the smaller gerotor wheel motors, can be done
in two different ways. For medium sized machines,
usually small rough terrain machines, radial piston
wheel motors of the MCR type are providing an
economical solution. The compact package in only
one component saves in logistics as well as assem-
bly costs. Their pressure rating is suited towards the
medium duty transmission pumps A10VG which
are usually used for these drive circuits.
218
For even bigger machines, usually boom lifts, plan-
etary wheel drives in conjunction with axial pis-
ton motors are used. Rexroth’s L+S division pro-
vides this type of wheel drives with their GFT line.
Smaller drives have also been designed as a sin-
gle component, comparable to the MCR motors.
Wheel drive gear box GFT7
Microcontroller MDC
Wheel motor MCR with brake
For bigger sized drives the gear box and the hy-
draulic motor have to be split into separate com-
ponents for design reasons. With increasing wheel
loads and torque requirements this solution be-
comes more viable in many applications from 40
feet up to 130 feet working height (12 m to 52 m).
Electric articulated Boom Lift
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 Drive System and Boom Control
Program - Compact Hydraulic
Contents of the catalogues
Cartridge valves
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for Aerial Work Platforms
Since AWP’s are provided in most cases with a 4-
wheel drive propel system the transmission circuit
also has to include a flow divider manifold. That
manifold is an integral part of the drive function-
ality and has to be considered during the design
stage of the machine at least as much as the other
components of the circuit. Rexroth is putting a big
emphasis on this product with its latest venture
into ‚Compact hydraulics‘. The cooperation with
SUN Hydraulics is a big part of this program. We
at Rexroth feel that by utilizing SUN’s flow divid-
ers the best performance for the system can be
achieved. Especially the high pressures used in
transmisson circuits make the SUN product the
product of choice in these demanding circuits.
When compared to scissor lifts, boom lifts rely on
a larger number of actuators for lift function. In
addition to the three above mentioned functions
on scissor lifts, there are several different functions
to be provided. This requires a much larger con-
trol manifold, which usually entails all boom con-
trol functions as well as steering. In most cases the
flow requirements can be met with 4WE6 direc-
tional-control valves. Only the telescopic cylinder
for boom extend necessitates flows that require a
larger size 4WE10 directional valve. Cartridge valve
technology is utilized to provide pressure, flow and
other control functions. The control systems are
normally load-sensing systems, which provide bet-
ter controllability to the operator. Again, in battery-
driven machines this technology provides energy
efficiency and longer recharge intervals.
With these bigger machines the load pressures are
elevated as compared to scissor lifts. Therefore,
internal gear pumps become an attractive solution.
Rexroth’s G2 Series pumps fall into this category.
Their unique design makes their overall efficiency,
and in particular their volumetric effeciency, supe-
rior to any other gear pump. Significantly reduced
noise levels are another feature of these pumps.
The higher cost, however, justify their usage only
in larger electrical boom lifts with sufficiently high-
load pressures. In engine-powered machines the
economics do not justify the technical gain they
provide.
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 Drive System and Boom Control
for Aerial Work Platforms

Another very important feature with increasing

machine size is proportional controls. On m a -
chines utilizing manifolds with load-sensing sys-
tems, this can be accomplished with proportional
directional valves 4WRAB6. These DO3 type spool
valves offer increased controllability, hysteresis, and
repeatability in comparison to any proportional
cartridge valves for directional 4-ported valves.
Further, they provide a true operation in all 4 load
quadrants. This means in the valve, and therefore
the operator, can accelerate both positive and
negative loads proportionally. The same is true for
deceleration. This provides significantly improved
controllability of the machine functions, which has Proportional control valve 4WRAB6
been well received by operators who are 60 feet
above ground. The functions normally provided
with proportional features are swing and boom lift.

Rexroth 4WRAB6 is a cost-effective valve that

makes these proportional controls possible. Its
design utilizes as many components of the on/off
valve 4WE6 as possible to provide commonality of
parts and drive costs down. The control of the valve,
as well as a multitude of other proportional de-
vices, can be accomplished with a MDSD driver
card, which is also a cost- effective solution. Addi-
tionally, a large variety of analog and digital con-
troller cards are available from Rexroth, including
complete plug and play microprocessor controllers
that provide analog outputs for all drive and boom
control functions on a boom lift hydraulic system.
For communication between basket and chassis
controls, a CAN-Bus interfacing is utilized. What
should be noted here is that Rexroth is a capable Boom control manifold
and accessible source to answer system design
needs for this application.

Obviously, the boom control manifold is also a

major target for the new Rexroth ‚Compact Hy-
draulics‘ Program. The solenoid cartridges, which
are an integral part of this program, will help to
provide reliable manifold solutions to the AWP
industry. The main target of this program, how-
ever, is for Rexroth to be the best-suited supplier
for hydraulic system solutions to the AWP indus-
try. The control manifolds are the ‚heart‘ of the
machine design and the key component to provide
easy and smooth controllability of the boom func-
tions. These manifold systems, now available in
Europe and in the U.S., complete the system ca-
pabilities that Rexroth has to offer to the AWP
industry.

Controller card MDSD

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