HYDRAULIC AND ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC SYSTEM

(Applications and Advantages and disadvantages)

1.1 Hydraulics – what does it mean?

Hydraulic systems are used in modern production facilities and manufacturing
equipment.

Hydraulics is understood as the generation of force and motion with the

help of hydraulic fluid. The hydraulic fluid is the energy transmission
medium.

The importance of hydraulics in automation technology is a reflection of its diverse

range of applications. Basically, we differentiate between:
 Stationary hydraulics
 Mobile hydraulics
As opposed to stationary hydraulics, which is permanently installed at a given location,
mobile hydraulics travels on wheels or treads. One of the characteristic features of
mobile hydraulics is that the valves are frequently directly actuated by hand. In contrast,
solenoid valves are used primarily for stationary hydraulics.
Hydraulics are also used in shipbuilding, mining and aviation technology. Aviation
hydraulics plays a special role, because safety is of utmost important in this area. In
order to illustrate the various functions which can be fulfilled by hydraulics, a number of
typical applications are included as examples in the following pages.

1.2 Stationary hydraulics

The following fields of application are significant in the area of stationary hydraulics:
• Manufacturing and assembly machines • Injection molding machines
• Transfer lines • Mill trains
• Hoists and conveyors • Lifts
• Presses

A typical area of application is machine tool manufacturing.

 Lathe, press with overhead tank

Tools and workpieces are hydraulically clamped in modern CNC machine tools. Feed
units and spindle drives may also be designed with hydraulic technology.

1.3 Mobile hydraulics

Fields of application for mobile hydraulics include:
 Construction machines
 Dump trucks, gripper arms, loading platforms
 Hoists and conveyors
 Farm machinery

Hydraulics is used for many applications in the field of construction machinery. In the
case of the excavator, for example, travelling motion, as well as all working motion such
as lifting, gripping, swiveling etc., is powered by means of hydraulics.
Working motion which is executed in straight lines is generated by linear drives
(cylinders), and rotary motion is executed by means of rotary drives (motors, semi-
rotary drives).
 Mobile hydraulics, excavator

1.4 Attributes of Hydraulics

Advantages of hydraulics Disadvantages of hydraulics

Transmission of great forces through the Environmental contamination due to oil

use of small components, i.e., high power leaks (fire hazard, danger of accident)
density.

Accurate positioning Susceptible to contamination

Start-up from standstill under maximum Danger due to high pressure (cutting jet)
load
Gentle work and reversing Temperature sensitive (viscosity changes)

Good controllability and adjustability Unfavorable degree of efficiency

Favorable heat dissipation
Uniform, load-independent motion, because
fluids are hardly compressible at all

There are other technologies in addition to hydraulics, by means of which forces, motion
and signals can be generated in the field of control technology:
 Mechanical  Electrical  Pneumatic
The fact that each technology has its own preferred range of applications must be taken
into consideration. A comparison of typical data for the three most widely used
technologies – electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic – is provided in Table.
Electrical Hydraulic Pneumatic
Leakage - Contamination No disadvantages
except loss of
energy
Environmental Danger of explosion Susceptible to Explosion-proof,
influences in certain area, temperature temperature
temperature fluctuation, fire sensitive
sensitive hazard in the event
of leakage
Energy storage Difficult, only in Limited, with the Lightweight
small quantities with help of gases
batteries
Energy Unlimited, with loss Up to 100 m flow Up to 1000 m flow
transmission of energy velocity v = 2 to 6 velocity v = 20 to 40
m/s m/s
Operating speed - v = 0.5 m/s v = 1.5 m/s
Energy costs Minimal High Very high
Linear motion Difficult and Easily accomplished Easily accomplished
expensive, small with cylinders, good with cylinders,
forces, speed can controllability of limited forces, speed
only be controlled at speed, very high is very load-
great expense forces dependent
Rotary motion Easy and powerful Easy, high torque Easy, not very
values, low powerful, high
rotational speeds rotational speeds
Positioning Accuracies of down Depending on how Accuracies of down
accuracy to ±0.05 mm and much is invested, to ±0.1 mm are
better can be accuracies of down possible without load
achieved to ±0.05 mm and reversals
better can be
achieved
Rigidity Very good values Good because oil Poor because air is
can be achieved can hardly be compressible
thanks to compressed at all
intermediate
 mechanical
elements
Forces Not overload-proof, Overload-proof, very Overload-proof,
poor degree of high forces can be force limited by
efficiency due to generated with high compressed air and
downstream system pressures of cylinder diameter
mechanical up to 600 bar
elements, very high (F < 30 kN to 6 bar)
forces can be (F < 3000 kN)
achieved