Aksum Institute of

Technology

Faculty of Mechanical &

Industrial Engineering

Fluid Power Systems

BY G/MICHAEL G/MARIAM

2013 E.C
Text book and Reference
Basic Concepts of Fluid
Power Systems

2013 E.C
Objectives:
After the completion of this chapter
the students will be able to:
 Identify the common uses of
hydraulic systems.
 Identify the fundamental parts of a
hydraulic system.
 Explain the importance of using
standard hydraulic symbols
Objectives cont…

 Identify the basic hydraulic laws.

 Calculate the piston area, force, and
pressure.
 Explain Pascal’s law and apply it on
different examples.
 State the advantage and disadvantage of
fluid power
Introduction to FLUID POWER
 All machines require some type of power
source and a way of transmitting this power
to the point of operation.
 The three methods of transmitting power
are:
Mechanical
Electrical
Fluid
 In this course we are going to deal with the
third type of power transmission which is
the Fluid Power.
Fluid power
 Technology that deals with

Muscle that moves industry

 Used to Push, Pull, Regulate, or Drive
all machines of modern industry
 Fluid
 Liquid (Hydraulics)
Gas (Pneumatics)
 Hydraulics

God created the first and most wonderful

hydraulic system. It includes a double pump
delivering a fluid flow rate of about 10 L/min at
0.16 bar maximum pressure. This pump feeds a
piping network stretching more than 100,000 km.
That’s nearly two and a half times around the
Earth. It operates continuously for a very long
time, mostly maintenance free. It is the human
blood circulatory system. By the age of 50
years, the hearts of 39 men should have pumped
a volume of blood equaling that of the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (10,000,000 m3.)
Hydraulics cntd..
Fluid based systems using liquids as
transmission media are called hydraulic
systems (from the Greek words hydra for
water and aulos for a pipe; fluids are water
although oils are more commonly used).
The working fluid in a hydraulic system is
incompressible. Thus a hydraulic system
can move large loads.
Hydraulic systems are closed systems,
always recirculating the same oil.
Components of hydraulic system
 Tank (reservoir) – to hold fluid
 Pump – to force liquid through system
 Electric Motor – to drive pump
 Valves – to control liquid direction, pressure
and flow rate
 Actuator – to convert fluid energy to
mechanical force or torque
 Piping – to carry fluid
Components of hydraulic system
Pneumatics
 Gas-based systems are called Pneumatic
systems (from the Greek pneuma for wind or
breath or air).
The most common gas is simply compressed
air although nitrogen is occasionally used.
A pneumatic system is a system that uses
compressed air to transmit and control energy.
Pneumatic systems are open systems, always
processing new air, and air is simply exhausted
to the atmosphere.
Physical components of pneumatic
systems
Area of Application of fluid power
Agriculture
Machine tools
Jigs and fixtures
Automation
Material handling
Aviation Medicals
Automobiles Mining
Construction Paper and packaging
 Defense Pharmaceuticals
Fabrication Plastic industry
 Robotics
 Entertainment
Transportation
Food and beverage Under sea
 Foundry Textiles
Glass industry Etc…
Instrumentation
Advantages of Fluid Power

Ease and Accuracy of Control

Control using simple levers & buttons
Multiplication of Force
Multiply forces without gears, pulleys, levers
Constant Force or Torque
 Only fluid power can provide this irrespective
of speed changes
Simplicity, Safety, Economy
 Fewer moving parts, compact, reliable
 Disadvantage of fluid power

Working fluid is necessary (leakage problems,

filtering, etc.)
Is not economic for large distances comparing
with electrical power transmission.

How fluid power works???

 Pascal’s Law and
its application
Pascal's Law
expresses the central
concept of fluid
power:
"Pressure exerted 10 N Force 1 square cm
by a confined fluid stopper

acts undiminished
equally in all
directions." 10 N per square cm
Pressure of 100 kPa
Pressure, Force, Displacement
 Pressure occurs in a fluid when it is subjected to a force.

P= F/A

The SI unit of pressure is the Pascal, One Pascal is a very low

pressure for practical use

1 Pa =1N/m²,1Pa=0.000001MPa=0.00001bar
1bar=0.1MPa
1atm=101,325Pa=1.01325bar
 Pressure can also arise in a fluid from the weight of a fluid. This is
usually known as the head pressure and depends on the height of
fluid. The pressure at the bottom of the fluid is directly
proportional to height h.

 head pressure due to the fluid weight is given by:

P=ρgh
 where ρ is the density
h is the liquid height
g gravitational acceleration
Application of Pascal's law
Force(power) transmission/ e.g. Hydraulic jack
 P1= F1/A1 = P, and P=P2= F2/A2 since p is constant
F1/A1 = F2/A2; F1/F2=A1/A2
Displacement transmission
V=s*A
with V=const. s1*A1 = s2*A2; s1/s2=A2/A1
For the fluid power automotive lift system shown the
hydraulic piston has a 250 mm diameter. How much oil
pressure is required to lift a 13300N automobile?

hydraulic piston
Example-2:-For the hydraulic jack shown the
following data are given:
A1= 25cm2; A2=100cm2; F1=200N; S1=5cm;
Determine F2, S2, the energy input and the energy
output of the system?
 Exercise

The hydraulic jack, shown is filled with oil. The large and
small pistons have diameters of 75 and 25 mm, respectively.
What force on the handle is required to support a load of 8896
N? If the force moves down by 125 mm, how far is the
weight lifted?