HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS

Hydraulics is a topic in science and engineering dealing

with the mechanical properties of liquids.

At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid version of

pneumatics.

A hydraulic system is a drive or transmission system that

uses pressurized hydraulic fluid.

Hydraulic systems generate force and motion.

Hydraulic systems are used in modern production plants,

manufacturing installations, and several types of machines.
Hydraulic systems can be classified as:
•Stationary hydraulics systems
•Mobile hydraulics systems

Stationary hydraulic systems remain firmly fixed in one position.

Application areas for stationary hydraulics systems:

•Production and assembly machines

•Transfer lines
•Lifting and conveying devices
•Presses
•Injection molding machines
•Rolling lines
•Lifts
 Examples for stationary hydraulic systems

Lathe machine Hydraulic press

Mobile hydraulic systems move on wheels or tracks.
A characteristic feature of mobile hydraulics is that the valves are
frequently manually operated.

Hydraulic forklift

Hydraulic excavator
 Advantages of Hydraulic Systems

• Achieving easily linear motion.

• Creation of large forces and torques.
• Large load capacity.
• Light weight, small size, and fast response.
• Precise positioning
• Realizing automatic overload protection (no damage in
case of overload)
• Realizing automatic control and remote control.
• Self-lubrication with long service life.
• Robust (durable to environmental influences)
 Disadvantages of Hydraulic Systems

• Pollution of the environment by leakage and waste oil

(danger of fire or accidents)

• Danger resulting from excessive pressures (severed lines)

• Temperature dependence (change in viscosity)

• High cost because It requires a higher precision

 Important Properties of Liquids

• Shapelessness
• Incompressibility
• Transmission of force and motion
• Changes in force

Shapelessness
• Liquids have no neutral form
• Conform to shape of container
• Easily transferred through piping from one location to another
Incompressibility

Gases such as air can be compressed. However, liquids

such as water, oil, and brake fluid cannot be
compressed. For this reason, liquids are able to transmit
power instantaneously. Efficiency loss is very small.
Transmission of Force and motion

Force is transmitted equally and undiminished in every

direction
Changes in force

Changing the cylinder size changes both the distance

traveled and the amount of force applied
A small force can move a large weight.
 Requirements for hydraulic fluids
 Functional requirements
• Good lubrication characteristics
• Viscosity should not depend strongly on temperature
and pressure
• Good heat conductivity
• Low heat expansion coefficient
• Large elastic modulus

 Economic requirements
• Low price
• Slow aging, and thermal and chemical stability  long
life cycle
 Safety
• High flash point or in certain cases not inflammable
at all
• Chemically neutral (not aggressive at all against all
materials it touches)
• Low air dissolving capability, not inclined to foam
formation

 Environmental friendliness
• No environmental harm
• No toxic effect
 Hydraulic fluid types

1. Water (3 %)
2. Mineral oils (75 %)
3. Fire resistant (Not inflammable) fluids (9 %)
4. Biologically degradable fluids (13 %)
5. Electro-rheological fluids (in development)
1. Water:

• Clear water
• Water with additives

- Oldest fluid used in hydraulic systems

- Used where there is an explosion or fire danger
or hygienic problems: Food and pharmaceutical
industry, textile industry, mining.
Advantages of water:
•No environmental pollution
•No disposal effort
•Cheap
•No fire or explosion danger
•Available everywhere
•4 times larger heat conduction coefficient than mineral oils
•2 times higher compression module than mineral oils
•Viscosity does not depend strongly on temperature

Disadvantages of water:
•Bad lubrication characteristics
•Low viscosity (problem of sealing)
•Corrosion danger
•Cavitation danger
•Limited temperature interval of applicability (freezing, evaporating)
2. Mineral oil:

- Without additives
- With additives

Always used with mixtures of different oils.

Often used with some additives.

Additives:
-decrease corrosion
-increase life duration
-improve temperature dependence of viscosity
Advantages of mineral oils:

•Good lubrication
•High viscosity (good for sealing)
•Cheap

Disadvantages of mineral oils:

•Inflammable
•Environmental pollution
3. Fire resistant (Not inflammable) fluids:
• Contains water
• Does not contain water
- Water-oil emulsions or water-free synthetic liquids
-Mining, airplane production, casting, rolling, where there
is explosion and fire danger.
-Using fire resistant fluids in underground mines is
mandatory.

Disadvantages:

• Higher energy losses and more tendency to cavitation

• Limited operational temperature: < 55 °C
• Worse lubrication characteristics.
• Sometimes chemically aggressive against sealing
materials
4. Biologically degradable fluids:

-Natural
-Synthetic

• Environmental protection, water protection

• Agricultural machines

– Characteristics similar to mineral oils but much more

expensive.
– If the trend continues its usage expands, price will drop.
Classification of Hydraulic Fluids
 Main Fluid properties

• Density
• Viscosity
• Viscosity index
• Lubrication properties
• Stability
Density
• The density of hydraulic fluid is inversely proportional to
temperature. Increasing temperature decreases density.
• The SI unit of density is kg/m3

Viscosity
• The most important property of the hydraulic fluid to be
considered is viscosity of the fluid.
• Viscosity can be defined as “resistance to flow” that is
inverse measure of fluidity. For example honey is very
thick that means it is more viscous than water.
• Viscosity is directly related to system wear, leakage, and
efficiency.
Where viscosity is too low, more leakages occur. Wear also
increases because the lubricating film is thin.
As viscosity increases, the internal friction of the liquid increases
and, with that, the pressure and power loss increases. The fluid
will be more difficult to pump through the system and may reduce
operating efficiency.
High viscosity also results in heating particularly at the points
where cross-section changes rapidly. This makes the separation
of air bubbles that leads to cavitation. Cavitation decreases
system efficiency, increases corrosion, noise and vibration.
There are two types of viscosity:

•Dynamic viscosity
•Kinematic viscosity
The relation between temperature and kinematic viscosity
Viscosity index

It can be described as temperature dependency of viscosity.

It indicates the temperature range in which the fluid can be
used.

It is a arbitrary unitless value. For example, the Viscosity

Index of synthetic oils ranges from 80 to over 400.

The higher the viscosity index , the better the stability of

viscosity of fluid. If the viscosity index of the fluid is low, the
viscosity of fluid becomes very high at low temperatures.
Lubrication properties
The hydraulic fluids should carry away the heat and protect the system
from wear. The fluid with high viscosity index shows better lubrication
properties.
Stability of hydraulic fluids

Hydrolitic stability is the resistance to chemical interactions with water .

PRINCIPLES OF
HYDRAULICS
 Contents
• Pressure
• Pressure transmission
• Power transmission
• Displacement transmission
• Pressure transfer
• Flow rate
• Continuity
• Types of flow
 Pressure
Hydrostatic pressure
P1 = P2 = P3
 Force and area

(The masses are identical)

Pressure transmission
Power transmission
Displacement transmission
Pressure transfer
Flow Rate
 Continuity
The principle of continuity says that the flow rate is equal
along an isolated line in a stream of a fluid.

Q1  A1  v1  Q 2  A 2  v 2
Derivation of continuity Equation

V Q = Flow rate (lt/min or m3/s) [lt = dm3]

Q V = Volume (lt or m3)
t t = Time (min or s)
A = Cross-section (m2)
V AX X = Distance (m)
v = velocity (m/s)
AX
Q
t
v
X
v
t
Q  Av
Flow Type
There are laminar and turbulent flow in hydraulics,
Example
Charchut Chart for Reynod`s Number Determination