ME 515 Mechatronics 11/28/2006

ME 515 Mechatronics

Introduction to Pneumatic and

Hydraulic Actuators
Asanga Ratnaweera
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering
University of Peradeniya
Tel: 081239 (3627)
Email: asangar@pdn.ac.lk

Hydraulics and Pneumatics

fluidic switches

Pumps, valves, rods,

switchboard ("Ventilinsel")
28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 2
Mechanical Engineering

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ME 515 Mechatronics 11/28/2006

Pneumatic Actuators
„ Pneumatics – Systems using air or other
gasses.
{ Hydraulics – Systems involving liquids.
„ Pneumatic Actuators – applies force or creates
motion through the use of air pressure.
„ No Leaking problems
„ Faster than hydraulics
„ Main drawback is the compressibility of air
„ Operating pressure: 500 kPa – 1MPa

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 3

Mechanical Engineering

Hydraulic Actuators
„ linear movement
„ big forces without gears
„ actuators are simple
„ in mobile machines
„ Bad efficiency
„ motor, pump, actuator combination is lighter
than motor, generator, battery, motor & gear
combination
„ Operating pressure 7 – 20 MPa

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 4

Mechanical Engineering

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Hydraulic Power Supply

Gear pump accumulator

Absorbs shocks
Stores energy
Maintains
constant pressure

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 5

Mechanical Engineering

Pneumatic Power Supply

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Mechanical Engineering

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Cylinders

„ There are two basic types of cylinders:

{ Single acting cylinder
{ Double acting cylinder
28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 7
Mechanical Engineering

Cylinders
{ Single acting cylinder
„ used when the control pressure is applied to one
side of the piston, a spring often being used to
provide the return movement of the piston.

{ Double acting cylinder

„ used when the control pressures are applied to
each side of the piston. A difference in pressure
between the two sides then results in motion of
the piston.

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 8

Mechanical Engineering

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Directional Control Valves

„ Spool valves „ Poppet valves

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 9

Mechanical Engineering

Valve Symbols
„ The symbols used for control valves consist
of a square for each of its switching
positions. 2 2
3 4

Two ports 1 1 1 2 four ports

„ Arrow-headed lines are used to indicate the

directions of flow in each of the positions,
with blocked-off lines closed flow lines

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 10

Mechanical Engineering

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Valve Symbols
Port 2
„ Ex:

Flow path closed

Port 1 2 2

1 1

Position 1 Position 2

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 11

Mechanical Engineering

Valve Symbols
„ Therefore, for two port (two way) two
position valve can be represented in
symbolic form as shown below:

2/2 valve

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 12

Mechanical Engineering

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Valve Symbols
„ Three way valves
{ A three-way directional valve consists of
three ports connected through passages
within a valve body that are shown here as
port A, port P and port Ex.

3/2 valve

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 13

Mechanical Engineering

Valve Symbols
„ Several methods are used to actuate
valves.

plunger roller lever solenoid

spring push button pedal pilot valve

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 14

Mechanical Engineering

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Valve Symbols
„ Therefore, complete symbolic
representation of valves are:

2/2 valve
Push button Solenoid operated spring
operated spring return 3/2 valve
return valve
Poppet valve
lever operated 3/2 valve

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 15

Mechanical Engineering

Valve Symbols: Example

„ Ex: applications of 2/2 valves to move a
load up and down

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 16

Mechanical Engineering

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Valve Symbols

pilot operated spring

return 4/2 valve

Solenoid operated spring

return 4/2 valve

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 17

Mechanical Engineering

Valve Symbols: Example

„ Time delay circuit

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Mechanical Engineering

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Valve Symbols: Example

„ The operation of the time-delayed
pneumatic circuit is:
{ When the push-button on the three-port valve on
the left is pressed, the air flow is restricted by the
unidirectional-flow control valve and slowly enters
the reservoir.
{ The pressure builds in the reservoir slowly, causing
the time delay.
{ Only when the pressure in the reservoir is high
enough will it operate the five-point valve, triggering
the release of air and causing the piston to
outstroke.
{ When the push button is pressed on the second
three-port valve (on the right), the five-point valve
will switch, triggering the release of air and causing
the piston to instroke.
28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 19
Mechanical Engineering

Directional Valves
„ Check Valve
{ Free flow can only occur in one direction
through the valve, that which results in the
ball being pressed against the spring.

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 20

Mechanical Engineering

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ME 515 Mechatronics 11/28/2006

Directional Valves
„ Shuttle Valves
{ The inlet port connected to
the higher pressure is
automatically connected to
the outlet port while the
other inlet port is closed.

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 21

Mechanical Engineering

Pressure Control Valves

„ pressure sequence valves
{ used to sense the pressure of an external
line and give a signal when it reaches some
preset valve

Symbolic representation Under normal conditions

When working pressure is
more than the preset value
28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 22
Mechanical Engineering

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Pressure Control Valves

„ pressure limiting valves
{ used as safety devices to limit the pressure in
a circuit to below some safe

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 23

Mechanical Engineering

Pressure Control Valves

„ pressure regulating valves
{ used to control the operating pressure
in a circuit and maintain it at a
constant valve

Speed of motion of the

piston can be adjusted
28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 24
Mechanical Engineering

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Pressure Control Valves

„ pressure regulating valves: symbolic
representation

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 25

Mechanical Engineering

Some Useful Symbols

Actuator Valve
1

2 3
1 2

345

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Mechanical Engineering

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Some Useful Symbols

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Mechanical Engineering

Some Useful Symbols

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Mechanical Engineering

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Valve Arrangements
ƒ OR control

Shuttle valve
Valve A Valve B

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Mechanical Engineering

Some Applications

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Mechanical Engineering

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Valve Arrangements
ƒ AND control

Valve A Valve B

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 31

Mechanical Engineering

Pneumatic component
arrangement

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Mechanical Engineering

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Some Applications
„ Double acting cylinder with five port
valve

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 33

Mechanical Engineering

Some Applications
„ Double acting cylinder with five port valve
{ When the piston is retracted (completes the instroke), the
piston operates the roller-trip control, opening the first
three-port valve (in the centre of the diagram).
{ The air output from the three-port valve operates the
five-port valve (these are connected by the dashed line),
releasing air and causing the piston to outstroke.
{ When the piston is fully extended, it operates the push-
button control, causing the second three-port valve (to
the right of the diagram) to switch.
{ The air released by the three-port valve operates the five-
port valve (these are connected by the dashed line).
{ The air released by this section of the five-port valve
causes the piston to retract. The speed of the instroke is
controlled by the unidirectional-flow control valve.
{ When the piston on the double-acting cylinder is
retracted (completes the instroke), the piston operates
the roller-tripAsanga
28 November 2006
control and the cycle is then repeated. 34
Ratnaweera, Department of
Mechanical Engineering

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Choice of Cylinders
„ The choice of cylinder is determined by:
{ the force required to move the load and
{ the speed required.
„ Hydraulic cylinders are capable of much
larger forces than pneumatic cylinders.
„ However, pneumatic cylinders are
capable of greater speeds.
„ The force produced by a cylinder is:
{ Force = A x P
A - cross-sectional area of the cylinder
P - working pneumatic pressure;
Effective area (A) = piston area – piston rod area
28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 35
Mechanical Engineering

Piston Speed
„ If the volume flow rate of hydraulic liquid
into a cylinder is Q m3/s, and the velocity
of the piston of cross-sectional area A m2 is
v m/s then:
Q=Av
„ However, the speed of a pneumatic cylinder
cannot be calculated in this way
{ The speed depends on the rate at which air can
be vented ahead of the advancing piston.
„ A valve to adjust this can be used to regulate the
speed.
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Mechanical Engineering

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Control Valve Sizing

„ The equation relating the rate of flow of liquid Q
through a wide open valve to its size is :

Av - the valve flow coefficient

∆P
Q = Av ∆P - the pressure drop across the valve and
ρ Ρ - the density of the fluid.

„ This equation is sometimes written, with

the quantities in SI units, as Where Cv is
the valve flow coefficient.
∆P
Q = 2.37 × 10 −5 C v
ρ
28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 37
Mechanical Engineering

Control Valve Sizing

„ Alternatively it may be found written as
shown next.
∆P
Q = 0.75 × 10 −6 C v
G

G - the specific gravity or relative density.

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 38

Mechanical Engineering

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Control Valve Sizing

„ Some typical values of Av, Cv and valve size.

Flow Valve size (mm)

coefficient
480 640 800 960 1260 1600 1920 2560
Cv 8 14 22 30 50 75 110 200
Avx10-5 19 33 52 71 119 178 261 474

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 39

Mechanical Engineering

Cylinder Sequencing
„ Ex:
{ Determine the size of a valve that is required to control
the flow of water when the maximum flow required is
0.012 m3/s and the permissible pressure drop across
the valve at this flow rate 300 kPa.

∆P Av = 69.3 × 10 −5
Q = Av
ρ
From the table above

1000 Valve size is 960 mm

Av = 0.012
300 × 10 3

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 40

Mechanical Engineering

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Rotary Actuators

Vane Pump Inline axial piston pump

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 41

Mechanical Engineering

Rotary Actuators

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Mechanical Engineering

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Advantages of Pneumatic
System
„ Clean
{ Pneumatic systems are clean because they use
compressed air. If a pneumatic system develops a
leak, it will be air that escapes and not oil.
„ Safe
{ Pneumatic systems are very safe compared to other
systems. We cannot, for example, use electronics for
paint spraying because many electronic components
produce sparks.
„ Reliable
{ Pneumatic systems are very reliable and can keep
working for a long time.

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 43

Mechanical Engineering

Advantages of Pneumatic
System
„ Economical
{ If we compare pneumatic systems to other
systems, we find that they are cheaper to
run. This is because the components last
for a long time.
„ Flexible
{ Once you have bought the basic
components, you can set them up to carry
out different tasks

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Mechanical Engineering

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Pneumatic Actuators: Main

feature
„ Simple!
„ Easy to use
„ Durable
„ Versatile
„ Light weight
„ Easy to Control

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 45

Mechanical Engineering

Pneumatics actuators: When

to use
„ Low cost and easy to install
„ Clean and easy to maintain
„ Low power densities
„ Only on/off or inaccurate control
necessary

28 November 2006 Asanga Ratnaweera, Department of 46

Mechanical Engineering

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