What is Fluid Power?

Fluid power is energy transmitted and controlled by means of a pressurized fluid, either liquid or gas. The term fluid power applies to both hydraulics and pneumatics. Hydraulics uses pressurized liquid, for example, oil or water; Pneumatics uses compressed air or other neutral gases. Fluid power can be effectively combined with other technologies through the use of sensors, transducers and microprocessors.

COMPONENTS OF FLUID POWER SYSTEM

The basic components of a fluid power system , regardless of whether the system uses a hydraulic or a pneumatic medium are as follows: 1. Reservoir or receiver 2. Pump or compressor 3. Lines (pipe, tubing, or flexible hose) 4. Directional control valve 5. Actuating device

Reservoir
The primary purpose of the reservoir is to hold the system fluid not currently in use in the system Other important functions of the reservoir are:
Remove heat Separate solid particles Release air from fluid Separate water from fluid

 The reservoir serves many functions

 Baffles are used in the interior of reservoirs to direct flow to maximize the distance the fluid must travel between the return line and the pump inlet line
Slows the movement of the fluid Increases cooling Increases separation of solid particles, air, and water

 Typical reservoir construction

FLUID LINES
Lines are used to transfer the fluid, and fitting s are used to connect the lines to the power source and the points of application Pipe, tubes and hoses, along with the fittings or connectors, constitute the conducting lines that carry hydraulic fluid between components

For Pneumatic Systems, no return path for the fluid, which is air, is needed, since it can be directly released into the atmosphere

 Conductors must have: Adequate strength to withstand high system pressures Low flow resistance to assure low energy loss during system operation A design that allows economic installation and low maintenance Conductors must not only withstand normal system operating pressure, but also hydraulic shock pressures Shock pressures result from kinetic energy in the system when: oDirectional control valves are shifted to reverse the movement of a load or heavy machine member oActuators encounter sudden load changes

 Tubing:
Is a relatively thin-walled, semirigid conductor Can be bent and shaped into lines that provide good flow characteristics with a minimum of visual clutter

Tubing can be bent, unlike pipe

 Hose is a flexible conductor made up of:

Inner tube to conduct the fluid Middle layer of reinforcing material for strength Outer protective coating to withstand abrasion and abuse

Hose provides flexibility

Hydraulic fluids - tasks They have the following primary tasks: o Power transmission (pressure and motion transmission) o Signal transmission for control Secondary tasks: o Lubrication of rotating and translating components to avoid friction and wear o Heat transport, away from the location of heat generation, usually into the reservoir o Transport of particles to the filter o Protection of surfaces from chemical attack, especially corrosion

Hydraulic fluids - requirements Functional o Good lubrication characteristics o Viscosity should not depend strongly on temperature and pressure o Good heat conductivity o Low heat expansion coefficient o Large elasticity modulus

Economic o Low price o Slow aging and thermal and chemical stability long life cycle

Properties of Compressed Air

Availability Easily stored in large volumes Simplicity in design and control Provides linear and rotary movement Installation Low system cost due to low component cost

Components have long working life resulting in longer system reliability

PUMPS
The purpose of a hydraulic pump is to supply a flow of fluid to a hydraulic system. A pump must have a continuous supply of fluid available to the inlet port to supply fluid to the system. As the pump forces fluid through the outlet port, a partial vacuum or low-pressure area is created at the inlet port. When the pressure at the inlet port of the pump is lower than the local atmospheric pressure, atmospheric pressure acting on the fluid in the reservoir forces the fluid into the pumps inlet.