DRIVE SYSTEM ENT 271

8. FLUID POWER: HYDRAULIC AND PNEUMATIC

Contents

Introduction Applications of fluid power Components of fluid power system Primary functions of hydraulic fluid Properties of hydraulic fluid Fluids: liquids and gasses Disadvantages of air Viscosity Physical properties of hydraulic fluid The Continuity Equation for Hydraulic Systems Hydraulic Power Bernoullis Equation Energy Equation

Introduction
Three basic methods of transmitting power:

Electrical Mechanical Fluid power

In practice, most applications actually use combination of the three methods to achieve the most efficient overall systems.

We have to understand the features of each method in order to get the best result
For example, fluid systems can transmit power more economically over greater distance compare to mechanical systems. But fluid systems are restricted to shorter distances compared to electrical systems

Fluid power is divided into two: hydraulic system (using oils) and pneumatic system (using compressed air) Each system has its own advantages and drawbacks The system we are going to use will depend on the application and condition There are many factors to consider to choose a suitable system

Advantages of fluid power can be summarized as follows:

Ease and accuracy of control

Multiplication of force

Constant force or torque

Simplicity, safety, economy

Drawbacks of fluid power:

Hydraulic oils are messy and leakage is impossible to eliminate completely Hydraulic lines can burst and might result in injuring people and damaging surrounding objects

Prolonged exposure to loud noise can damage hearing

Most hydraulic oils can cause fires if there is a leakage Compressive air for pneumatic systems can be dangerous if the pressure is too high

Applications of fluid power

Fluid power drives high-wire overhead tram Fluid power for industrial lift trucks Fluid power drives excavators Hydraulics power robotic dextrous arm

Components of a fluid power system: Hydraulic system

A hydraulic system has six basic components:

A tank to hold the hydraulic oil A pump to force the oil through the system An electric motor or other power source to drive the pump Valves to control oil direction, pressure and flow rate An actuator to convert the pressure of the oil into mechanical force or torque to do useful work Piping to carry the oil from one location to another

3.5 Components of a fluid power system: Hydraulic system

A tank (reservoir) to hold the hydraulic oil (A) An electronic motor or other power source to drive the pump (B) A pump to force the oil through the system (C) Valves to control oil direction, pressure and flow rate (D-G) An actuator to convert the pressure of the oil into mechanical force or torque to do useful work (H) Piping to carry the oil from one location to another

Components of a fluid power system: Pneumatic system

A pneumatic system also has six basic components:

An air tank to store a certain volume of compressed air A compressor to compress the air coming from the atmosphere An electric motor or other prime mover to drive the compressor Valves to control air direction, pressure, and flow rate. Actuators, which are similar in operation to hydraulic actuators Piping to carry the pressurized air from one location to another

Primary functions of a hydraulic fluid:

Transmit power
Lubricate moving parts

Seal clearance between mating parts

Dissipate heat

Properties of hydraulic fluids

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Good lubricity Ideal viscosity Chemical stability Compatibility with system materials High degree of incompressibility Fire resistance Good heat-transfer capability Low density Non-toxicity Low volatility (kemeruapan)

Now we can see that there is no single hydraulic fluid possessing all of these desired characteristics
There must be trade-off among those characteristics A fluid power designer should choose a lubricant that will suit his particular application

In order to be safe, hydraulic fluids must also be changed periodically The frequency of changing depends on the fluid as well the operating conditions

Advice from laboratory analysis could be sought to determine when the fluid should be changed
and, regular changing is necessary and this should be made following standard maintenance

Fluids: liquids and gases

A liquid is a fluid which has a definite volume independent of the shape of its container
A liquid is considered to be incompressible so that its volume does not change with pressure changes This is only approximation but the change in volume due to pressure change is quite small that it is ignored for most engineering purposes

A gas is a fluid which is compressible

In addition, its volume will vary to fill the vessel containing it

A gas is greatly influenced by the pressure to which it is subjected

If the pressure increases, the volume decreases , and vice versa

Air is the only gas commonly used in fluid power systems because it is inexpensive and readily available
Air has the following desirable features: Fire resistant Not messy Can be released back to atmosphere

1. 2. 3.

Disadvantages of air

Due its compressibility, air cannot be used in an application requiring accurate positioning or rigid holding Because air is compressible, it tends to be sluggish Air can be corrosive since it contains oxygen (about 21%) and water A lubricant must be added to air to lubricate valves and actuators High pressure air (greater than 250 psi = 17 atm) is typically not used due to the explosive dangers

Viscosity (kelikatan)

Viscosity is the measure of a fluids resistance to flow. It may be the most important property of a hydraulic property
If the viscosity is to high, it may results in 1. High resistance to flow, causing sluggish operation 2. Increased power consumption due to frictional losses 3. Increased pressure drop (kesusutan tekanan) through valves and lines 4. High temperature due to friction

On the other hand, if the viscosity is too low, it may result in 1. Increased oil leakage past seals 2. Excessive wear due to breakdown oil of the oil film between mating parts
There are two kinds of viscosity: Absolute viscosity () and kinematic viscosity ()

Physical Properties of Hydraulic Fluids Specific Weight

Also known as unit weight, is the weight per unit volume of a material

Specific weight =

Weight

Volume N.m-3

Density =

Mass
Volume

W = V

m = V

kg.m-3

Specific weight Density relationship:

W = mg

=g

[N. m-3]

Specific Gravity (SG)

Is a dimensionless unit defined as the specific weight of the fluid divided by the specific weight of water.
Specific weight of the oil [N/m3]

SGoil =

oil water

oil water

Density of the oil [kg/m3] Density of water [kg/m3]

9800 N/m3

1000 kg/m3

Pressure Head

Its represents the height of a fluid column that produces the static pressure

p H= g

1 ft
0.433 psi

In other words, due to its weight, a 1-ft column of water develops at its base a pressure of 0.433 psi. The 1-ft height of water is commonly called a pressure head

Pressure - head relationship: p = H Pressure - force relationship: p = F / A

Example 1

Find the pressure on a skin diver who has descended to a depth of 18.3 m in fresh water.
Specific weight for fresh water = 9800 N/m3

P=H

= 9800 [N/m3] X 18.3 [m] = 179,000 Pa = 179 kPa

The Continuity Equation for Hydraulic Systems Use of Volume Flow Rate Q

Q1(m3/s) = A1(m2) 1(m/s) = A2 2 = Q2

Flow rates are frequently specified in units of liters per second (Lps) or liters per minute (Lpm). Since 1 liter = 1 L = 0.001 m3 @ 1m3 = 1000 L

Where Q is the volume flow rate ( volume of fluid passing a given station per unit time) Hence, for hydraulic systems, the volume flow rate is also constant in a pipe line. The continuity equation for hydraulic systems can be rewritten as follows:

1 2

A2 A1

(/4) D22

(/4) D1

Continuity equation for hydraulic system

Where D1 and D2 are the pipe diameters at stations 1 and 2, respectively. The final result is:

1 2

(D )
1

D2

This equation shows the smaller the pipe size, the greater the velocity

Hydraulic Power
Hydraulic Cylinder
Q

Rod

Load

Barrel Piston

Hydraulic power is the power delivered by a hydraulic fluid to a loaddriving device such as hydraulic cylinder. Lets analyze the hydraulic cylinder - above figure by developing equations that will allow us to answer the following 3 questions:

Hydraulic Power
Hydraulic Cylinder
QUESTIONS 1. How do we determine how large a piston diameter is required for the cylinder? 2. What is the pump flow rate required to drive the cylinder through its stroke in a specific time? 3. How much hydraulic horsepower does the fluid deliver to the cylinder?

Rod F
Load

ANSWER 1 Piston Size

Piston Pressure p acts on the area of the piston to produce the force required to overcome the load:

Barrel

F load A= p

Load is known from the application Pressure is established based on the pump design

ANSWER 2 Pump Flow Rate

Q [m3/s] = A [m2] X [m/s]
Piston area Piston velocity

The largest the piston area and velocity, the greater must be the pump flow rate

S A

Volume displacement VD of the hydraulic cylinder = A X S

Q = VD / t = (A X S) / t = AX

Pump flow rate in a specific time

Piston velocity

ANSWER 3 Hydraulic power Energy Time

Power =

= Force X Distance =F XS =pAXS

pAS = t = pA = pQ

or Pa

Hydraulic power (W) = p [N/m2] X Q [m3/s]

Bernoullis Equation

Is an approximate relation between pressure, velocity, and elevation, and is valid in regions of steady, incompressible flow where net frictional force are negligible

p + 1 2 + gh = Constant (along a stream line)

2
Static pressure

Dynamic pressure (Kinetic Energy)

Hydrostatic pressure (Potential Energy)

Is one of the most useful relationship for performing hydraulic circuit analysis Its application allow us to size components such as pumps, valves, and piping for proper system operation

It is often convenient to represent the level of mechanical energy graphically using heights to facilitate visualization of the various terms of the Bernoulli equation.
Done by dividing each term of the Bernoulli equation by g.

p g p
N /m N /m 3
2

2 2g 2 2g

+Z

= H = constant

Divide by g

+Z

= H = constant
m Elevation head Total head

(m/s)

m/s 2
=

m Pressure head

m Velocity head

Head in fluid dynamics

Head is the difference in elevation between two points in a column of fluid, and the resulting pressure of the fluid at the lower point

p /g is the pressure head : it represents the

height of a fluid coulomb that produce static pressure p

2/2g is the velocity head : it represents the elevation needed for a fluid to reach the velocity during frictionless free fall (Is the kinetic energy from the motion of water)
z is the elevation head : it represents the potential energy of the fluid

P1

1
P2
Q

Z1
1
ZERO ELEVATION REFERENCE PLANE

2
2

Z2

Type of energy
Elevation

Station 1 Station 2
Z1 Z2

Pressure
Kinetic

P1

1 2
2g

P2

2g

Z1 +

p1

12 2g

=Z + 2

p2

22 2g

Energy Equation
Bernoulli modified his original equation to take into account that frictional losses take place between station 1 and 2

HL called Head loss represents the energy loss due to friction

HP called Pump Head represents the energy added by a pump

Hm called Motor Head represents the energy removed by a
hydraulic motor The modified Bernoulli equation is called The Energy Equation

motor pump friction

Z1 +

p1

12 2g

+ HP - Hm - HL = Z2 +

p2

22 2g

Elevation head

Pressure head

Velocity head

Energy Equation

Pump Head

Pump Head Hp in units of meters can be related to pump power in unit of Watts by using of Eq. 1 and 2

p (N/m2) = (N/m3) Hp (m)

1 2

Pump hydraulic power (W) = p (N/m2) X Q (m3/s)

Hp (m) =

Pump hydraulic power (W)

Pump flow rate

(N/m3) X Q (m3/s)

This Eq. can be used to solve the pump head for use in the energy Eq.

Motor Head

Hm (m) =

Motor hydraulic power (W)

(N/m3) X Q (m3/s)

Motor flow rate

Eg;

oil = SGoil X water

9797 N/m3

Hydraulic Power

The mechanical output power delivered by a hydraulic motor:

Power (W) = T (N.m) X (rad/sec)

If RPM is given , must change to rad/sec by X 2/60

Exercise 2:

For the hydraulic system on above figure, the following SI metric data are given: The pump is adding 3.73 kW (pump hydraulic power = 3.73 kW) to the fluid Pump flow is 0.001896 m3/s The pipe has a 0.0254 m inside diameter The specific gravity of the oil is 0.9 The elevation difference between stations 1 and 2 is 6.069 m Find the pressure availble at the inlet to the hydraulic motor (station 2). The pressure at station 1 in the hydraulic tank is atmospheric (0 Pa or 0 N/m2). The head loss H L due to friction between stations 1 and 2 is 9.144 m of oil [Pa]

water =9797 N/m3

Tank (reservoir) for a hydraulic system

The function of a tank is to store the fluid used. However, it serves functions other than storage and is actually a working part of the system
There are many problems occurring in the operation of a hydraulic system due to improper maintenance and the fluid it contains A hydraulic reservoir or tank has the following functions:
Stores the hydraulic fluid of the system, including some reserve Protects the stored fluid from outside contamination Provides means to check the amount of fluid in the system Provides means to add or change the fluid Cools the fluid as it returns from the actuators and Removes contaminants such as water, dirt, pieces of metal, or chemicals from the fluid

Tank (reservoir) of a hydraulic system

Most tanks are of welded construction with supports for mounting for easy access to the drain plug and also to permit cooling air to circulate underneath
A tank must be totally enclosed and should have a filtered air breather to screen out particles from the surrounding air The fluid that flows in the hydraulic system must be cleaned. Contaminant are screened out using a strainer and a filter. Some reservoirs have magnetic plugs to trap iron and steel particles carried by the fluid

A strainer blocks the relatively large solid particles from entering the system. It is attached to the pump inlet line and may immersed in the oil near the bottom of the tank. Particles stuck to the strainer are cleaned off later and the strainer is ready for reuse
A filter is used to remove smaller particles by absorbing them. Fluid is allowed to flow through but fine particles are trapped and absorbed. When the filter becomes clogged, it is replaced by a new one

Strainers and Filters

Strainers are constructed of a fine wire screen that usually has openings more than100 mesh (149 micron or m)
A strainer only moves the larger particles The condition of the strainer can be monitored by installing a pressure gage between the pump and the strainer. A pressure drop shown by the gage indicated that the strainer is becoming clogged. If the strainer is not cleaned, the pump can be starved, resulting in cavitations and increased pump noise

Basically, filters and strainers are similar. However, the size of particles that can be moved by a strainer is normally greater than 150 m. On the other hand, a filter can remove much smaller particles, down to 1 m.
Even particles as small as 1 m can produce a damping effect on hydraulic systems and can also accelerate oil deterioration