How does hydraulics work in the world around us

When a space shuttle is launched, it is powered by two rocket boosters, which provide the vast majority of propulsion during lift-off. Guess what its power by? Hydraulic power. This compactor was made possible thanks to the use of a hydraulic press. There are thousands of other ways hydraulics are used , but it is clear from just these few examples, that the applications of hydraulics are versatile and widespread.

Ever since Archimedes jumped out of his bath in a state of excitement, hydraulic technology has been changing the world we live in. We are very grateful to the technology that helps drive our business and hope this blog has widened your appreciation of hydraulics. How Hydraulic Technology has Changed the World Human beings have always had a relationship with water, after all it sustains life. Even the F Joint Strike Fighter uses hydraulic actuators for its primary flight controls.

Neither electrical nor mechanical systems have the speed and power capability of a hydraulic cylinder, which is able to move an aileron while the jet is travelling at near mach speed. Any aircraft is able to maintain this performance with regular servicing of the hydraulic systems. With the exception of physical damage, a cylinder can be serviced and replaced many times, and if done proactively, allows the hydraulic systems to last decades.

Hydraulics may one day harness the superfluid. A superfluid, such as liquid helium, moves with zero viscosity. As you can imagine, a superfluid can be pumped at massive volumes with no backpressure. Fluid lines could be miniscule, but still pump at a high rate. A superfluid will even travel against gravity under its own volition; nobody said quantum physics made sense.

The challenges with a superfluid are numerous, which is why this is a technology for the future. Liquid helium requires pretty much absolute zero to be a superfluid, which makes it difficult to take advantage of.

The entire hydraulic system would have to be self-contained in a space with no thermal energy. Because liquid helium has zero viscosity, you can imagine how prone to leakage a hydraulic system would be.

Not only would a helium pump spin freely as if it was pumping in a vacuum, any actuator would not be able to take advantage of the moving liquid helium.

This superfluid would enter a hydraulic cylinder and proceed to move past the piston seals as if there was no piston even in the cylinder. Challenges aside, superfluidity is a fantastic concept, with too many benefits to ignore in Future World. All engineers should read this. I fear that most fluid power actuator developers have, in some sense, just given up in the face of computer controlled electric drives.

I wonder what the military is actually doing about possible emp attacks on their tanks and planes? Ever since I developed my stepper, these thoughts have crossed my mind, especially the development of ultra-high pressure actuators. I am indebted to them for getting me into the field and for encouraging me to continue graduate education.

I worked on problems related to mobile equipment and aircraft, as well as taught two graduate level courses in Fluid Power. But, there was another opportunity. I have been involved in dynamic systems and controls over the years.

Lateral guides at that time were electrohydraulic control systems. We still have one system in use in our lab. Posted on June 12, by Andy Calloway. This entry was posted in Hydraulic Systems. Bookmark the permalink. Search Our Blog Search for:.