Understanding Hydraulic Circuits & Components
Hydraulic Circuitry
Hydraulic circuits control the movement of a contained liquid.
Hydraulic Diagrams
Hydraulic diagrams explain, demonstrate, or clarify the relationship or functions between hydraulic components. They are used to illustrate how a system develops.
Hydraulic Circuit Components
Hydraulic circuit components are used in a wide range of combinations for different applications. The hydraulic circuit application, complexity, and power requirements dictate the type and number of components used.
Essential Elements of Hydraulic Circuits
Any hydraulic circuit must contain six essential elements:
- Hydraulic fluid to transmit force and motion.
- Piping to transport the fluid through the circuit.
- Valves to control the pressure and direction of the fluid.
- Actuators to convert hydraulic force into mechanical force.
Hydraulic Circuit Maintenance
Special precautions must be followed when servicing powered equipment. Every energy source must be identified, understood, and disabled prior to working on a machine.
All energy is categorized as kinetic or potential.
- Kinetic energy is the energy of motion.
- Potential energy is stored energy a body has due to its position, chemical state, or condition.
Always follow the equipment manufacturer’s recommendations when servicing hydraulic equipment and circuits.
Other related concepts
- Compressor: A device that converts mechanical force and motion into pneumatic fluid power.
- Engine: An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines (such as steam engines), burn a fuel to create heat, which then creates motion. Electric motors convert electrical energy into mechanical motion, pneumatic motors use compressed air, and others—such as clockwork motors in wind-up toys—use elastic energy.
- Hybrid: A stand-alone power system that operates independently of a larger power grid network.
- Battery: An electric battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy.
- Bernoulli’s Law: If no work is done on or by a flowing frictionless liquid, its energy due to pressure and velocity remains constant at all points along the streamline.
- Boyle’s Law: The absolute pressure of a fixed mass of gas varies inversely as the volume, provided the temperature remains constant.
- Blackout: A power outage (also called a power cut, a power blackout, or a power failure) is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.
- Filter: 1. A device whose primary function is the removal by porous media of insoluble contaminants from a liquid or a gas. 2. Chemically inert, finely divided material added to the elastomer to aid in the process and improve physical properties.
- Efficiency: It generally describes the extent to which time, effort, or cost is well used for the intended task or purpose.
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