Hydraulics is easy to get wrong. In fact, I’d say there are more ways to screw up in hydraulics than there are to get it right. Not everyone…
What is a hydraulic motor?
I’ve asked similar questions, “what is a hydraulic cylinder,” and “what is a hydraulic pump,” so I thought I’d add another query to the list, and ask “what…
9 things they never taught us in college
Colleges and universities drape the cities of our planet, and they provide a solid foundation of mathematics, communications, processes and engineering to those entering (or already in) the…
What is a hydraulic pump?
It seems like such a basic question to ask, but unfortunately, many who even work in this industry do not know the function of a hydraulic pump. When…
5 tips for yearly maintenance
Well, we made it through another year. I’m not sure what else we could have done, since doomsday theories never seem to pan out. This means your hydraulic…
Tis the Season
If you are employed with a manufacturing facility, then ‘tis the season for visits from salespersons, who bring with them their sacks full of treats; cookies, chocolates, crackers,…
Not your grandfather’s gear pump, part 2
Continuing the discussion from last week, the past fifty years saw a continued evolution of the gear pump, which has resulted in higher efficiency, higher pressure and more…
Not your grandfather’s gear pump, part 1
The venerable gear pump is so strongly associated with hydraulics that perhaps only cylinders are more prominent in this industry. There is good reason for the popularity of…
The importance of pressure compensation
When I was a Padawan Learner of hydraulics, I found the concept of pressure compensation to be difficult to understand. Part of my difficultly was also a result…
Understanding beta ratios
I wrote about the ISO 4406 cleanliness code in my last two blogs here and here, and today I’d like to take it a bit further and discuss…
Why the ISO code matters
Earlier this month, I explained the meaning behind the ISO 4406 contamination code, so now I’m explaining why it matters, and how you can apply it to your…
Understanding ISO 4406
The most critical quality of hydraulic fluid you should consider is that of cleanliness. We refer to the size and quantity of particle contamination when discussing cleanliness, and…
Accumulator fundamentals … without the math
I’m going to attempt the impossible: I am going to explain the fundamentals of hydro-pneumatic accumulators without using any mathematics. I will use some numbers where needed, but…
The challenges of mobile reservoir design
Hydraulic oil spends most of its time in the reservoir, and as such, various tank design criteria provide benefits for the hydraulic system as a whole. When designing…
Comparing blood pressure to fluid power pressure
Blood pressure is an interesting measurement of biological health. Most of us use the term as if it has no relation at all to fluid mechanics, and we…
Comparing hydraulic and electric symbols
Earlier, I mentioned how electric and hydraulic actuators are similar in execution and principle, and in this blog post I’d like to finish off the mini-series on the similarities…
Whether hydraulics or electrics, force is force
In a previous post, I discussed the similitude between electric and hydraulic motivation, and made it clear (I feel) they are actually quite similar in principle. In practice,…
We’re not so different, you and I
I’ve written articles regularly about the differences between hydraulics and electrics, but today I’d like to write about what is not different. To be honest, more is similar…