Fluid Power Systems (ME353)

Fall 2012
Lecture 3

Transmitting the power to

Hydraulic Motor

Fluid Storage and

Distribution
Reservoirs, Conductors, and
Connectors

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 typical hydraulic system reservoir is a

rectangular, covered steel tank
The tank is typically fitted with:

Pump inlet line

System fluid return line
Drain line
Filler cap
Air breather
Fluid-level indicator

 Typical reservoir construction

 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

Baffles are typically included in a reservoir

 L-shaped and overhead reservoir designs may

be used in systems where positive pressure is
needed on the pump inlet line
L-shaped reservoir

Overhead reservoir

Reservoir Capacity
As a general rule, the capacity of the reservoir
should be three times the rated flow of the
pump
Fixed installations may be higher
Mobile applications, where weight and space are
factors, may be less

Conductors
The proper selection, installation, and maintenance of
conductors is critical to efficient hydraulic system
operation
Pipe, tubing, and flexible hose are considered basic
conductors in a hydraulic system

 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:
Directional control valves are shifted to reverse the
movement of a load or heavy machine member
Actuators encounter sudden load changes
Low flow resistance requires a conductor with an inside
diameter large enough to allow the needed volume of fluid to
move through the line within recommended fluid velocities

 Restrictions may cause turbulent flow

 Flow resistance in a system results from resistance to fluid flow

caused by:
Viscosity of the fluid (friction between flow layers)
Turbulence in the fluid stream (turbulence and eddies for
high Re numbers)
Surface of the conductor (roughness)
Bends and fittings in the lines (secondary losses)
Orifices in components (secondary losses)
Fluid flow resistance resulting from fluid movement through
conductors and other system components:
Lowers the work output of a system
Produces heat, which may cause operating problems
Future maintenance must be carefully considered when
designing and installing hydraulic system conductors to assure
minimal difficulty in removing components for service

 Pipe in a hydraulic system should be:

Seamless, black pipe
ANSI schedule rating of 40, 80, or 160, depending on the
maximum pressure expected in the system
Various nominal pipe dimensions

 Schedule number indicates wall thickness

 Tubing:
Is a relatively thin-walled, semi rigid 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

 The size of tubing is indicated by the actual

outside diameter
Inside diameter varies according to wall thickness
Most tubing is manufactured to the specifications of
a standardizing organization such as ANSI or SAE

 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

 Hose with braided-wire middle layers

Hose with spiral-wound-wire middle layers

A wide variety of hoses are available, often making selection

difficult
Standardizing organizations provide guidelines that help
compare various products on the market

Fittings
A wide variety of fittings are available to assist in attaching
conductors to system components such as:
Reservoir
Pump
Valves
Actuators
Careful selection of fittings can:
Help control construction costs
Improve system efficiency
Allow easier system maintenance

 Dry seal standard pipe threads should be used on pipe fittings,

rather than standard pipe threads, to assure a tight thread seal
that will not leak under high system pressure
Standard pipe threads

Dry seal standard pipe

threads

 Fittings with pipe threads or straight threads sealed with an Oring or a metal compression washer are typically used to attach
tube and hose to hydraulic components
Tubing is attached to fittings by flaring the tube, compression,
soldering, or brazing
Hose attached to an actuator with elbow fitting and adapter with
pipe threads

 Hydraulic systems typically use a 37 flare angle

 Compression fittings use an O-ring, ferrule,

sleeve, or patented configuration to provide the
seal

 Soldered or brazed fittings usually use split

flanges to mount the fitting to the component

 Metal hose-end fittings are used to connect flexible hose to the

components of the system
Available in both permanently attached or reusable styles
Attached to the components using pipe threads, flare fittings,
or split flange fittings
Reusable hose-end fittings are either:
Screw-together type
Clamp type
These fittings can be assembled to the hose using basic hand
tools, which allows field assembly

 Permanently attached hose-end fittings are crimped or swaged

onto the hose
Special equipment is required to install this type of fitting on a
hose
Crimped hose-end
fittings

Swaged hose-end fitting

 A wide variety of adapter fittings are available

for making proper connections between
conductors and system components:
Transitions from one thread type to another
Elbows at 45 and 90
Swivels that allow component movement

Analysis of Circuit and

System Operation

 Properly selecting a conductor requires an

examination of not only the hydraulic
system, but also the mechanisms operated
by the system
Factors that must be considered are:

Pressure requirements
Flow requirements
Vibration
Required movements of machine members

 When selecting a conductor for a system, consider pressure:

Normal system operating pressure
Shock pressures

Flow velocity must be carefully considered when selecting a conductor for a

system
Pump inlet line average fluid velocity should not exceed 1.2 m/s
Working line fluid velocity should not exceed 6 m/s
Low pump inlet velocity prevents excessively low pressure in the line
Too low of a pressure can lead to pump cavitation
Cavitation can cause serious pump damage

Excessively high working line velocity will produce turbulent flow

Turbulent flow can cause high flow resistance
High resistance results in increased system operating temperatures

 Very high and very low temperatures can adversely affect the
service life of a hose
Continuous system operation at or above recommended
temperatures can cause damage

Data sheets are available from the conductor manufacturer

Good source of information
Include a full range of information about a conductor:
Construction details
Typical applications
Technical data related to pressure, flow capacity, and
temperature tolerance

Conductor Installation

 When installing pipe and tubing, it is important to have the

correct lengths
Should not be distorted
Should not be placed under tension
Distortion and tension can result in material fatigue and lead
to part failure
When installing tubing, the number of fittings in a system can
be reduced by bending the tube where possible (Hand tools and
power equipment are available to produce accurate bends)
Long lengths of pipe and tubing should be supported by
brackets or clamps to secure the conductor (This will reduce
fatigue caused by conductor weight or system vibration)

 System pressure changes will change the length and diameter of

a hose
Allow slack in the hose
Allow adequate hose-to-member clearances
Allow slack in hose when
it is installed

When hose is installed,

ensure it is not twisted

 When assembling hydraulic system conductors and their

associated fittings and adapters, the result should:
Be a neat and uncluttered conductor layout
Efficiently distribute fluid throughout the system

A clean and efficient conductor

installation

Conductors and
Transmission line
Calculations

 Pressure loss (friction) estimated using

Bernoulli's equation.

Designers are interested in :

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Avg. flow req.

Peak flow req.
Pressure req.
Acceptable energy loss
Temperature req.

 Rule of thumb Design for average velocity of 4.5 m/s for

tubing and piping.
Pressure loss in Straight Pipes
L v 2
P f
d 2
P Pressure drop
f friction factor
L length
d internal diameter
fluid mass density
v average velocity

vd

f depends on Reynolds's number (Re) Re

Re < 2000 laminar

64
f

Re

Re >3000 turbulent use moody chart to get f according to

Re, /d

Moody Chart includes the following regions (equations):

Tubing Bends- Pressure loss in bends must be

corrected for radius and angle of bend as,
2

v
P f cK B KValves
d
2

Where,
KB = resistance coefficient for 900 bends
c = correction factor for bend angle
Kvalves = resistance coefficient for valves
These coefficients can be obtained from the
following figures.