Lab Report 1 Fluid Power: Hydraulic Systems

21640769

Hee Jiesheng Indra Kencana

Aims and Objectives To understand how hydraulics function and apply circuit theory into hydraulic components.

Introduction Hydraulics is widely used in various industries and machinery. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control and transmission of power by the use of pressurized liquids. For this lab, we are introduced to hydraulic fluid control circuitry in detail. Hydraulic circuit theory functions similarly to digital circuits where logic circuits can be constructed accordingly to hydraulic laws. The 1st part of the lab was spent constructing a simple hydraulic circuit that gave us a general idea on hydraulic components. The 2nd part of the lab was spent constructing a more practical design which emulates a hardening furnace.

Components Used

One way flow check valve with variable output y This component functions to regulate the amount liquid travelled from direction A to B while allowing free flow of liquid from direction B to A. This component is used in pairs in this 1st section of the lab to synchronize the amount of fluid flowing into the actuator and the amount of fluid exiting the actuator.

Pressure Relief Valve y The pressure relief valve functions open at a predetermined set pressure to protect pressure vessels and other equipment from being subjected to pressures that exceed their design limits, when the pressure in the system exceeds the maximum limit, the valve is forced open and a portion of the fluid is diverted through the auxiliary route

2 way 4 port control valve y The control valve used in both sections of the lab is a simple spring return 2 way 4 port control valve. The control valve serves as a form logic unit to divert the flow of the liquid; the control valve used in this report returns to its default state when the switch is released as it has a spring.

Hydraulic Actuator y The hydraulic actuator is a mechanical device that functions as the output for the circuit. Depending on the direction for the fluid entering the actuator chambers, the device will extend and retract accordingly.

Hydraulic Pump y The hydraulic pump functions to pump liquid from the reservoir tank into the hydraulic circuit by using an AC motor. The hydraulic pump is also equipped with a pressure relief valve to ensure the fluid does not exceed its pressure limit and damage the pump. This set of components is referred to as the hydraulic power pack.

Check Valve y The check valve functions similarly component mentioned in the previous page, it allows the liquid to travel through only one direction, the pressure within the fluid will also drop by a specific number based on the check valve rating as the pressure is needed to overcome the spring mechanism.

Lab Part 1

During the initial state of the circuit, the actuator remains in a retracted state as chamber B is fully filled while liquid in chamber A is sent to the reservoir/tank. By pressing the switch,

The flow of the fluid is reversed, chamber A is filled at the fixed rate due to the variable