In chapter 13 of The Hydraulic Maintenance Handbook, I discuss the principle of engineering out issues that have the potential to cause recurring maintenance problems. Since maintenance occurs after the event, that is, after the machine is designed and built, this strategy is very much a retrospective one. Which means it’s desirable and preferable not to engineer in such … Read more
Tag Archives: hydraulics
How Hydraulic Load Sensing Control Can Be Very Inefficient
If you know something about load sensing hydraulic systems, the above headline appears to be a contradiction. After all, load sensing circuits match pump flow to actuator demand. And this is supposed to increase the hydraulic system’s efficiency. Not reduce it.
HOWEVER, under certain conditions a load sensing hydraulic system can be VERY inefficient. Let me give you a real-life … Read more
Why Hydraulic Relief Valve Pressure Override Matters
One of the key advantages of direct-acting relief valves, in comparison to their pilot-operated cousins, is fast response. And their fast response makes direct-acting reliefs the valve of choice in situations where pressure spikes are possible and must be minimized. Secondary relief valves in an actuator circuit and the ‘spike relief’ for a variable-displacement pump are common examples.
But as … Read more