Learning material

Hydraulics

Definition

 The word Hydraulics originates from the ancient Greek words “hydro” and “aulos” and means “water” and “pipe”. Thus, hydraulics stands for the science of the flow behaviour of liquids. Hydraulics is all about pumping liquids to and fro in a closed circular flow and to perform mechanical work in this manner.

A bit History

During the 18th century, the Englishman Joseph Bramah invented the first hydraulic press powered by water pressure, which worked according to the hydrostatic law by Blaise Pascal. The so-called Bramah Press worked such that a piston was pressed and the resulting power was multiplied. Joseph Bramah pressed down the piston of a water-filled cylinder with a lever and with less effort. The resulting pressure on the water was then passed on to other cylinders and was thereby strengthened. At the end, an object with great power was compressed.

The benefits of hydraulics are...

Pressurised liquids can be stored
Pressurised liquids can be transported over long distances without great pressure loss
The pressure on liquids is maintained for a relatively long time and hardly changes
No power is lost during any movements
Hydraulic cylinders help to make many movements without elaborate mechanism
A high positioning accuracy can be achieved
It is possible to generate high powers and torques
Uniform movements can be made easily

 

We would like to illustrate these benefits and lots of other interesting information with the PROFI Hydraulics construction kit. In addition, we would like to show you how hydraulic components function. For this purpose, we will give you a step-by-step explanation on the individual components and will show you how they function. Moreover, the construction kit contains numerous model cases that show the method of using hydraulics. 


The fischertechnik hydraulic system

  • Working cylinder

    This is usually empty and retracted at the beginning. As soon as pressure is applied to the control cylinder and water flows from the control cylinder through a hose into the working cylinder, the working cylinder is automatically extended and filled with water. The working cylinder fills with water just as quickly as the control cylinder is emptied.

  • Movement in the hydraulic system!

    To create movement with fluids we use hydraulic cylinders. The blue piston rod is movable and the cylinder is sealed. If you press water into the cylinder through one of the two hose connections, the piston rod moves.

  • Locking rail

    With the snap-in rail, you can fix the control cylinder at a desired position. This is done by simply snapping the locking rail into the strut adapters. With the locking rail locked in this way, the control cylinder and thus also the working cylinder are fixed in the desired position. Both cylinders can now neither retract nor extend.

  • Control cylinder

    The control cylinder is usually initially filled with liquid, in our case water, and extended. As soon as pressure is applied to this cylinder from above, the water is forced out of the cylinder. The water then flows through the connected hose into the next cylinder or water tank or into the open air.

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