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 beta ratios. Beta ratios are important to help us identify the quality of a hydraulic filter element. If using the ISO Code to help identify and specify […]
Mobile Hydraulics Blog
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 application. The code describes the quantity of 4-, 6- and 14 -μm particles in a milliliter of hydraulic fluid—because these particle sizes are considered the most damaging […]
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 so that we are all on the same page, standards were created for measuring and expressing this quality. Although the standard for oil cleanliness has changed over […]
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 unfortunate reality is that the proper application of accumulators does require the manipulation of equations. Accumulators are a versatile and valuable tool, but because of the […]
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 the optimum hydraulic reservoir, most of the considerations are in keeping the oil clean and cool. Reservoirs in industrial applications are spoiled by the extra space and […]
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 might as well call it floxcore gleblu or some other randomly generated name (actual randomly generated word). In pneumatics, 150 psi is considered very high, and most […]
How magnets can help your maintenance schedule
Probably the most interesting object on my desk is the shaker bottle demonstrator for a company called FilterMag. The small, clear bottle is filled with iron shavings suspended in vegetable oil. Slap on the FilterMag product (a specially engineered rounded magnet) and shake the sample—pretty quickly, voila! You can see the shavings aligned to the […]
Similarities between 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 between hydraulic and electric symbols. The most obvious similarity is the conductor,which is a hose in hydraulics or a wire in electrics. The physical manifestation can vary—such […]
Countdown to Hannover Fair
If you’ve never had the chance to attend a Hannover Fair, now’s the time to start planning. The venerable event has a particular focus on fluid power in odd-numbered years, so the 2015 event, scheduled for April 13-17 in Hannover, Germany, would be a good opportunity to see the latest technology from around the globe. I […]
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, electric and hydraulic systems differ slightly more, especially when “electronics” are factored in. However, on a larger scale, electric and hydraulic actuators aren’t terribly different either. The […]