2020 Update – Following on from last year’s blog on hydraulic fluid viscosity we would like to reinforce how important it is to specify the correct hydraulic fluid for your system; monitoring it regularly to ensure that it is changed on schedule as hydraulic fluid molecules break down over time due to stress; this, in turn greatly reduces the lubrication effects of fluids.

In our latest blog we investigate why it is crucial to ensure you identify the correct hydraulic fluid viscosity for your hydraulic system. As you may already know, fluid viscosity basically means the thickness of the fluid and its ability to tackle the job of lubrication, with many different factors having to be taken into consideration including system temperatures and pressures as well as environmental factors.

Ensuring you use the correct fluid for your hydraulic system is crucial right from the start, but when it comes to mixing hydraulic oils, the sheer number of combinations of additives and agents available on the market can make even the best engineers scratch their heads in confusion.

As a multi-functioning and essential component to any hydraulic system, hydraulic fluid is responsible for lubricating components such as transmissions, and also gets involved in heat transfer and wear related conveyance.

This article focuses on the common problems associated with hydraulic systems and how these issues can affect individual components as well as the systems themselves. It gives an in-depth insight into how problems initially develop, any knock on effects and how failures can happen if the issue isn’t diagnosed correctly.

The America's Cup is the world's largest sailing event, involving yacht clubs from around the world. The event has been running since 1851, and has seen the introduction of cutting edge sailing technology over the last one and a half centuries that it has been competing. The foiling catamarans, examples of precision engineering at its finest, are manoeuvred by six people who control the sails, the foil, the wing and rudder. Each boat is broadly similar, as the design, shape and size i...

Making an important decision is never easy, and choosing the right hydraulic pump is no exception. As with any major decision on equipment, the functionality of the item is the most important thing to consider and base your choice on, because if you select a hydraulic pump that does not fulfil all the functional requirements it will turn out to be a bad investment. Knowing exactly what the hydraulic pump is expected to do makes it much easier to narrow down the choices.

Air is normally found in hydraulic fluids, a fact that seems surprising initially. In fact the 6 to 12% of air that is present in hydraulic fluids is dissolved air, which means it does not appear as individual air bubbles. If that air comes out of solution, or air enters the fluid in any other way, through the intake, for example, then it becomes problematic.

To the hydraulic system maintenance engineer, it can be both normal and alarming that hydraulic oil contains air.Nonetheless, it’s part of hydraulic fluid’s natural composition to contain between 6% - 12% of dissolved air. The trouble starts if this air transforms into being a form that is not dissolved, and it can lead to serious trouble!If the air makes its way into the pump intake, then air can then transform into entrained air. The problem with this is that it can spoil the stiff...

Designers working on hydraulic systems often opt straight for high working pressures, often due to the availability of components that are tried and tested as working well together. There may also be a requirement to use a certain manufacturer or part in the design, specified due to cost, stock and other business reasons. Designers often also like to use high pressures to reduce the cylinder diameters for aesthetic reasons, as well as design specific reasons; if a system would not fit in the des...