Fluid Power Journal

Tech Tips

Don’t Let the Common Problems Stump You!

See a collection of tips from industry professionals to help you with troubleshooting ideas.

Have some tips of your own? Email them tokcoblitz@fluidpowerjournal.com.

 

Quick Check of Accumulator Precharge

Watch the gauge showing pressure at the hydraulic side of the accumulator. Start the pump. The gauge will “jump” to the accumulator precharge …

Monitor Equipment Performance

PLCs with PID loops can often be used to monitor equipment performance, sometimes even without adding dedicated sensors. For example, consider a simple …

Beware Design Cost and Space-Saving Pitfalls of an Undersized Reservoir

The improved oil-cooling technology of recent years has resulted in many hydraulic reservoirs being designed to reduce initial cost and take up less space. …

Spur Gear Pump Displacement

So you need to replace an unlabeled external gear pump originally sold by Cro-Magnon Hydraulics during the First Crusades, and sadly you have no idea of the …

Wear Band Materials and Pressures

Phenolic wear bands were a mainstay in hydraulic cylinders, however due to the formaldehyde content, they have largely been replaced by glass-filled nylon. If …

Hose Abrasion

When an operation relies on hydraulic hose, evaluating it for potential abrasion is paramount. Industry and user experience agree 70% of failures are a direct …

High-Temperature Seals

What is “high temperature” in hydraulic-sealing applications? Most hydraulic seals are NBR rated at 250ºF. So is anything over 250ºF high temperature? …

Money Wasted Due to Air Leaks

ONE THING I FIND in maintenance costs is money wasted due to air leaks that drive a compressor runtime through the roof and the electric bill along with it. A …