Hydraulic fluid

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hydraulic fluid being poured.
Hydraulic fluids, also called hydraulic liquids, are the medium by
which power is transferred in hydraulic machinery. Common
hydraulic fluids are based on mineral oil or water.
[1]
Examples of
equipment that might use hydraulic fluids
include excavators and backhoes,hydraulic brakes, power
steering systems, transmissions, garbage trucks, aircraft flight control
systems, lifts, and industrial machinery.
Hydraulic systems like the ones mentioned above will work most
efficiently if the hydraulic fluid used has zero compressibility.
Contents
[hide]
1 Functions and properties
2 Composition
o 2.1 Base stock
o 2.2 Other components
o 2.3 Biodegradable hydraulic fluids
3 Brake fluid
4 Safety
5 Trade names
6 Aircraft hydraulic systems
o 6.1 Specifications
o 6.2 Contamination
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Functions and properties[edit]
The primary function of a hydraulic fluid is to convey power. In use,
however, there are other important functions of hydraulic fluid such
as protection of the hydraulic machine components. The table below
lists the major functions of a hydraulic fluid and the properties of a
fluid that affect its ability to perform that function:
[2]

Function Property
Medium for power transfer and control
Non compressible (high bulk modulus)
Fast air release
Low foaming tendency
Low volatility
Medium for heat transfer Good thermal capacity and conductivity
Sealing Medium
Adequate viscosity and viscosity index
Shear stability
Lubricant
Viscosity for film maintenance
Low temperature fluidity
Thermal and oxidative stability
Hydrolytic stability / water tolerance
Cleanliness and filterability
Demulsibility
Antiwear characteristics
Corrosion control
Pump efficiency
Proper viscosity to minimize internal leakage
High viscosity index
Special function
Fire resistance
Friction modifications
Radiation resistance
Environmental impact
Low toxicity when new or decomposed
Biodegradability
Functioning life Material compatibility
Composition[edit]
Base stock[edit]
The original hydraulic fluid, dating back to the time of ancient Egypt,
was water. Beginning in the 1920s, mineral oil began to be used
more than water as a base stock due to its
inherent lubrication properties and ability to be used at temperatures
above the boiling point of water. Today most hydraulic fluids are
based on mineral oil base stocks.
Natural oils such as rapeseed (also called canola oil) are used as
base stocks for fluids where biodegradability and renewable
sources are considered important.
Other base stocks are used for specialty applications, such as for fire
resistance and extreme temperature applications. Some examples
include: glycol, esters, organophosphate
ester, polyalphaolefin, propylene glycol, and silicone oils.
Other components[edit]
Hydraulic fluids can contain a wide range of chemical compounds,
including: oils, butanol, esters (e.g. phthalates, like DEHP,
and adipates, like bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate),polyalkylene
glycols (PAG), organophosphate (e.g. tributylphosphate), silicones,
alkylated aromatic hydrocarbons, polyalphaolefins (PAO)
(e.g. polyisobutenes), corrosion inhibitors (incl acid scavengers),
anti-erosion additives, etc.
Biodegradable hydraulic fluids[edit]
Environmentally sensitive applications (e.g. farm tractors and
marine dredging) may benefit from using biodegradable hydraulic
fluids based upon rapeseed (Canola) vegetable oil when there is the
risk of an oil spill from a ruptured oil line. Typically these oils are
available as ISO 32, ISO 46, and ISO 68 specification
oils. ASTM standards ASTM-D-6006, Guide for Assessing
Biodegradability of Hydraulic Fluids and ASTM-D-6046, Standard
Classification of Hydraulic Fluids for Environmental Impact are
relevant.
Brake fluid[edit]
Brake fluid is a subtype of hydraulic fluid with high boiling point, both
when new (specified by the equilibrium boiling point) and after
absorption of water vapor (specified by wet boiling point). Under the
heat of braking, both free water and water vapor in a braking system
can boil into a compressible vapor, resulting in brake failure. Glycol-
ether based fluids are hygroscopic, and absorbed moisture will
greatly reduce the boiling point over time. Silicone based fluids are
not hygroscopic.
Safety[edit]
Because industrial hydraulic systems operate at hundreds to
thousands of PSI and temperatures reaching hundreds of degrees
Celsius, severe injuries and death can result from component failures
and care must always be taken when performing maintenance on
hydraulic systems.
Fire resistance is a property available with specialized fluids.
Trade names[edit]
Some of the trade names for hydraulic fluids include Arnica, Tellus,
Durad, Fyrquel, Houghto-Safe, Hydraunycoil, Lubritherm Enviro-
Safe, Pydraul, Quintolubric, Reofos, Reolube,Valvoline Ultramax
and Skydrol.
Aircraft hydraulic systems[edit]
As aircraft performance increased in mid-20th century, the amount of
force required to operate mechanical flight controls became
excessive, and hydraulic systems were introduced to reduce pilot
effort. The hydraulic actuators are controlled by valves; these in turn
are operated directly by input from the aircrew (hydro-mechanical) or
by computers obeying control laws (fly by wire).
Hydraulic power is used for other purposes. It can be stored in
accumulators to start an auxiliary power unit (APU) for self-starting
the aircraft's main engines. Many aircraft equipped with
the M61 family of cannon use hydraulic power to drive the gun
system, permitting reliable high rates of fire.
The hydraulic power itself comes from pumps driven by the engines
directly, or by electrically driven pumps. In modern commercial
aircraft these are electrically driven pumps; should all the engines fail
in flight the pilot will deploy a propeller-driven electric generator
called a Ram Air Turbine (RAT) which is concealed under the
fuselage.
[3]
This provides electrical power for the hydraulic pumps
and control systems as power is no longer available from the
engines. In that system and others electric pumps can provide both
redundancy and the means of operating hydraulic systems without
the engines operating, which can be very useful during maintenance.
Specifications[edit]
Aircraft hydraulic fluids fall under various specifications:
Common petroleum-based:
Mil-H-5606: Mineral base, flammable, fairly low flashpoint, usable
from 65 F (54 C) to 275 F (135 C), red color
Mil-H-83282: Synthetic hydrocarbon base, higher flashpoint, self-
extinguishing, backward compatible to -5606, red color, rated to
40 F (40 C) degrees.
Mil-H-87257: A development of -83282 fluid to improve its low
temperature viscosity.
Phosphate-ester based:
US/NATO Military Specification - MIL-H-8446
Boeing Seattle - BMS3-11
Boeing Long Beach - DMS2014
Boeing Long Island - CDS5478
Lockheed - LAC C-34-1224
Airbus Industrie - NSA307110
British Aerospace - BAC M.333.B
Bombardier - BAMS 564-003
SAE - Ac974
SAE - AS1241
Contamination[edit]
Special, stringent care is required when handling aircraft hydraulic
fluid as it is critical to flight safety that it stay free from contamination.
It is also necessary to strictly adhere to authorized references when
servicing or repairing any aircraft system. Samples from aircraft
hydraulic systems are taken during heavy aircraft maintenance
checks (primarily C and D checks) to check contamination.
See also[edit]
Dexron
Hydraulic brake
Osmosis
Skydrol
Hydraulics International, INC.
References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Givens W. and Michael P., Fuels and Lubricants
Handbook, G. Totten ed., ASTM International, 2003, p.
373 ISBN 0-8031-2096-6
2. Jump up^ Placek, D., Synthetics, Mineral Oils and Bio-based
Lubricants, L. Rudnick ed., CRC Press, 2006, p. 519 ISBN 1-
57444-723-8
3. Jump up^ Discovery channel-'seconds from disaster'
External links[edit]
Information and purchase of military specification (mil-spec)
hydraulic fluid
Information about Fluid Power is also available on the National
Fluid Power Association web-site nfpa.com
USDA Research. Biodegradable Plant-Based Hydraulic Fluid
Biodegradable Hydraulic Oils
Industrial Hydraulic Oils
Aviation hydraulic fluids
Blenders Of Hydraulic Oils

[show]
V
T
E
Hydraulics
[show]
Aircraft-related templates
Categories:
Fluid dynamics
Gear oils
Hydraulics
Navigation menu
Create account
Log in
Article
Talk
Read
Edit
View history
Go

Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages

etina
Deutsch
Eesti
Espaol

Franais
Hrvatski
Italiano
Magyar
Nederlands
Polski
Portugus

Suomi


Edit links
This page was last modified on 16 October 2014 at 03:17.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of
Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view