HYDRAULICS

STUDENT INFORMATION
Area of Study: Energy/Power
Objectives: Students will discover the basic principles of hydraulics. Students will

comprehend where hydraulics are utilized in our world.
Related Careers:

Aircraft Equipment Mechanics and Technicians

perform scheduled maintenance, make repairs, and complete inspections required by
the Federal Aviation Administration to keep aircraft in peak operating condition,

Construction Equipment Operators

use machinery to move construction materials, soil, and other materials and to apply
asphalt and concrete to roads. They work in all weather conditions.

Elevator Installers and Repairers

install and repair elevators, escalators, dumbwaiters, & moving sidewalks. Elevator
installers & repairers must have knowledge of electronics, electricity, & hydraulics.

Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Service Technicians and Mechanics

repair and maintain engines and hydraulic, transmission, and electrical systems
powering farm equipment, cranes, bulldozers, and railcars.
Key Words and Definitions:
1. Cylinder: A hollow shape. It is a round container with straight parallel sides.
2. Energy: The ability to do work.
3. Incompressible: Incapable of or resistant to compression.



4. Mechanical Advantage: An increase in force or speed by the use of a machine.

5. Mechanical Energy: The energy of

motion.
6. p.s.i.: Pounds per square inch.

7. Piston: A cylindrical-shaped object

moved by pressure.
8. Power: The amount of work done1.

A farmer moved a hay bale with hydraulics on a loader.

1. Thode, B., Thode, T.

Mike Breen Photo

Hydraulics

HYDRAULICS
Occupational Choices
Focus: Heavy Vehicle Service Technicians & Mechanics

Classes to take in
School:

Auto
Electronics
Math
Technology & Engineering
Computer Science
Chemistry
Physics
English
Social Studies

After High School:

Applied Technology Center or Community
College - 1 to 2 years to earn a certificate of
completion or an Associates degree in Diesel
or Heavy Equipment mechanics. Most
places that employ will require on the job
training.
A Heavy Vehicle Service Technician or
Mechanic is usually considered fully
qualified after 3 or 4 years of on the job
training.

Earnings:

The Work:

According to a 2010 survey, people

employed as a Mobile Heavy Vehicle
Mechanic had an median salary of
$46,140. In Utah, the wage was
higher coming in at $48,600.

Employment of heavy vehicle service

technicians and mechanics will be needed
to perform routine maintenance on diesel
engines, examine hydraulic equipment for
leaks, diagnose electrical problems, and
occasionally weld broken structural parts.
They may work in a shop indoors or have to
go to the job site to repair the equipment as it
may be to difficult to bring it into the shop. A
shop may have individual specialists in major
engine repair, transmission work, electrical
systems, and suspension or brake systems.
Farm machinery, cranes, bulldozers, and
railcars are all examples of heavy vehicles
that require such service.

In 2010, Farm Equipment Mechanics

and Service Technicians earned
average yearly wages of $34,680.
In 2010, Mobile Heavy Vehicle
Mechanics earnings ranged from
$29,710 to $64,850. Earnings vary
by experience and location.

Employment Opportunities
Federal Government
State and Local Governments
Construction Industries
Agriculture Industries
Mining Industries
Railroad Industries
Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010 -2011 Edition & Career One Stop

Personal Characteristics
Good Communications skills
Excellent Math Skills
Computer skills to test & analyze
Ability to read service manuals
Ability to read technical reports
Hydraulics

Energy and Power

nergy is the ability to do work. Energy comes in many different forms. When you turn on
a light switch, drive in a car, or mow the lawn, you are using energy. To use energy you must be able to
control it. In the simple example of turning on a light switch, you are controlling the energy.

Power is the amount of work done during the use of the controlled energy. It is a
measurement of how much energy was used in accomplishing a certain task.
Fluid Power

In this unit of study, we are going to
apply these ideas to one way of controlling
energy. The method of controlling energy
that will be focused on is probably one that
you will not be familiar with. It is called
fluid power. This brings up ideas of using
the power of water to move a water wheels
to grind grain to make flour as shown in the
picture at the right. However, fluid power is
not about water wheels.

Fluid power is the use of pressurized
fluids (liquids and gasses) to control and
transmit power. Fluid power is broken down
into two areas and these are pneumatics
(moving gases) and hydraulics (moving
liquids). This document will concentrate
on the branch of fluid power known as
hydraulics.
Hydraulics - What is it?

The pastoral pond-side Hameau has a mill with a water wheel.

It was built in 1783 for the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette.
Mike Breen Photo

Hydraulic systems are a fundamental part
of todays work environment. Hydraulics is
the science of liquids, such as, water or oil. In
hydraulic systems, pressure can be exerted through
liquids, and that pressure can transmit motion from
one place to another.
Hydraulic Principles

Motion can be transmitted because liquids
are incompressible; that is, they cannot be
compressed to a smaller volume. Figure 1 shows
Fluids can transmit motion.
two pistons in a cylinder with a liquid between them.
Figure 1
When the applying piston is moved into the cylinder
8 inches, the output piston would be pushed along the cylinder the same distance.
Hydraulics


In figure 2, the force applied to
a liquid is transmitted by the liquid in all
directions and to every part of the liquid.
As a result, when a piston with 1 square
inch of area applies a force of 100 pounds
on a liquid, the pressure will be registered
throughout the entire hydraulic system.
No matter how big the chamber or how
wide the tubing in this example, the force
will be 100 pounds per square inch (p.s.i.).
The force applied is transmitted equally in
all directions.
Determining Pressure on a Fluid


To determine the amount of
pressure put on the fluid a mathematical
formula will be used. FORCE applied
(in pounds) divided by the pistonss UNIT
AREA (in Square Inches) will equal the
PRESSURE in p.s.i. . Figure 3 illustrates
this idea. Looking at the cylinder on the
left side of the diagram, the cylinder has a
1 square inch piston and a force of 100 lb.
is exerted. If the mathematical formula is
applied, the 1 inch piston is divided into
the 100 lb. of applying force which results
Pressure applied to a liquid is transmitted equally.
in 100 p.s.i. on the fluid. The cylinder on
Figure 2
the right side of the diagram has a piston of
2 square inches and a force of 100 pounds
was exerted. If 2 is divided into 100 lb., then mathematically the pressure on the liquid will be 50
pounds per square inch.

Why is the hydraulic
pressure in the system determined
by dividing? If you have ever tried
to run through a swimming pool
filled with a few feet of water, you
understand that water is denser
than air and it takes more work
for you to run through the pool of
water. With this correlation, it may
be easier to see why we divide to
determine the amount of pressure
on the fluid. In this case, there is a
bigger mass and we are moving it
through a fluid which is denser than
air so it is going to take more work
to move it.

Pressure on the fluid = Applying Force / Size of Piston (P=F/UA)

Figure 3

Hydraulics

Cylinder Force = Pressure in the system x Size of Output Piston.

Figure 4

Determining Cylinder Force

With an input-out-put system, we can determine the force applied to any output piston
by multiplying the pressure in pounds per square inch (p.s.i) by the area of the output piston in
square inches. For example, the pressure shown in the system in figure 4 is 100 p.s.i. The output
piston to the left has an area of 0.5 square inches. Therefore, the output force on this piston
is 100 times 0.5 which equals 50 p.s.i.. The center piston has an area of 1 square inch, and its
output force will be 100 p.s.i. (100 x 1). The right hand piston has an area of 2 square inches,
and its output force will be 200 p.s.i. (100 x 2). The bigger the output piston, the greater the
output force. This is stated mathematically by taking the PRESSURE on the fluid in p.s.i. and
multiplying by the output pistonss UNIT AREA (in Square Inches) will equal the output FORCE
in p.s.i..

STOP for the Demonstration

Even very simple fluid power systems require mechanical input. As we push on the
syringe, we have taken mechanical energy and exerted it on the fluid. This changes the energy
into fluid power. This fluid power is used to transmit the energy to the syringe at the other end
which changes the power back to the moving output syringe. This output is called mechanical
power which is the movement of the syringe that lifted the 6 kilogram weight. When we use
mechanical energy to do work, it becomes mechanical power.2 In this case, we also have a
mechanical advantage which is an increase in force that allows us to lift the weight painlessly.
Hydraulics are not used by themselves, but in a combination of other electrical and mechanical
systems to do the work that they are designed for.

2 Bohn, C., Fales, J., Kuetemeyer, V., MacDonald, A.

Hydraulics

Hydraulics and Impacts on Society

By the pushing of a button or throwing a switch, many
people use hydraulics in their everyday jobs. Many designers
and engineers have put fluid power to work for us. Hydraulics
are used in conjunction with mechanical and electrical systems
to make many tasks possible that would be impossible for us to
do physically by ourselves. Most of us are not even aware of all
the uses of hydraulics. The impact of this technology has been
tremendous, and it has been seamlessly integrated in our society.
We use this technology everyday. Hydraulics are used in several
places in vehicles. One of them has to do with stopping the car.
When the brake pedal on a car is pressed down, the drivers foot
is pushing a piston that is forcing fluid back to activate the brake
drum that actually stops the car. Without hydraulic brakes, your
trip to school today could have been much more frightening!

A few other uses of hydraulics are:

1. Firemen use a tool called the Jaws of Life to rescue people

trapped in automobiles and buildings.
2. Hydraulically operated machinery in the form of bulldozers,
backhoes, fork lifts and cranes used during construction.

Hydraulic Spreaders (Jaws of Life)

Firehouse19 Photo

3. Farmers use hydraulics in farm equipment to aide in planting and harvesting and feeding cattle.
4. Many elevators use hydraulics to operate.

5.

Every week a truck stops and picks up the

garbage from your house. It uses hydraulics
pick up the garbage can and to compress the
garbage once it is in the truck.

6. Hydraulics operate the landing gear on airplanes.

7. Some car service centers lift cars using a
hydraulic lift so the vehicle can be worked on
underneath.
8.

Some museums and amusement parks have

animated dinosaurs that move and growl. The
movements of many of these machines
are hydraulic.

Can you think of others?

A bobcat skid loader uses hydraulics.
Mike Breen Photo

Hydraulics

HYDRAULICS
Student Work Sheet
Name:________________________________________ Period: ____ Date: __________
Directions: In the blank on the left, write the correct answer to the statement or question.
1. _____________________

_________ is the ability to do work.

2. _____________________

Fluid power is the use of ___________ fluids to control and

transmit power.

3. _____________________

_________ is the science of liquids.

4. _____________________

Motion can be transmitted because liquids are _________.

5. _____________________

In illustration 1, if piston A
moves 12 inches, how far
will piston B move?

6. _____________________

In illustration 2, tell how

many p.s.i. the diagram on
the left will show.

7. _____________________

The reading on the needle

will be ____ p.s.i..

8. ______________________

In illustration 2, tell how many p.s.i. the diagram on the

right will show.

9. ______________________

The reading on the needle will be ______ps.i..

10. _______________________
11. _______________________

Illustration 1

Illustration 2

(10.&11.) List two machines or devices that use hydraulics.

Hydraulics

12. ______________________

Calculate the pressure on each gauge. Write the answer in

the blank and draw it on each gauge in illustration 3.

Illustration 3

Calculate the output force in p.s.i for each of the following output pistons in illustration 4.
13. ______________________ output force for 1 sq. in piston
14. _____________________ output force for 2 sq in piston
15. _____________________ output force for 3 sq in piston

Illustration 4

Hydraulics