Fluid Power in Our Daily Lives

Russell Andreas Cassi

Fluid Power Fluid Power in Fluid Power Lifts

Vehicle Braking Agriculture
Systems
Fluid Power in Our
Daily Lives

Vehicle Braking Systems

Vehicles
without Fluid
Power brakes
are virtually
nonexistent
In the beginning….
Brakes were direct
mechanical operators
Early motor vehicle brakes used steel and,
later, rawhide linings pressing against
wooden or steel components to create
stopping friction

This required strength on the part of the

driver, and systems lacked both power and
reliability

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Marsh, Curt. “THE PHYSICS OF BRAKING. (Cover Story).” Motor Age,

vol. 124, no. 12, Dec. 2005, p. 28. EBSCOhost
In 1924 automobiles and Fluid
Power collided….
To avoid collisions!!
• This is the year that Malcolm
Lougheed develops the first
hydraulic brake system

• The patent right were later sold

to Bendix for distribution in the
U.S.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under

CC BY-SA

Marsh, Curt. “THE PHYSICS OF BRAKING. (Cover Story).” Motor Age,

vol. 124, no. 12, Dec. 2005, p. 28. EBSCOhost
 You may recognize some of these parts

• Lever operator

• Reservoir
• A small surface area piston
that pushes against oil
• Fluid line conductors

• A larger surface area

piston that oil pushes
against

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA • Pascal’s Law anyone?
The even less know Fluid Power
brakes use:

AIR!!!!

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

 In 1869 Engineer George
Westinghouse invented
the triple-valve air brake
for use on trains

• Air pressure releases the braking force

rather then applying it

• Pressing on the pedal bleeds air from the

system which results in springs pushing the
friction material onto the braking surface

• Aiding in safety for large vehicles, air

brakes apply brakes fully if a sudden drop
in pressure occurs from a leak

Briggs, Josh. “How Air Brakes Work.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 2 June This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
2008, auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/brakes/brake-types/air-
brake1.htm.
 Vehicles that use air brake systems:

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed

under CC BY-SA
Fluid Power surrounds us everyday and keeps us safe!

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Fluid Power In Our
Daily Lives

AGRICULTURE/FOOD PROCESSING
 Hydraulics and pneumatics have
vastly changed the agricultural
industry
Hydraulics
 Agricultural machinery
is one of the top 5
hydraulic markets in
the United States

“2018 Annual Report on the U.S. Fluid Power Industry.”

Nfpa.com, 2018, https://www.nfpa.com/NFPA/2018-
Annual-Report-on-the-US-fluid-power-industry.pdf.
Pneumatics
 Food processing is one
of the top 5 pneumatic
markets in the United
States

“2018 Annual Report on the U.S. Fluid Power Industry.”

Nfpa.com, 2018, https://www.nfpa.com/NFPA/2018-
Annual-Report-on-the-US-fluid-power-industry.pdf.
History of Farming
in the United States

 A century ago all

agricultural operations
were performed
manually which took a
lot of time and
manpower
 In 1962, a farmer fed
25.8 people, and
today one farmer now
feeds around 155

“Eight major factors that have changed agriculture in the last 50 years.” FarmProgress.com, 2016,
https://www.farmprogress.com/equipment/eight-major-factors-have-changed-agriculture-last-50-
years
History of Farming
in the United States

 Corn yields in 1950

averaged 40 bushels
per acre, now average
corn yield is more than
160 bushels per acre

“Eight major factors that have changed agriculture in the last 50 years.” FarmProgress.com, 2016,
https://www.farmprogress.com/equipment/eight-major-factors-have-changed-agriculture-last-
50-years
 History of Farming in the United States

 The Ferguson 3-point hitch

system was the first use of
hydraulics in agriculture, this
was developed in 1938
 This allowed farmers to lift
much more weight than any
hand-powered lever

“Hydraulics.” LivingHistoryFarm.org, 2018,

https://livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/machines/hyd
raulics/
Impact of Hydraulics on Agriculture

REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF LOWERED THE RISK OF INCREASED EFFICIENCY

MANUAL POWER NEEDED INJURY AND PRODUCTIVITY

“How hydraulics changed the agriculture industry.” MetroHydraulic.com, 2019,

https://www.metrohydraulic.com/blog/hydraulic-benefits-agriculture-industry/
 Tractors- use hydraulic drives and they
may use a hydraulic wheel motor or track
drive motor

Examples of
Machines Sprayers- spray fertilizers and pesticides

that
Increase Combine harvesters- self-propelled and
use hydrostatically powered wheel motors
Efficiency
Track loaders- use hydraulic track drive
motors

“How hydraulics changed the agriculture industry.” MetroHydraulic.com, 2019,

https://www.metrohydraulic.com/blog/hydraulic-benefits-agriculture-industry/
 Fluid power has and continues to
improve the agricultural industry,
especially as the population grows and
farmers have more people to feed.
FLUID POWER IN
OUR DAILY LIVES
HYDRAULIC LIFTS
 What are hydraulic lifts?

 Moves people and

goods vertically using
the force generated
through pressurized fluids

 Pascal’s Law of pressure

applied to a confined
fluid is transmitted
undiminished in all
directions

https://whyps.com/how-do-hydraulic-lifts-work
Where are hydraulic lifts used?
 Automobile - repair, maintenance, storage

Car lift hidden

under sidewalk
 Where are hydraulic lifts used?
 Construction – boom lifts, aerial lifts, fork lifts

https://www.bigrentz.com/blog/types-construction-and-boom-lifts
 Where are hydraulic lifts used?
 Recycling, garbage, and dump trucks

https://www.eagle-hydraulic.com/refuse_trucks.html
 What kind of lifts are there?

 Scissor lifts
 Two-post and four-post lifts
 Boat lifts
 Mobile column lifts

HITCHCOX, ALAN. “Vehicle Maintenance Gets a Lift From Hydraulics.” Hydraulics & Pneumatics, vol. 72, no. 9, Nov. 2019, p. 14. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=p6h&AN=139928220&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
What kind of lifts are there?
 Hydraulic elevators
 Advantages of Hydraulic lifts
 Reduce risk of dead drop situation
 Fewer components
 Can lift heavier loads than electrical or mechanical lifts

Disadvantages of Hydraulic lifts

 Fluids or oil need to be kept at a safe temperature
 Oil leaks unsafe
 Slightly more expensive
 Lifts travel at slower speeds and at limited distances

https://sciencing.com/advantages-disadvantages-hydraulic-systems-7198601.html
http://www.westernmechanical.net/equipment/800-ton-four-point-hydraulic-gantry/
HYDRAULIC LIFTS ARE AROUND US EVERYDAY

Car repair shops

Construction sites
Cherry pickers (fruit tree picking)
Electrical lineman trucks
Boat docks
Small elevators
Fluid Power is the Prime Mover!!

Transportation Food Production Work Advantages