What Is Hydraulics?

Hydraulics is one of humanity’s oldest technologies, first developed along with agriculture. It probably started out as carrying pots from the river, or diverting water flows into required channels, but semi-automated water scoops and wheels soon became a common sight in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

The word “hydraulics” derives from the ancient Greek verb ὑδραινω, meaning “to water the earth”, but the technology was known for thousands of years before this name was applied. Water clocks and even water organs were around by the 3rd century BCE, at the same time as the positive displacement water pump commonly known as Archimedes’ Screw. The Romans, who were great builders of aqueducts, devised complex journeys to supply water to their urban centres. These included in-stream regulators and storage tanks.

What Is Its Function?

It has been known for a long time that the force of water can be used as pressure, convertible into force to carry out a mechanical function. This was often aided by gravity and/or kinetic energy, such as a donkey turning a water wheel. In the 17th century, French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal made notable advances in hydrodynamics, giving his name to Pascal’s Law of hydrostatics. Pascal is also thought to have invented the first hydraulic press, which used hydraulic pressure to multiply the amount of available force.

What Applications Commonly Use Hydraulics?

Hydraulic systems are widely used across the automotive industry for many different purposes including power steering, shock absorbers and hydraulic braking systems. You’ll also find hydraulics in machine tools, manufacturing machinery, construction, mining and agricultural equipment and aircraft. Both military jets and passenger airliners use hydraulics in their take-off and landing gear, as well as for adjusting wings, steering, brakes, and opening/closing doors. Many similar systems are installed on road, rail and marine vehicles.

Some Examples Of Hydraulics In Manufacturing

Hydraulic lifts are generally used for the vertical movement of goods or people, without the use of cables. Several different types are found in industry sectors like construction, waste removal, materials handling and shipping. These include carousel lifts, scissor lifts, two or four-post lifts, and vertical reciprocating conveyors – usually called mezzanine freight lifts. Particularly useful are mobile aerial lifts, which can be used indoors and out for a variety of applications, not least inspections, repairs and maintenance.

Loaders, forklifts and cranes all rely on hydraulics to provide the lifting power for many industrial applications, while the stronger hydraulic jack can lift even heavier loads. Using a hydraulic jack multiplies the power of a human worker so that one person can manipulate heavy loads without incurring much physical strain. Jacks can also provide maintenance access to heavy equipment by suspending it in mid-air, requiring very little exertion by the operator.

Many manufacturing sectors rely on hydraulics for materials processing and production activities, including conveyors, raising and lowering machinery, some packaging equipment and features like robotic arms. It’s crucial for heavy printing and pressing equipment, die-casting, parts pressing and crushers.