HYDRAULIC

ACTUATORS
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Actuators are the components used in a
hydraulic system to provide power to a
required work location
• Cylinders are the hydraulic system
components that convert fluid pressure
and flow into linear mechanical force and
movement
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• A basic cylinder consists of:
– Piston
– Piston rod
– Barrel
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Parts of a typical cylinder
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• The piston forms sealed, variable-volume
chambers in the cylinder
• System fluid forced into the chambers
drives the piston and rod assembly
• Linear movement is produced
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Seals prevent leakage between:
– Piston and cylinder barrel
– Piston rod and head
– Barrel and its endpieces
• Wiper seal, or scraper, prevents dirt and
water from entering the cylinder during rod
retraction
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Various seals are used in a cylinder
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Rod wipers prevent
contamination from
entering on rod
retraction

IMI Norgren, Inc.

 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Cylinders are typically classified by
operating principle or by construction type
– Single-acting or double-acting
– Tie rod, mill, threaded end, or one piece
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Single- and double-acting cylinders

Single-acting Double-acting
Basic Double Acting
Cylinder
 Double Acting Cylinders
Double Rod Cylinder
• Nondifferential type cylinder
• Same areas at both ends of the cylinder if the rods are
the same size
• Provides equal force, and equal speed in both directions
 Double Acting Cylinders
Tandem Cylinder
• Two pistons in line with a common rod
• This allows you to have a greater forces without
increasing the size of the cylinder bore
• Tandem cylinders are used in places where there is
insufficient space to increase the size of the cylinder
bore.
Cylinder Construction
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Single-acting cylinders exert force either on
extension or retraction
• They require an outside force to complete
the second motion
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Double-acting cylinders generate force
during both extension and retraction
– Directional control valve alternately directs
fluid to opposite sides of the piston
– Force output varies between extension and
retraction
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Effective piston area is reduced on
retraction due to the rod cross section
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Volume is reduced on retraction
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• External tie rod bolts are used to secure
the ends on the tie-rod cylinder design
– Commonly found on heavy industrial
machines
– External tie rods increase chance of damage
and promote accumulation of dirt
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Tie-rod cylinder
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Mill cylinders

Yates Industries, Inc.

 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Threaded-end cylinder

Bailey International Corporation

 Hydraulic Cylinders
• One-piece cylinder has the cylinder barrel
welded to the ends
• Produces a compact actuator
– Cost effective to manufacture
– Cannot be serviced (throwaway)
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Hydraulic ram is commonly used in hand-
operated jacks
– Rod is basically the same diameter as the
inside of the cylinder barrel
– Large-diameter rod is more rigid under load,
but cylinder can generate force in only one
direction
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Typical hand-operated
jack
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Telescoping cylinders are available for
applications requiring long extension
distances
– Rod is made up of several tubes of varying
size nested inside of the barrel
– Each tube extends, producing a rod longer
than the cylinder barrel
– Typical example is the actuator that raises the
box on a dump truck
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Telescoping cylinders

Star Hydraulics, Inc.

 Hydraulic Cylinders
Telescoping cylinders

•Most commonly seen in high reach Fork Lifts

 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Cylinders often use hydraulic cushions
– Provide a controlled approach to the end of
the stroke
– Reduces the shock of the impact as the piston
contacts the cylinder head
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Cylinder cushioning device
 Cylinder Cushions
• Used to slow down the piston at the end of
its stroke
• Basic elements include the plunger,
adjustable cushion orifice, and a check
valve
 Seals
• Cast iron is most common piston seal
• Long service life is most important characteristic
• Rubber-like materials are the most common rod seal
• Rod wiper or scraper keeps foreign material from
entering the cylinder and the hydraulic system
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• A variety of mounting configurations are
used to attach the cylinder body and rod
end to machinery
– Fixed centerline
– Fixed noncenterline
– Pivoting centerline
– Expected cylinder loading is the major factor
in the selection of the mounting style
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Head-end flange mount
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Fixed-noncenterline mount
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Pivoting-centerline, clevis mount
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Pivoting-centerline, trunnion mount
Cylinder Mounting
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• The force generated by a cylinder is
calculated by multiplying the effective area
of the piston by the system pressure
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Effective cylinder piston area
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Force generated during the extension of
a double-acting cylinder with a single-
ended rod is calculated as:
• Fe = P x A
where:
Fe = extension force
P = system pressure
A = piston area
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Force generated during the retraction of a
double-acting cylinder with a single-ended
rod is calculated as:
• Fr = P x (Ap - Ar )
where:
Fr = retraction force
P = system pressure
Ap = piston area
Ar = rod area
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Speed at which the cylinder extends or
retracts is determined by:
– Physical volume per mm of cylinder piston
travel
– Amount of fluid entering the cylinder
• Effective area of the piston is used to
calculate the volume of the cylinder per
mm of piston travel
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Hydraulic cylinder manufacturers provide
detailed specifications concerning:
– Construction
– Physical size
– Load capacity
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• This information includes basic factors
such as:
– Bore
– Stroke
– Pressure rating
– Other details, such as service rating, rod end
configurations, and dimensions
 Hydraulic Cylinders
• Typical manufacturer’s catalog page

Bailey International Corporation

 Limited-Rotation
Hydraulic Actuators
• Limited-rotation devices are actuators with
an output shaft that typically applies torque
through approximately 360° of rotation
• Models are available that are limited to
less than one revolution, while others may
produce several revolutions
 Limited-Rotation
Hydraulic Actuators
• Most common designs of limited-rotation
actuators are:
– Rack-and-pinion
– Vane
– Helical piston and rod
 Limited-Rotation
Hydraulic Actuators
• Rack-and-pinion limited rotation actuator

IMI Norgren, Inc.

 Limited-Rotation
Hydraulic Actuators
• Vane limited-rotation actuator
 Limited-Rotation
Hydraulic Actuators
• Helical piston and rod limited-rotation
actuator
 Limited-Rotation
Hydraulic Actuators
• Limited-rotation actuators are used to
perform a number of functions in a variety
of industrial situations
– Indexing devices on machine tools
– Clamping of workpieces
– Operation of large valves
 Limited-Rotation
Hydraulic Actuators
• Limited-rotation actuators are used in this
robotic arm

IMI Norgren, Inc.

 Hydraulic Motors
• Hydraulic motors are called rotary
actuators
• They convert fluid pressure and flow into
torque and rotational movement
 Hydraulic Motors
• Typical hydraulic motor application
 Hydraulic Motors
• All basic hydraulic motors consist of three
component groups:
– Housing
– Rotating internal parts
– Power output shaft
 Hydraulic Motors
• Parts of a typical
hydraulic motor
 Hydraulic Motors
• System fluid enters the housing and
applies pressure to the rotating internal
parts
• This, in turn, moves the power output shaft
and applies torque to rotate a load
 Hydraulic Motors
• Primary parts that produce the rotating
motion in most hydraulic motors are either:
– Gears
– Vanes
– Pistons
 Hydraulic Motors
• Four requirements of a motor
 Hydraulic Motors
• Displacement of a hydraulic motor
indicates the volume of fluid needed to
turn the output shaft one revolution
– Fixed displacement
– Variable displacement
 Hydraulic Motors
• In a fixed-displacement motor:
– Internal geometry cannot be changed
– Same volume needed per output shaft
revolution
 Hydraulic Motors
• In a variable-displacement motor:
– Internal geometry can be changed
– Displacement per shaft revolution can be
adjusted
– Motor can operate at variable speeds with a
constant input flow
 Hydraulic Motors
• Hydraulic motors may be classified by the
type of load applied to the bearings of the
output shaft
– Unbalanced indicates the output shaft is loaded
from one side, side loading the shaft bearings
– Balanced indicates the bearing load is balanced
by use of two inlet ports arranged opposite of
each other and two outlet ports similarly
arranged
 Hydraulic Motors
• The external gear hydraulic motor is the
most common and simplest of the basic
motor types
– Fixed displacement
– Unbalanced load on the bearings
 Hydraulic Motors
• The most common internal gear motor has a
gerotor design

Courtesy of Eaton Fluid Power Training

 Hydraulic Motors
• The specially shaped gear teeth of the
gerotor form variable-volume chambers
that allow system fluid flow and pressure
to turn the motor output shaft
• Gerotor motors are fixed-displacement
units operating with an unbalanced
bearing load
 Hydraulic Motors
• An orbiting gerotor motor is a variation of
the basic gerotor design
– Uses a fixed outer gerotor gear with internal
teeth and an inner gear with external teeth
– Center point of the inner gear orbits around
the center point of the fixed gear with internal
teeth
– Motor operates at a slower speed, but has a
higher torque output
 Hydraulic Motors
• Orbiting gerotor motor

Courtesy of Eaton Fluid Power Training

 Hydraulic Motors
• Basic vane motor has a slotted rotor
located off center in a circular chamber
and fitted with movable vanes
– Space between the vanes creates a number
of variable-sized chambers
– Forcing fluid into the small-size chambers
causes the volume of the chambers to
increase, turning the motor shaft
– Basic vane motor is fixed displacement with
an unbalanced bearing load
 Hydraulic Motors
• Basic vane motor
 Hydraulic Motors
• Balanced vane motors evenly distribute
the load on the bearings
– Achieved by operating the rotor and vanes in
a slightly oblong chamber
– Allows two inlet ports and two outlets ports to
be used in the motor
– Placing ports opposite each other balances
bearing loading
 Hydraulic Motors
• A basic, balanced vane motor
 Hydraulic Motors
• Vane motors are available as either fixed
or variable displacement
• The variable-displacement feature allows
an operator to change the speed of a
motor without changing the system flow
rate
 Hydraulic Motors
• In variable-displacement designs, the
chamber in which the rotor and vanes
operate is contained in a moveable ring
– When the center point of the rotor and ring
are concentric, the displacement is zero
– Moving the ring so the center points are not
concentric increases the motor displacement
and changes motor speed
 Hydraulic Motors
• Piston motors are available having either
fixed or variable displacements
• In variable-displacement designs, the
length of the piston stroke is changed to
vary the volume of fluid needed to rotate
the motor one revolution
 Hydraulic Motors
• Two basic classifications of piston motors
are axial piston and radial piston
– An axial piston motor has pistons with
centerlines parallel to the axis of the output
shaft
– A radial piston motor has pistons with
centerlines perpendicular to the axis of the
output shaft
 Hydraulic Motors
• Axial piston motor

The Oilgear Company

 Hydraulic Motors
• Axial piston motors are available in two
configurations:
– Inline
– Bent axis
 Hydraulic Motors
• In an inline piston motor:
– Centerline of the barrel is concentric with the
centerline of the power output shaft
– A swash plate transmits force from the pistons
to the shaft
 Hydraulic Motors
• Inline piston motor

The Oilgear Company

 Hydraulic Motors
• In a bent-axis piston motor:
– Centerline of the barrel is at an angle to the
centerline of the output shaft
– A universal joint and other fittings are used to
transmit force between the barrel and the
output shaft
 Hydraulic Motors
• Bent-axis piston motor

Courtesy of Eaton Fluid Power Training

 Review Question
A(n) _____ cylinder can exert force during
both the extension and retraction strokes.

double-acting
 Review Question
A(n) _____ is the system component that
converts fluid pressure and flow into linear
force and movement.

hydraulic cylinder
 Review Question
During retraction, what is the effective area
of the piston of a double-acting cylinder?

The cross-sectional area of the piston

minus the cross-sectional area of the rod.