The Ultimate Guide to Hydraulic Cylinders and Its Industrial Uses

Hydraulic cylinders are all around us; we can see them in excavators, trucks, forklifts, tractors, aerial platforms, mining equipment and so on. A hydraulic system is a technique in which fluid, most commonly hydraulic oil, is used to transport energy from a motor to an actuator, typically, a hydraulic cylinder.

Big and small hydraulic cylinders are frequently seen at work in both industrial applications (including hydraulic presses, forges, cranes and packing machines), as well as mobile applications (such as agricultural machines, marine equipment and construction vehicles).

Excavators, loaders, balers, telehandlers, man-lifts, drill-rigs and dump trucks all need them, so does the operation of booms, arms, lifts, platforms and buckets. Pushing, pulling, lifting and lowering using hydraulic cylinders is the most effective and efficient method. Let’s dig deeper into what these are and what are their industrial uses.

What Are Hydraulic Cylinders?

The first hydraulic cylinders were invented in the late 1800s. The hydraulic system is based on Pascal's law of fluid pressure, which asserts that when pressure is given to a fluid, it will exert an equal amount of pressure in all directions. A hydraulic cylinder is a component of the hydraulic system of a machine. Simply put, a small hydraulic cylinder is a hydraulic actuator that converts hydraulic energy into a mechanical movement to provide linear movement. The hydraulic cylinder is similar to a muscle in which it causes movement using the machine's hydraulic system.

Hydraulic cylinders can be single-acting or double-acting. Single-acting cylinders, as the name implies, only function in one way; hydraulics move the rod in one way, and the counter motion is caused by the cylinder itself, a mechanical structure or an external load. A forklift truck is an example that uses single-acting hydraulic cylinders.

Double-acting hydraulic cylinders function in two directions; the cylinder is pushed back and forth or out and in with hydraulics. The piston separates the chamber and moves the rod as it is affected by the oil pressure - the oil affects the piston's front or back when the cylinder rod moves in both directions. Excavator booms, for example, use double-acting cylinders.

Let’s explore how else hydraulic cylinder services are used in various industries.

Industrial Uses of Hydraulic Cylinders:

Civil Engineering

Bulldozers, trenchers, excavators and their attachments all include hydraulic cylinders, hence these devices are also used in the civil engineering industry.

Agriculture

Hydraulic services are commonly employed in the agricultural industry, and they can be used on a variety of machines, such as loaders, harvesters and tractors. Hydraulic cylinders can also be used as attachments for hydraulic wood splitters and other similar machines.

Energy Industry

Hydraulic cylinders appear to be valuable in the energy industry as well. They are used in hydroelectric stations with gate controls as they help with the possibility of opening and closing gates to manage the water flow.

Mechanical Engineering

These cylinders are also valued in mechanical engineering as they are used in automated production lines, forming machines, feeding devices, generating environmentally-friendly equipment, transportation devices and plastic forming machines.

Shipbuilding

Hydraulic cylinders are unsurprisingly important in the shipbuilding sector due to their dependability and excellent design. Hydraulic cylinders are used in transportation equipment as well as a variety of critical hoists and several nautical steering mechanisms.

Takeaway

Apart from these mentioned above, many industries rely on industrial hydraulic services. Automotive, aeronautical, food, construction, mining and offshore industries are just some examples. With such a vast range of applications for hydraulic cylinders, having only one type of this equipment might be highly inconvenient. This describes the component's several variations. It also guarantees that all roles are performed correctly and that the appropriate device is used. Single-acting, double-acting, telescopic and plunger cylinders are among the options.

Even though there are a few variations, they always have the same basic components: the piston and barrel. The head, base, piston rod, deals, welded port, flange, rod end, bearings, bushes and other tiny parts are also included. These components are assembled by a hydraulic cylinder manufacturer for the equipment to function properly.