Tractor Hydraulics in Line With The Trend

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Tractor Hydraulics in Line with the Trend

Tractor Hydraulics in Line


with the Trend

The most important trend at Agritechnica Tractor pumps necessary for internal lubrication and system leak-
1999 was probably the growth of automa- age, at a reduced pressure of about 20 bar. Power
One reason for the better energy balance is that
tion in the function and operation of agri- consumption on standby is very low and is less
the variable-displacement pump adapts hydraulic
cultural machinery. The increasing use of than 1.5 kW at a drive speed of 2,500 rpm and
performance (flow and pressure) at all times to the
modern hydraulic and electronic controls with a pump size of 45 cm3.
consumer, irrespective of drive speed. There is no
through to integrated electronics and the
excess quantity of oil which takes up drive power
use of modern CAN bus systems in farm This is particularly beneficial when used on a trac-
that then has to be converted back into lost heat.
tractors benefits the following: tor because during tractor operation the pump
– the optimization of energy exploitation spends well over half of its time switched on at zero
When no hydraulic function is actuated, the pump
– easier handling and greater user-friendliness stroke. (Table 1)
reverts to standby, i.e. the rotor group returns to
of automatic processes
its zero position and pumps only as much oil as is
– the ongoing further development of
agricultural automation.

Introduction
While fixed-displacement pump systems are mainly
used on tractors with small to medium output (75
kW) - notwithstanding a detectable trend towards
variable-displacement pumps - tractors at the top
of the performance range almost all have variable-
displacement piston pumps with load-sensing
control (Fig. 1).

The reason for this is the more favourable energy


balance, with better controllability particularly
during the parallel operation of several consum-
ers.

Central hydraulics takes a holistic approach to


energy management and provides a sensible and
low-loss power distribution. Further improvements Fig. 1: Single-circuit LUDV closed-centre system
can be achieved with component optimization.

Working Cycle of a Tractor


Duration Working Status
Helmut Funk, Jürgen Ruf
Rexroth Hydraulics 50 % lower cut-off pressure, no flow
Lohr
Phone +49 (0) 93 52 18-20 72 25 % upper cut-off pressure, no flow 75 %
Fax +49 (0) 93 52 18-21 59
E-Mail helmut.funk@rexroth.de 7% 10 % flow, 80 % pressure
juergen.ruf@rexroth.de 3% corner power
Henk Lenferink
Brueninghaus Hydromatik
5% 50 % flow, 50 % pressure 25 %
Horb 10 % 50 % flow, 100 % pressure
Phone +49 (0) 74 51 9 20
Fax +49 (0) 74 51 82 21 Table 1: Working Cycle of a Tractor
E-Mail henk.lenferink@bru-hyd.com

RE 00 207/10.00 147
Tractor Hydraulics in Line with the Trend

Figure 2 and 3 show two hydraulic systems as of- Multiple exhaustive endurance tests have shown The openings in the connection plate and the suc-
ten found on tractors. There are tractors with a that the new rotary group can be reliably employed tion kidney in the distributor plate and cylinder
separate tank for the hydraulic oil, as is the case at a continuous pressure of up to 210 bar and drum could not be significantly enlarged, and for
on almost all working machinery. In this case the peaks of 280 bar. this reason the permissible drive speed during self-
hydraulics forms a closed, separate system and this priming had to be reduced. During boost opera-
is referred to as a system with a separate oil cir- tion this doesn’t make any difference. Table 2
cuit. The required oil purity is achieved with a suit- shows the technical data and development status
able return filter. of this new A10VNO... pump.
Hydr. control
The vast majority of tractors have a hydraulics sys- system
tem with a shared oil circuit, i.e. the hydraulics uses
the already available gear oil. (Figure 3)
Possible problems with viscosity, trapped air in the
oil, or purity demand in this case a separate boost
pump which must be dimensioned to ensure that
the variable-displacement pump is fully supplied
in all operating conditions. The boost pump is usu-
ally slightly larger in order have excess oil for cool-
ing and/or gear lubrication. Between the boost and
variable-displacement pump, a low-pressure filter
is installed. The advantage of this design is that
there is no need for a separate tank and the op-
erator has one fewer type of oil to keep stocked. Separated oil reservoir
Fig. 2: Separated Oil Disposal Fig. 4: Variable Pump A10VO 45 DFR/52
Figure 4 shows an A10VO variable-displacement
pump of the 5x series with its typical circuitry for
load-sensing control in its basic version as used so X
far on tractors. The available rated values and the Hydr. control
main technical data are given in Table 2. Features:
system
• Small dimensions
• Favourable power-to-weight ratio
B
• Low noise for gearbox
• Compact design lubrication

The rotary group of the A10VO 5x series pump


for
corresponds to the A10 31 series (Figure 5) and is radiation L1
designed for a continuous pressure of 280 bar, an
intermittent pressure of 315 and a peak pressure S L
Circuit diagram A10VO...DFR
of 350 bar. The strategy for the A10 5x series re-
duced the permissible pressures to 250 and 315 Fig. 5: A10VO..DFR Series 52
bar for its own reasons. This had nothing to do with
the rotary group, however. On all tractor applica-
tions, the maximum pressure level is about 200 bar,
and the rotary group employed is in truth „too Gearbox
good“.
This makes it possible to enlarge the pistons and Fig. 3: Common Oil Disposal
bores in the rotary group so that, for instance, size
28 is enlarged to size 45. The main advantage is Technical Data A10VNO.../53:
higher flow from a relatively small pump, i.e. re-
duction of installation space and weight. The new Size (cm3) 25 45 63 85
type designation is A10VNO..../5x. Speed (min-1) 2400 2150 2150 1900
nominal pressure (bar) 210 210 210 210
peak pressure (bar) 250 250 250 250
development status planned available available possible
control devices DR, DRG, DFR, DFR1
Table 2: Technical Data A10VNO.../53

148 RE 00 207/10.00
Tractor Hydraulics in Line with the Trend

Figure 6 shows our multi-functional tractor pump Figure 7 shows the circuit diagram of the A10CO The tractor pump A10CNO... is a synthesis of
A10CO..., which was specially designed for sys- pump. The spin-on filter and the differential pres- A10CO... and A10VNO... This compact tractor unit
tems with a shared oil circuit. Table 3 presents a sure switch are not normally part of the supplied has an integrated boost pump, filter connection
summary of the technical data. The variable-dis- equipment and merely the threaded connectors are etc. and is functionally identical to the previously
placement and boost pump as well as the pres- provided. discussed multi-functional unit A10CO... However,
sure relief valves, filter connection, filter bypass and It is worth mentioning that connection „G“ is the rebored rotary group of the A10VNO... is em-
filter differential pressure switch were integrated linked either to the transmission lubrication unit ployed. With maximum operating pressures up to
in a compact unit. or to the transmission so that the transmission 210 bar, this re-optimized compact unit will super-
The advantages: always receives at least 20% of the boost pump sede the A10CO... range in the medium term.
• Minimum installation space flow. Otherwise the oil circuit of the boost pump The technical data can be seen in Table 4.
• Low noise might be short-circuited (when the variable-dis- The main advantages are that it is highly efficient,
• High system efficiency placement pump is at zero stroke) and would heat even smaller and even quieter.
• Integrated boost pump up.
• Reduced piping, and thus
• Reduced overall costs
Technical Data A10CO 45.../52:

Nominal pressure 250 bar


Peak pressure 315 bar
Control devices DR, DRG, DFR, DFR1
Size 45 cm3
Speed 2750 min-1

Table 3: Compact Unit A10CO 45.../52

Sectional drawing
of A10CO...DFR
Fig. 7: Circuit Diagram A10CO...DFR
Fig. 6: A10CO..DFR Size 52

Technical Data A10CNO.../53


Size 45 63
Flow from 25 to 45 cm3 from 46 to 63 cm3
Main Pump
Flow from 35 to 57 cm3 from 64 to 80 cm3
Boost Pump
Nominal pressure 210 bar 210 bar
Main Pump
Peak pressure 250 bar 250 bar
Main Pump
Advantages more compact, smaller, lower noise level,
impeccable efficiency
Table 4: Compact Unit A10CNO...../53

RE 00 207/10.00 149
Tractor Hydraulics in Line with the Trend

Central hydraulics
The basic requirement when designing central
hydraulics is to give consideration to the various
consumers on the tractor (Fig. 8). These are pow-
ered, as described, by a variable-displacement
pump, for instance, via an oil circuit shared by the
service hydraulics and transmission.

The differing requirements of the hydraulic con-


sumers in terms of flow, pressure and tractor op-
eration time must be taken into account as well
as the prioritization of safety-relevant functions like
the steering and brakes. The steering, brakes, trans-
mission control and directional valves are supplied
in a cascade arrangement.

The connection ensures that for continuous con-


sumers the pressure loss at the directional valve Fig. 8: Hydraulic functions on tractors
is minimized. This is achieved with the priority cir-
cuit or arrangement of the priority valves in which
the directional valves are only supplied via one
priority valve instead of the usual two. Conse-
quently, the pressure drop only occurs once. The
supply of the low-pressure circuit via a priority
valve takes place as the third priority after steer-
ing and brakes and ensures that the transmission
is first supplied with pilot pressure before the re-
sidual pump flow is fed to the hitch control valve
and the directional valves. This additional safety
excludes malfunction and thus costly damage to
the transmission and saves the simultaneous loss
of power. For brake function, consideration is given
not only to the already established trailer brake,
but also increasingly to the front-wheel brake.
Account is taken here of enhanced performance
and speed requirements.

The envisaged functions of the central hydraulics,


with consideration given to the characteristic hy-
draulic values, have been accommodated for the
first time in a modular unit (Fig. 9). All the sections Fig. 9: Central hydraulic program CHP
can be freely combined.
The principal advantages of the central hydraulics
function block are essentially that the piping is
reduced and less installation space is required. The
control block with its tank connection can be
flange-mounted straight onto the gearbox, thus
eliminating the complex, bulky tank line.

Other valve functions like the trailer brake valves


are part of the strategy and thus optionally avail-
able.

150 RE 00 207/10.00
Tractor Hydraulics in Line with the Trend

Steering
The steering circuit today consists of:
– Hydraulic oil tank (separate or transmission)
– Filters (suction or return filters)
– Pumps (fixed- or variable-displacement pump)
– Priority valve
– Steering unit
– Steering cylinder
– Supply lines

Along with the familiar open-center steering, load-


sensing steering has become established on trac-
tors.

From 75 kW upwards, the steering and service hy-


draulics are powered with variable-displacement
pumps. The flow rates vary according to needs from
0 to roughly 120 l/min.
Fig. 10: Steering units LAGC and LAGC...LD
Compared to fixed-displacement pumps, this large
range demands a broad closed-loop control range
from the priority valve. Low pressure losses are
always expected.
Any disharmony vibrations or inertia in the inter-
action between the variable-displacement pump,
priority valve and steering unit would make them-
selves immediately felt when steering at the wheel.

We have therefore further developed our priority


valves LPS 160R10/LD (Fig. 11) (originally intended
for applications in fixed-displacement pumps) so
that they can be used with fixed- or variable-dis-
placement pumps.

Our goal: Vibration-free closed-loop control with


high dynamic response
Fig. 11: Priority valve

RE 00 207/10.00 151
Tractor Hydraulics in Line with the Trend

Fig. 12: Mid-range tractor

We have achieved this goal by integrating a damp-


ing valve and modifying the control lands. The new
priority valve can be identified by the series status
in the order number - LPS 160 R11/LD... The gen-
eral parameters and dimensions can be seen from
RD/RE 27548/10.98.

Tractors’ front axle loads vary from 4,500 to 7,000


kg. The steerability of tractors and the testing of
Fig. 13: Steering units LAGU and LAGZ
steerability in power-assisted and emergency op-
eration is described in laws and directives. During
steering in a 12 m radius at a speed of 10 km/h,
steering pressures of 20 to 35 bar are achieved,
which is unproblematical in power-assisted opera-
tion - unlike in emergency operation, on the other
hand, when the steering unit is used as a hand
pump. The maximum manual forces during emer-
gency steering must not exceed 25 daN at the
steering wheel, for instance (Council Directive of
20th May 1975, or 75/321/EEC for short).

With conventional load-sensing steering units, this


limit value is usually exceeded.
For the tractor manufacturer this would give rise
to a need for additional electrical or axle-driven
emergency steering pumps with sequencing valve
technology and monitoring elements for power-
assisted operation.

The need for such additions can be avoided by


using our steering units with the automatic flow
reduction in emergency operation.

We have two series (Fig. 13):


LAGU - Steering units with chamber shutdown
LAGZ - Steering units with rotor group shutdown Fig. 14: LAGU emergency operation

The LAGU steering unit is equipped with a rotor


group. In power-assisted operation, its entire flow
is delivered to the steering cylinder.

152 RE 00 207/10.00
Tractor Hydraulics in Line with the Trend

In emergency operation (Fig. 14), half of the flow


is switched to the tank via a changeover valve. The
rotor group operating as a hand pump is thus ef-
fectively 50% smaller than in power-assisted op-
eration.

The torque required is therefore reduced to about


half.

Further details can be found in RD/RE 11 867/


09.98.

The LAGZ is equipped with two rotor groups and


a changeover unit.
In power-assisted operation the two rotor groups
are connected together and supply power to the
steering cylinder.

In emergency operation (Fig. 15), the second ro-


Fig. 15: LAGZ emergency operation tor group to the interior (=tank) is switched off and
the flow to the first is interrupted.
Only the first rotor group powers the steering cyl-
inder. A variety of reduction stages can be realized
in emergency operation, depending on the chosen
sizes of rotor group.

See RD/RE 11 868/04.00 for further information.

The listed steering units have the same flow in


power-assisted operation (160 cc/steering wheel
revolution).

The diagram shows the steering pressure achiev-


able from the steering force (Fig. 16).

Fig. 16: Emergency steering torques – steering pressures

RE 00 207/10.00 153
Tractor Hydraulics in Line with the Trend

Directional valves It is worth noting that this is not individual load ceeds the current maximum pump flow of 60 l/min,
compensation per section, but collective load com- the two individual flows are reduced to a value
pensation per valve block during which the con- derived from the ratio of pump flow to the indi-
Load sensing (LS)
trol pressure differential is determined by the vari- vidual flows. The starting point is the associated
To power parallel and load pressure-independent
able-displacement pump. drop in the pilot pressure differential in the sys-
motions, the load-sensing control with a variable
tem. This can no longer be compensated for by the
displacement pump is now standard on tractors of
Figure 17 shows the effects of reduced oil flow variable-displacement pump as the latter is already
60-75 kW and beyond. On this control, each sec-
during under-saturation. At the beginning of the operating at maximum flow.
tion of the control block has a 2-way pressure
under-saturation range, about 50 l/min flows
compensator, thus making a section-by-section
through valve 1. Valve 2 is opened to 30 l/min.
flow control possible.
Nevertheless, since the sum of the two valves ex-
This means that good, load pressure-independent
fine control of flow and hence speed is also possi-
ble for a wide range of consumers.

However, with respect to load sensing it should not


be forgotten that the 2-way pressure compensa-
tor requires control ∆p so that the flow control can
work load pressure-independently. Undefined con-
ditions arise here if, for instance, the pump oil flow
is insufficient to saturate all the pressure compen-
sators (e.g. low working speed of the diesel en-
gine with simultaneously high oil demand). This
can result amongst other things in the reduced
speed of the consumers with the highest loads.

Load pressure-independent flow


distribution (LUDV)
In view of the above-mentioned under-saturation
problem of LS controls, an LUDV system is used as
an alternative. This is designed as a closed-centre
valve and is similar to classical load sensing.
Fig. 17: Flow sharing under various conditions (LUDV-System)
As its main functional difference, the LUDV circuit
uniformly reduces oil flow when insufficient oil is
supplied to the directional valve block.

According to this principle, the pressure compen-


sator is positioned downstream from the meter-
ing orifice. The basic functional feature is that the
maximum consumer pressure is reported to all
pressure compensators and the pump. It is solely
the opening ratio of the individual sections which
determines the distribution ratio in the event of
under-saturation. The motions of the equipment
are sustained, albeit at reduced speed. No con-
sumer comes to a standstill and all motions are
smoothly continued.

Fig. 18: LUDV Load sensing control valve EHM18

154 RE 00 207/10.00
Tractor Hydraulics in Line with the Trend

With reference to the fall and rise of valve flows,


the diagram illustrates a variety of situations. Dif-
ferent pressures at the consumer connections have
no effect on the oil flows.

EHM18
Because the adaptation of electrohydraulic piloting
to an originally mechanically operated directional
valve imposes a number of design limitations, it
became necessary to go new ways and develop a
totally new valve, the EHM 18 (Electro-Hydraulic
Module, size 18) (Fig. 18).

The distinctive features of the EHM are that inlet


and outlet are separated and combined with LUDV
technology. The separated or, rather, hydraulically
linked discharge elements serve primarily as a safe-
guard against oil leakage at the service connec-
tions and, with various control logics aided by elec-
tronics, make a variety of „mode circuits“ possi-
Fig. 19: Set up for tractor functions
ble (Fig. 19).

A flow of up to 130 l/min is possible per section.


This means that the tougher and ever growing
requirements in the large tractor sector can also
be met.

As a result of the arrangement of valve control with


the aid of pressure reducing valves and the op-
tional integration of the control electronics includ-
ing the CAN bus interface, it is possible to build
up systems both with central electronics and with
CAN bus configurations (Fig. 20).

A further advantage is the possibility of integrat-


ing a hitch section in the directional valve block.

As a whole, the series is distinguished by its com-


pact and slim design, whilst also integrating rapid-
action couplers in the service connections.
The main features are:
Fig. 20: Electronic circuits on tractor
• Separate inlet and discharge control
• Combined spool/poppet valve
• Service ports free of oil leakage
• No shuttle valves
• Proportional float position straight from
neutral
• Integrated rapid-action couplers with hand
lever operation
• Optional on-board electronics
• Modular design with the possibility of
integrating a hitch section.

RE 00 207/10.00 155
Tractor Hydraulics in Line with the Trend

To also accommodate applications which do not


use the integrated rapid-action coupler, there are
plans for a shortened and very compact variant
with pipe junctions (Fig. 21).

Summary
This article outlines the requirements that have to
be met by the hydraulic circuit on farm tractors
(> 75 kW) and explains the interrelationships be-
tween the subsystems with reference to illustra-
tions of individual components. In doing so we
have responded to today’s familiar demand for the
presentation of performance- and cost-optimized
systems in specific application situations.

Starting with standardized basic equipment, ad-


aptation to modern tractor hydraulics has been
carried out on all products (axial piston pump,
steering, directional valves etc.).
Fig. 21: LUDV load sensing control block EHM18
The tractor variable-displacement pumps include
not only the basic version A10VO, but also two
optimized versions, the A10VNO and the A10CO.
The newly developed A10CNO represents a syn-
thesis. The A10 range has proven successful in over
a million applications. The millionth A10 was sup-
plied in June 2000.

Future development work is focusing on a further


improvement of the overall system, reducing the
interface problems and the further integration of
electronics in the hydraulic system.
Tractor management systems will in future not only
control individual systems such as engines, but also
holistically integrate all the important functions of
a tractor such as the transmission, hitch and the
relevant individual circuits such as those of the
differential, PTO shaft etc.

156 RE 00 207/10.00

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