ME407 MECHATRONICS

HYDRAULICS AND PNEUMATICS

 SYLLABUS

• Actuators: Hydraulic and Pneumatic actuators -

Directional control valves, pressure control valves,
process control valves. Rotary actuators.
Development of simple hydraulic and pneumatic
circuits using standard Symbols.

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 Actuation systems
• Actuation systems are the elements of control systems
which are responsible the output of a microprocessor or
control system into a controlling action on a machine or
device.
• Ex: Pneumatic & Hydraulic Systems, Mechanical Actuation
Systems, Electrical Actuations Systems

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 Fluid Power

• Fluid power is the use of fluids under pressure to

generate, control, and transmit power.
• Fluid power is subdivided into
– hydraulics using a liquid such as mineral oil or water
– pneumatics using a gas such as air or other gases

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 Hydraulic Systems
• Move large loads by controlling high-pressure fluid in
distribution lines and pistons with mechanical or
electromechanical valves
• 1000psi – 3000psi
• Closed systems, always recirculating same fluid

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 Hydraulic Systems
• Advantage:
– Able to generate extremely large forces from compact actuators
– Easy to control speed
– Easy to implement linear motion
• Disadvantage:
– Large infrastructure (high-pressure pump, tank, distribution lines)
– Potential fluid leaks
– Noisy operation
– Vibration
– Maintenance requirements, expensive
– Characteristics of working fluids change with temperature and
moisture

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 Pneumatic systems
• Pneumatic systems similar to hydraulic systems
• Use compressed air as working fluid rather than hydraulic liquid
• 70psi - 150psi, much lower than hydraulic system pressures, much
lower forces than hydraulic actuators
• Energy can be stored in high pressure tanks
• Open systems, always processing new air

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 Pneumatic systems
• Advantage:
– Constant force
– Clean (food industry)
– No return lines needed
– Adaptable infrastructure
– Possible light, mobile pneumatic systems
– Fast system response
• Disadvantage:
– Difficult to achieve position control (compressible air)
– Noisy

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 Key components of Hydraulic and
Pneumatic

• Pump/Compressor
• Pressure regulator
• Valve
• Actuator

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Comparison of hydraulic and pneumatic
system

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 Applications

Air Conveyor Impact Wrench Hydraulic Jack

• Advantages • Disadvantages
– adaptable power distribution – difficult to control position
– constant force actuators – leaks and contamination of
– power amplification working fluid
– inexpensive

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HYDRAULIC AND PNEUMATIC ACTUATORS

• Pumps convert mechanical energy to pressure

energy of the fluid and actuators do the opposite.
• Fluid power is transmitted through
– Linear motion(obtained by cylinders)
– Rotary motion(Motors)

Pressure Mech’l
Energy of the fluid ACTUATOR energy

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HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR

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Linear Actuators: Hydraulic and Pneumatic

• Common to both hydraulics and pneumatics

• If the linear actuator is used for a hydraulic system, we call
it as hydraulic cylinder
• If the linear actuator is used for a pneumatic system, we
call it as pneumatic cylinder

Cylinders

Single Acting Cylinder Double Acting cylinder

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 Parts of linear actuator
• Cylinder barrel Piston
• Cylinder base or cap Piston rod
• Cylinder head Rod gland
• Other parts : Cylinder base connection - Seals-Cushions

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 SINGLE ACTING CYLINDER

• In the case of a single acting cylinder, only the piston side

is pressurized with hydraulic fluid. The cylinder can thus
carry out work only in one direction.
• The fluid which flows into the piston chamber causes a
pressure to build up the surface of the piston.
• The piston travels into its forward end position. The
return stroke is effected by a spring, the dead eight of the
piston rod or an external load.

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Double Acting Cylinder

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Double Acting Cylinder

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 Cylinder Cushioning
• Cylinder with end position cushioning are used to
brake high stroke speeds smoothly and prevent
hard impacts at the end of the stroke. Shortly
before the end position is reached, the cross-
section for the outflow of fluid is reduced by the
built-in cushioning pistons and then finally closed.
The hydraulic fluid is then forced to escape
through a flow control valve.

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 Rotary Actuators
• Hydraulic Actuators are actuators that can rotate
continuously and they have same basic configuration as
pumps.
• However instead of pushing on the fluids as pumps do, the
motors are pushed upon by the fluid.
• In this way hydraulic motors develop continuous rotary
motion
• 3 basic types are
– Gear motor
– Vane motor
– Piston motor

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 Gear Motor
• construction similar to gear pump.
• It coverts hydraulic energy (pressure
energy) in to rotary
• mechanical energy used in many industrial
application

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 Vane Motor
• A vane motor consists of a housing with an eccentric bore,
in which runs a rotor with vanes in it that slide in and out.
• The force differential created by the unbalanced force of
the pressurized fluid on the vanes causes the rotor to spin
in one direction.
• A critical element in vane motor design is how the vane
tips are machined at the contact point between vane tip
and motor housing.

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 Piston Pump
• The pistons are parallel to and located in the
rotor, which is axially driven by the shaft

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Valves for hydraulic and Pneumatic system

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 Types of Valves
• Type: Spool, poppet, ball, butterfly valves, etc.

Poppet
Poppetvalve
valve
Spool
Spoolvalve
valve

Check
Checkvalve
valve(One
(Onedirectional
directionalflow)
flow)
Ball
Ballvalve
valve Butterfly
Butterflyvalve
valve
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Methods of actuation for DCV

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