Fluid Power World December 2015

Air springs prove excellent actuators for agriculture applications p.52

Efficiency in industrial hydraulics p.58

www.fluidpowerworld.com

December 2015

Food safety and compressed air Manufacturers must weigh risk versus cost when specifying compressed air systems for food and packaging operations.

PAGE 42

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How the CCEFP has revitalized fluid power research and education in the U.S. over the past decade has been beyond what I’d hoped for. The Center has a bright future, and the industry (which has a pretty great future itself) needs to continue to support it. Thanks to Kim Stelson for his continuing leadership—and everyone who has been involved in this very successful partnership.

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December 2015 C ontents |

vol 2 no 6

|

fluidpowerworld.com

42 52

52 D E PA R T M E N T S

02 Editorial

58

08 Korane’s Outlook 12

10 Research & Development 12 Association Watch 16 Distributor Update 18 Energy Efficiency 20 Design Notes 30 Training

35 Fundamentals

58

20

38 Maintenance 40 Safety 66 Component Focus 69 Product World 72 Ad Index

ON THE COVER

Helical-shaped rotors are at the heart of oil-free, twin-screw compressors, which are ideal for food processing applications. Photo credit Atlas Copco

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12/17/15 5:22 PM

NFPA/JIC Tie Rod Cylinders • Hydraulic and Pneumatic • 1½” up to 24” bore • Interchangeable with all brands

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Ko ra n e ’s O u t L o o k Ken Korane • Contributing Editor

New player on the global stage?

The name Hengli is not exactly a household brand in the U.S., but fluid power users and competitors might want to put it on their radar. Twenty-five years ago, entrepreneur Liping Wong founded the company with just two employees, making pneumatic cylinders in his garage near Shanghai. Since then, they’ve rode the Chinese economic boom supplying its construction, mining, marine and metalworking industries to create a $2B powerhouse.

In 2009, Hengli built what’s considered the largest hydraulic cylinder production facility in the world, with an annual capacity of 500,000 pieces.

Through strategic acquisitions, it now supplies 1.5 million valves per year, and it has developed its own line of pumps. That’s opened the door to complete systemdesign capabilities.

It’s now eyeing international expansion. Today, there is no Chinese equivalent of an Eaton, Parker or Rexroth recognized worldwide as a source of high-quality hydraulics, said Justin Fluegel, general manager of Hengli America. Wong’s vision is to change that and make Hengli a global brand. To succeed, the company’s focus is first

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12 • 2015

and foremost on quality, stressed Fluegel.

It is ISO registered and, unlike companies that outsource production, Hengli is truly vertically integrated. That lets it tightly control every manufacturing step from pouring castings to machining parts, monitoring heat treating and plating, through final assembly and testing.

Being vertically integrated also helps streamline processes that bring cost benefits to American customers and keeps lead times, about 10 to 12 weeks, on par with domestic suppliers. Rush orders are met in half that.

Three years ago, Hengli opened a Chicago office to focus directly on the U.S market. Surprisingly, its major challenge so far isn’t obstacles like time differences, logistics, import duties or protectionism.

It happens to be America’s view of China, said Fluegel.

“There’s a perception of China being a low-quality, high-quantity supplier,” he said. He relates that in the 1950s Japanese products were viewed as mass produced and cheap, but inferior.

Thirty years later they became known for quality, delivery and efficiency. China is undergoing that same transition, with companies like Hengli developing and delivering high-quality, highly engineered products.

Will they succeed? No one knows, but business in the U.S is growing. They often gain new clients when an OEM’s previous supplier is unresponsive or can’t resolve quality or cost concerns. “Once potential customers understand our value proposition—first and foremost it is quality—then it opens the door to new opportunities,” said Fluegel. That includes redesigning problematic cylinders that need customization, better performance, part consolidation or longer life in demanding applications. “As machine users learn quality and performance have improved due to a new supplier, they’ll come to understand that a new level of quality is coming out of China,” stressed Fluegel.

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RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Mary C. Gannon • Senior Editor

CCEFP opens funding to new universities As it aims to continue its growth, The Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) is currently reviewing funding proposals for 10 new research projects for the period July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018.

The CCEFP is opening funding for the first time ever to universities outside the original seven research universities that began the organization in 2006. (See more on the organization’s history in Editorial Director Paul Heney’s FluidLines column on page 2). Now that the 10-year National Science Foundation grant has been fulfilled, the CCEFP hopes to attract more researchers and universities to its mission of changing the way fluid power is researched and taught.

The research projects the CCEFP is reviewing are organized in three thrusts that achieve the following societal benefits: creation of new fluid power technology that, with improved efficiency, will significantly reduce petroleum consumption, energy use and pollution; with improved effectiveness, will make fluid power clean, quiet and safe for its millions of users; with improved compactness, will exploit its attributes in a new generation of human scale devices and equipment.

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Top strategic priorities include: • increasing energy efficiency of fluid power components and systems • improving and applying the energy storage capabilities of fluid power components and systems • reducing the environmental impact of fluid power components and systems (lowering noise, eliminating leaks) • improving the reliability of fluid power components and systems (increasing up-time, reducing maintenance, making fluid power safe and easy to use) • reducing the size of fluid power while maintaining or increasing power output • building “smart” fluid power components and systems (ones that perform self-diagnostics and troubleshooting and that integrate easily with plug-and-play functionality) • focusing on emerging manufacturing technologies (coatings, additive manufacturing, surface treatments) Proposals are currently being reviewed and recipients will be announced February 15, 2016. Accepted projects will be detailed in our March 2016 issue.

Kim Stelson, CCEFP Director, said that each of the proposal grants will

receive $80,000 for two years, totaling $160,000, to cover the costs of a single graduate student, a small portion of the professor’s salary and modest travel, supplies and equipment costs.

“This provides an opportunity for any researcher in the United States to become active with us,” Stelson said.

“We are casting a wide net to attract the best talent.”

Stelson said that while this new funding opportunity is smaller— originally, the CCEFP began with 24 projects and 10 test beds—he said the organization will build from this new beginning, and “increase it as we go forward, through a combination of increased government and increased industry support.”

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ASSOCIATION WATCH

Edited by: Mike Santora • Associate Editor

The NFPA’s Student Career Connections Program offers a way for companies to connect with students, make them more aware of flui power careers and get more involved with the community.

The NFPA’s new workforce focus NFPA Chairman Jeff Stuart expressed earlier this year that the organization and its Board of Directors are increasing its focus on a set of clear, high-level objectives. These objectives, referred to as “ends” statements, describe the major ends or outcomes the NFPA wishes to achieve. Of the six statements, three of them deal exclusively with what the NFPA membership consistently ranks as its number one challenge: growing the fluid power workforce. Those statements are: • NFPA fosters awareness and involvement of middle and high school students, helping them to understand fluid power’s potential as a technology and choose fluid power as a career path.

• NFPA helps increase the number of technically trained people capable of integrating and applying fluid power, and connects them to careers in the fluid power industry.

• NFPA supports universitie in the development of fundamental fluid power knowledge and connects the industry to an increasing number of scientific and engineering leaders in the field.

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At its most recent meeting in October 2015, the NFPA Board again deepened its focus in these three areas, recognizing both the success in each, and advancing several new program concepts that could help move the needle even further.

For middle and high school students: • Fluid Power Challenge. This middle school student program has established itself as the NFPA’s primary outreach activity to young people. Last year, 1,450 middle school students participated in 14 Fluid Power Challenge events, where they built fluid power mechanisms out of simple materials and operated them in a series of timed competitions.

• High School Fluid Power Challenge. With such success at the middle school level, the NFPA saw the need for developing a companion program for the high school environment. Many engineering competitions and curricula exist for these STEM-minded high school students—FIRST Robotics, SkillsUSA, Project Lead the Way and the Student Career Connections Program being just a few examples.

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ASSOCIATION WATCH

For technically trained people: • Center for Advanced Fluid Power Technical Education NFPA’s focus on 2-year technical schools and community colleges is increasing substantially as it recognizes the pressing need for more employees with the technical degrees and skills that these schools provide.

For universi es: • Center for Compact and Effici t Fluid Power. NFPA’s partnership with the CCEFP, a network of fluid power research laboratories, academic faculty and students at seven universities, continues to grow.

Since its inception in 2007, the CCEFP has added more than 100,000 ft2 of lab space to its universities. The

FPW_MFP_HH_DEC15A.indd 2 FPW Dept Assoc Watch 12-15_Vs3.MD.indd 14

CCEFP has increased fluid power advanced degrees by more than 500%, increased the number of fluid power educators by a factor of 10, and engaged more than 13,000 university students in a variety of workforce development programs.

• Nationa Fluid Power Engineering Challenge. Building on this success, the NFPA is now exploring support and expansion of a fluid power-themed national engineering challenge, to be conducted by teams of undergraduate engineers at our nation’s universities. Many of these competitions exist, and have become an engaging staple of the under graduate engineering environment, giving students both exciting

opportunities to explore and apply their developing skills and to connect with particular technologies and industries.

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DISTRIBUTOR UPDATE

Mike Santora • Associate Editor

ICP participates in Manufacturing Day 2015

The challenge to find high caliber talent for the industrial distribution industry is greater than ever. That is a task the Industrial Careers Pathway (ICP), an alliance of trade associations like NAHAD and others, is working to overcome. To do this, ICP is advocating for more participation by distributors in career fairs, classroom talks and company tours. Research has shown these types of events help young people learn about industrial distribution as a career choice in their local communities.

ICP recently participated in Illinois-based Prairie State College’s Manufacturing Day career fair in early October. Piggybacking on manufacturing’s big day, the ICP’s goal was to build awareness of additional careers available in industrial distribution and the industry’s manufacturing partners.

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12 • 2015

Chirag Patel, general manager, Radicon USA, a manufacturer of gear reducers and a PTDA member company, assisted ICP staff in hosting the booth. By participating, he helped educate more than 200 college and high school students about the many career opportunities available in industrial distribution. Patel learned about ICP through his involvement in the PTDA and volunteered as an ICP Ambassador.

“Participating in this career fair was absolutely refreshing! I had the opportunity to meet young adults who were eager to learn and explore employment, some even seeking to build a career in power transmission,” he said. “I also met faculty members who were anxious to help cultivate programs to prepare students to be better suited for our future recruitment needs. It was a fruitful day. I was energized

by the environment and have a few candidates for some of our entry level positions.”

Any employee whose company is a member of an ICP Alliance Partner association can become an ICP Ambassador Corps volunteer. In addition to showcasing entry-level careers in industrial distribution, ICP develops and delivers programs, services and tools to help industrial distributors recruit, hire, manage, train and retain entry-level employees.

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Ron Marshall • For the Compressed Air Challenge

A metal foundry had a disastrous fire that took down part of the plant.

Buried under the rubble were new air compressors, installed only a few months earlier. Miraculously, the compressor supplier was able to refurbish the units, shine them up and get them running like new.

During the rebuilding of the damaged part of the plant, the air compressors in a second part of the building were maxed out because they had to take up the slack.

This area was far from the main power transformers, and the feed wires had a significant voltage loss, which caused problems at the compressors. Because these units were now heavily loaded, there were many nuisance trips.

Recognizing the problem as undersized electrical distribution equipment, the electrical company working on the plant repair offered to upgrade some components to solve the problem. After

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12 • 2015

the work was done on the weekend, an old compressor was restarted and placed on full load. Within minutes, production staff started noticing a strange noise.

The noise got louder and smoke started rising from the compressor. In a few more minutes, the compressor was so hot it was uncomfortable to stand beside. Staff pushed the emergency stop button and called for help.

Service personnel attempted to investigate, but the machine was too hot to touch. It took four hours to cool the unit down for troubleshooting. After a long investigation, it was discovered that the machine had been running backward! This is fatal to lubricated screw compressors.

The personnel doing the electrical work had mixed up the phases on the compressor input supply. Running the compressor backward had seized the machine, causing irreparable damage to the compression element.

A silver lining in this cloud was that the damaged compressor was the oldest and least efficient unit of the bunch. Now a new, more efficient compressor can be purchased, courtesy of the electrical contractor’s insurance company.

Learn more about compressors in our next Compressed Air Challenge seminar in your area.

FPW

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12/17/15 4:37 PM

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DESIGN NOTES

Edited by: Mike Santora • Associate Editor

In this self-propelled beet harvesting machine, the series E 598/E 998 filter provides a modular connection concept with two stackable connecting plates.

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12 • 2015

Since the launch of the return-suction filter from Argo-Hytos, this filter concept for mobile machines has become a standard in many applications because its functional improvements lower system and maintenance costs.

A common example is in the hydraulic system of a beet harvester, which typically consists of a hydrostatic drive. The variable pump in the closed circuit is connected to the hydraulic motor at the axles and helps ensure locomotion.

Fixed or variable pumps supply the users in the open or closed circuit. A variable pump in the open circuit also supplies the steering system.

The filters in the hydraulic circuit guarantee function and wear protection. Thus one differentiates between protective filters, whose function is protection through coarse hydraulic filters/strainers and working filters that provide wear protection through fine hydraulic filters.

For the drive, protecting the filling pump, ensuring oil cleanliness and protecting against

wear are of primary importance. The same applies for the working hydraulics (open/ closed circuit), because here the pump also has to be protected and the necessary oil cleanliness must be ensured.

A single return-suction filter takes over almost all the tasks mentioned above.

The filter concept for the entire beetharvesting machine is completed by two additional filters—a ventilating and filling filter. The filling strainer downstream of the ventilating filter prevents coarse dirt from entering the tank while filling or re-filling oil during maintenance or repair work.

Engineers selected the series E 598/E 998 for the beet harvester. This was followed by extensive testing under real conditions. After the tests, the preparations for the production launch could be started. The series E 598/E 998 features a modular connection concept

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12/17/15 4:44 PM

with two stackable connecting plates. For the return and suction side, two connecting plate variants are already available in the standard, which can be positioned and turned through 90° to each other. A variety of connection configurations are possible. The system also has improved cold-start characteristics because the filling pump is supplied with precharged oil.

FPW

In this diagram we see a simplified i lustration of the hydraulic circuit fi ter concept.

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Edited by: Mike Santora • Associate Editor

DESIGN NOTES

Frankfurt airport. An engine catches fire during a passenger aircraft landing. The alarm goes off in the fire station. Firefighters spring into action, hit the big green button in the crew room and run to their vehicles.

Downstairs, they are greeted by airport crash tenders, 12 m long and 3 m wide. The model is known as the FLF Z8, developed and built by Albert Ziegler. Needless to

Electricity and compressed air are supplied to vehicles while in an idle state. Both drive motors are preheated with 1,400 hp in total and the air brake system is open. In less than 21 sec, the FLF Z8 can accelerate its 51-ton weight to 50 mph with a maximum speed of 84 mph. As a result, the vehicle can be anywhere on the airport grounds in less than 3 min.

An articulated extinguishing arm and front cannon can volley up to 10,000 L of water, foam and powder every minute. When there are no headwinds, crew members can stand as far as 90 m from the fire

say, technology has come a long way since the company debuted its first firetruck in 1953. “Less than 30 seconds go by from the alarm until the truck rolls out,” said Nils Conrad, team leader for the engineering and development of special vehicles.

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12/17/15 4:27 PM

In less than 21 sec, the FLF Z8 airport crash tender can accelerate its 51-ton weight to 50 mph with a maximum speed of 84 mph.

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DESIGN NOTES

to begin their job of extinguishing the flames.

Below the vehicle, a body/ground protection system with several water jets prevents kerosene leaks from damaging the Z8 airport crash tender.

Situated between the Ziegler firefighting centrifugal pump driven by a pump motor and the cannons, pneumatic systems and components from Aventics regulate the extinguishing agents.

“The high pump capacity demands powerful pneumatic components with high flow rates and large cylinders,” said Dietmar Huber, the man responsible for the pneumatics in the vehicle’s design. On

For the PRA series pneumatic cylinders, Ziegler chose corrosion-resistant versions with stainless-steel piston rods and metal scrapers.

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the Z8 airport crash tender, several of the company’s CD01 and HF03-LG series valve systems control the actuators with up to 12 valves. NL2 series pressure regulators lower filter pressure from 15 to 10 bar when the vehicle is standing in the hall. The valves are actuated in series by the Ziegler PLC. Ziegler relies on more than the electric remote control for the core functions. “With airport crash tenders, you need reliability and availability that is 100%,” said Huber. “If the electricity fails, the crews can switch to manual emergency operation of the pneumatic valves. That is very important.”

For the PRA series pneumatic cylinders, Ziegler chose corrosion-resistant versions with stainless-steel piston rods and metal scrapers. “We customize every single

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vehicle to meet our customers’ needs,” said Conrad.

Modular pneumatics are convenient in this regard.

Specialists compile the corresponding solutions in the online configurator. They can then send them right back and Huber can view the specifications and CAD data on his computer. Sales specialists review the order and bundle all components for a job into a “pneumatics material kit” with a single order number.

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DESIGN NOTES

Edited by: Mike Santora • Associate Editor

Hydraulic system helps reduce harvest loss When Blueline Manufacturing Company sought to enable its blueberry harvester to reduce harvest loss by up to 50%, the company looked to Eaton for a custom hydraulic system. The goal was to develop a new blueberry harvester that would improve driver ergonomics and reduce waste. The machine was to feature a custom harvesting system that removes berries from plants and reduces the amount of berries dropping on the ground, increasing farmers’ bottom lines.

The new harvesting machine included a complete hydraulic system, featuring DuraForce pumps and piston motors for propulsion, a compact X20 420 series openloop piston with gear pump, and hydraulic integrated circuit (HIC) manifold for steering, conveyor and fan functions. Additionally, to ensure the harvesting machine remains level, an auto-leveling feature was added as well as an auto-steering assist system.

Creating a new hydraulic system with this level of detail was not without its challenges though.

The lead time to build the prototype harvester was severely constrained. Among other challenges, designers needed to program the complete system for endcustomer functionality. In addition, they had to configure the sensor selection with high enough resolution to control Auto Leveling and Auto Steering Assist features.

Modifying the original design was necessary to program the steering of two independent wheels.

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For the blueberry harvester, designers needed to program the complete system for end-customer functionality. In addition, they had to confi ure the sensor selection with high enough resolution to control Auto Leveling and Auto Steering Assist features. Modifying the original design was necessary to program the steering of two independent wheels.

Additionally, Eaton’s Pro-FX Electronic Controls and Software allow harvester operators to take control of every system function from one screen.

“Eaton and Spencer Fluid Power developed the hydraulic system for a fully electronic Blueline machine that reduced harvest losses by 50% on its proof of concept test,” said Gregg Marrs, president, Blueline Manufacturing Company.

Traction control and four-wheel drive were added into the design—allowing operators to maintain proper grip through inclement conditions. The machine includes electronic steering and a fully consolidated hydraulics system with fan controls that are

also operable from the touch of one screen.

“By uniting electrical and hydraulic solutions we were able to develop a complete hydraulic system incorporating a broad range of products,” said Patrick Nolan, area sales manager, Eaton. “With our full line, including DuraForce, Pro-FX electronic controls and software, and the X20 series, the design team responded quickly, providing a system that delivers immediate results.”

FPW

Eaton eaton.com/hydraulics

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12/16/15 2:59 PM

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DESIGN NOTES

Edited by: Mike Santora • Associate Editor

Bosch Rexroth provided the intelligent hydraulics as well as the drive-based motion logic control system that closes the control loop between the cylinder position, force and speed of the pump drive.

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Whether it’s profiles or rods and rolls, in many applications steelworks are requiring higher accuracies for the linearity of their products. For workpieces up to 30 m long and diameters up to 800 mm, MAE Maschinen- und Apparatebau Götzen designed a large-part straightening machine with more flexibility and better resistance to harsh ambient conditions.

“Our development goal was to have a modular series that covers the entire spectrum for straightening long parts ranging from relatively low forces and manual loading to extremely powerful and fully automated solutions,” said Manfred Mitze, managing director of MAE Götzen. From the beginning of the project, the design team knew that the machine had to employ hydraulic drives for the straightening hammers. All the other movements are performed by means of electromechanical drives. “We were looking for an experienced partner for the entire automation solution with motion control, electromechanical system and hydraulics, this is why we opted for Bosch Rexroth,” said Mitze.

The team from Bosch Rexroth designed the complete drive system for MAE and simplified the structure of the hydraulic system.

The heart of this design is the variable-speed pump. It consists of an intelligent controller and a servomotor, which powers two variable displacement pumps at one shaft. The pumps generate a working pressure of 315 bar. They move a single-rod cylinder in a closed control loop according to the input of the higher-level straightening controller RICOS. To straighten the workpieces, the operator enters the diameter, material and the required accuracy and presses “Start.”

The electric motor of the variable-speed pump drive accelerates, and a straightening hammer presses the profile at up to 25,000 kN against two anvils. Despite these great forces, the new straightening machine sensitively corrects bends to deviations less than 0.1 mm.

Below the machine control, the drive-based Motion Logic System IndraMotion MLD closes the control loop between the cylinder position, force and speed of the pump drive. For the straightening process, the motor speeds up until the required torque is achieved. Then, the axial piston pump swivels in and maintains the torque. These controllers limit and maintain the torque in a process-oriented manner. www.fluidpowerworld.com

12/17/15 4:27 PM

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Increasing safety was also a design concern. The drive-based control coordinates up to seven further axes for auxiliary movements. It exchanges information in real time over a Sercos bus with the connected axes and with further controls, relieving the higher-level process control. The control is based on the internationally standardized PLC in accordance with IEC 61131-3 and blocks according to PLCopen.

Operators can set up and load machines without any hazards while the protective door is open. The design uses safe stop 2 (SS2) of the drive controller and, as an additional safety feature, the motor brake, which is cyclically tested by the controller.

In the fully extended variant, the large-part straightening machine from MAE is fitted with up to 20 servodrives. In this case, profiles are inserted at the rod ends in the two movable workpiece fixtures. Through roller rail systems, servomotors position workpieces of several tons.

The collaboration helped create a straightening machine that operates with a simplified hydraulic system and 80% less engergy consumption. Ultimately, the efficiency of the design process itself led to a more efficient product.

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TRAINING

David Marlowe • Owner/CEO • DMAR Technical Training and DMAR Business Centers USA

Approximately 80% of all hydraulic component failures are attributed to surface degradation caused by contamination and corrosion.

Proper filter selection and sizing will provide years of reliable equipment operation and save money that is lost in fighting contaminationrelated failures. The cost of installing and maintaining suitable filtration is estimated to be 3% of the cost associated with contamination related issues.

Let’s start with pump suction strainers. Contrary to what some people think, pumps do not suck liquids through the inlet or suction piping, but rather create a differential pressure (dp) at the suction nozzle. The fluid is then pushed into the suction nozzle in an attempt to equalize pressure.

Anything that restricts or reduces the fluid flow affects its efficiency. This results in less liquid being transferred, and thus reduces system efficiency (horsepower in compared to horsepower out). Any suction pipe that encourages the introduction of entrained gas or affects hydraulic flow instabilities in the liquid will result in a less efficient pumping operation. In addition to poor performance, truly bad suction piping will result in physical damage to the pump or its parts.

While many pump manufacturers caution against the use of suction strainers because of the damage they can cause, some designs, like Parker’s magnetic suction strainers, offer dual protection to the pump inlet without risk of cavitation.

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Pump suction system configurations are broken down into two parts:

1. Suction piping (proper diameter and

spacing)—proper suction piping consists of pipe and pipe fittings, their relationship, quantity and relative location to the pump suction nozzle.

2. Suction source (NPSHA) design factors include: • geometry of the source • relative location of the suction entrance point(s) to suction liquid surface • source enclosure boundaries • other suction entrance points Every pump’s successful operation and useful life expectancy is dependent on a properly designed and installed suction arrangement.

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12/17/15 4:28 PM

Some would contend that a true state of absolute suction is impossible (except in the perfect vacuum of space) and that only varying degrees of flow-causing differential pressure exist.

The term suction refers to the fluid acceleration toward the source (the pump).

Pumps create a differential pressure, letting atmospheric pressure push liquid into a lower pressure area of the pump. Any impedance to unrestricted flow induced in this action will create instabilities in the fluid flow.

The single most important function of a pump suction system is to supply an unrestricted, evenly distributed laminar flow to the pump. The pump suction system should not promote the introduction (or internal creation) of air, vapors or gas bubbles.

Improper designs of the suction piping, sump and/or inadequate pipe support exterior to the

Common fi ter locations are shown in a hydraulic system.

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TRAINING

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pump will create hydraulic instabilities in the fluid flow that result in destructive vibrations. In general, suction strainers do not contribute to system cleanliness.

Internal pump problems such as bearing failures, seal failures, excessive noise and vibration can often be accredited to sources outside the pump itself and the connected piping. The troubles created from poor suction conditions and poor piping practices will create unbalanced hydraulic flow.

To promote hydraulic stability and maintain a hydraulic balance on the pump’s rotating element, avoid direct connection of any type of pipe fitting to the pump suction nozzle. Pipe fittings cause pressure drops and turbulent flow patterns. Direct connection of elbows should always be avoided, as should 90° elbows. The only thing worse than a 90° elbow installed in the suction line would be having two of them!

It is important to select a filter that improves reliability of the hydraulic system to eliminate failures due to contamination.

Let us look at the various options for the location of a filter.

It is up to the system designer to locate a filter to support system operation, and location is subjective. The accompanying figure shows basic locations where filters are located in a lube or a hydraulic system.

The purpose of a suction filter screen is to protect the pump from large particles found in the reservoir. A filter screen is located on a suction port of the pump or attached to the suction pipe leading to the pump.

The filter screen is usually a coarse mesh filter. Inline filters are usually not placed on the suction side as high differential pressure can cause pump failure.

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20 Micron

10 Micron

The micron rating of a fluid filter is a generalized way of indicating the ability of the filter to remove contaminants by the size of the particles, as seen below: • 1 micron = 1 millionth of a meter • 1 micron = 1 thousandth of a millimeter • 1 micron = 39 millionth of an inch (0.000039) • 25.4 micron = 1 thousandth of an inch (0.001) • 40 microns = visible with magnification • 40 to 90 microns = diameter of a human hair A fine filter on a pump suction side would require a massive filter to handle the flow and have a low pressure drop. Fine filters load more quickly than coarse filters to allow the majority of small particles to pass. Improperly sized suction filters will cause pump failure due to cavitation. Many pump OEMs discourage the use of suction filters and suction strainers because of the inherent risk of pump hydraulic flow instabilities leading to cavitation.

Proper return filtration, transfer unit filtration and proper control of particulate ingression with high-efficiency breathers often make suction filtration unnecessary.

FPW

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FUNDAMENTALS

Ken Korane • Contributing Editor

Hydraulic cylinders and side loads Hydraulic cylinders are typically built to handle high loads in rugged and demanding operating conditions, and they routinely last for years. Unfortunately, cylinders used improperly can face a quick demise. Mechanical issues like side loading and rod bending are two common cylinder problems that lead to premature failure.

Cylinders are designed to provide linear force and motion application. The rod must be strong enough to to move a load. A cylinder works well when compression withstand stresses imposed by the load and cylinder. and tension forces perfectly align in the rod’s axial direcThus, correct rod size and strength are important tion. Side loading occurs when a mass or external force factors in sizing a cylinder. If the piston rod diameter pushes the rod to the side, up or down. is too small in relation to the load column, bending

When a cylinder retracts, it normally has high resisfailure or rod buckling is likely. tance to side load, not only because bending forces are

Fortunately, engineers can improve cylinder low, but because the rod is supported by a bushing in the performance with regard to both side load and head and the piston itself inside the cylinder bore. But as column strength. Here are some options: the cylinder extends, the piston moves closer to the head.

That reduces the capacity for the piston to act as a bear■ Alignment. There is no substitute for precision ing, increasing the potential lever arm and the opportualignment. When mounting a cylinder, technicians nity to bend the rod. need to check and minimize misalignment in both

The longer the cylinder stroke and the further the extended and retracted positions. rod extends along its stroke, the higher the potential for side loading and column bending.

■ Guiding. Particularly in horizontal and long-stroke

Fixed-mount cylinders do not function well if rod applications, users must ensure that loads are travel is out of alignment. In fact, side load is probably the properly guided and the rod has adequate support most common cause of rod-bearing failure. It causes unto eliminate side loads. even wear as the rod pushes into one side of the bushing and the piston drags with more force across one side of the barrel. Eventually, surfaces will suffer damage, resulting in shorter bearing life, fluid leaks and seal failure.

In more extreme cases, side loads can bend the rod, particularly when using an undersized rod in a thrust

Side loading on a cylinder rod, particularly when the rod is extended, can damage the cylinder and diminish its useful life. Image courtesy CD Industrial Group

www.fluidpowerworld.com

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12/14/15 11:57 AM

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FUNDAMENTALS

■ Mounting One possible solution is to use a clevis or trunnion-mounted cylinder that moves with the side load. Also, note that head-style mounts provide greater column strength than comparable cap-end mounts, due to the shorter distance between mounting points.

■ Misalignment compensation To handle slight misalignment, a cap spherical bearing mount or spherical bearing rod eye sometimes helps. But they often require larger diameter piston rods or longer stop tubes to compensate for higher bearing stresses caused by loss of rigidity between piston rod and the moving load.

■ Larger rod. A larger diameter rod improves overall rod strength, making it less susceptible to bending. However, stop tubes are generally more effective, less expensive and lighter than oversized piston rods.

■ Stop tube. Another technique is to add a stop tube. This is simply a tube inserted inside the cylinder and around the rod between the piston and head. It acts like a spacer to prevent the cylinder from extending completely. This increases the distance between the two bearing areas—the piston and rod bushing—reducing the effects of side loading and maintaining high buckling resistance. However, adding a stop tube reduces usable stroke length. Thus, users may need to opt for a cylinder with longer stroke than would otherwise be necessary.

FPW

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MAINTENANCE

Edited by: Mary C. Gannon • Senior Editor

Smarter ways to fight fluid contamination Most hydraulics users know that fluid contamination leads to problems. It can raise fluid costs, promote premature component failure and cause unscheduled downtime, just to name a few potential headaches.

“Over the past 10 years, the knowledge base has widened and customers are more aware that contamination is important and it influences performance and costs. Today, most realize that it is an issue that needs to be addressed,” said Dan Zoller, group product manager of filter systems at Schroeder Industries.

The technology behind contamination control has improved, too. Fifteen years ago users had to send fluid samples to a lab for patch tests with a microscope, explained Zoller. “Today, particulate sensors can mount right into a system or device and measure the ISO code in real time. Users get results immediately, rather than waiting a week for a lab report,” he said.

However, even when companies understand the need for proper contamination control, they get poor results if technicians don’t perform scheduled service or managers cannot measure and track fluid conditions due to a lack of accurate information. The situation can be particularly overwhelming when people managing high-value hydraulic and lubrication systems must oversee many machines in large plants or fleets.

To overcome this problem, Schroeder engineers developed the Asset Management Filtration Station (AMFS), an all-in-one system designed to manage cleanliness in hydraulic and lubrication fluids.

The AMFS is housed on a mobile, wheeled cart for easy positioning right at a vehicle or machine. But unlike basic filtration carts, the AMFS not only cleans fluids, it also measures conditions before and after service and tracks all the data needed for trend analysis and record keeping for every machine.

In operation, the cart connects to a tank or barrel and runs in kidney-loop fashion. To initiate operation, touchscreen commands log the AMFS operator, asset (specific vehicle or machine) being tested, the asset’s hours of operation, and the target ISO Cleanliness Class based on the most sensitive component in the hydraulic system.

The unit includes a particle counter to track fluid cleanliness and a water sensor to measure saturation levels. Highcapacity dual filters remove particulates as the fluid circulates, and users can specify a water-absorbing element in the first stage to remove free water from the fluid. Filter ratings (such as 3, 5 or 10 µm) are specified according to application requirements, and 1.5-hp motor/pump provides 5-gpm flow.

Finally, an onboard, ruggedized PC records run time, ISO cleanliness code and water saturation level, and it displays graphical and tabular data in real

Schroeder’s Asset Management Filtration Station is an all-in-one system designed to manage cleanliness in hydraulic and lubrication fluids.

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time. Technicians can transfer the information in a Microsoft Excel file using a USB drive to a desktop or plant-maintenance program. It lets plant and fleet managers track the fluid condition and history for each individual asset, as well as the maintenance practices for every AMFS operator.

The state-of-the-art AMFS brings several benefits to users, said Zoller. “Clean fluid lasts longer, so it doesn’t need to be replaced as often. And it brings down repair costs because parts last longer due to lower contamination levels. A pump that used to last one year might now last three or four years, thanks to better practices.”

It can also reduce the need for lab samples that may cost $35 each, he explains.

For instance, companies sampling a hundred trucks every week might now extend it to once a month. “When costs drop by 75% there are clear advantages,” said Zoller.

And with better and more-complete information, managers can gravitate from preventive to predictive maintenance.

Managers not only want to know fluid conditions when equipment needs servicing, but if it’s changing over time. AMFS-generated data can highlight trends. “If, over a year, a truck is coming in with increasingly dirty fluid, perhaps that’s an indicator that a pump or other component needs repair or replacement.

Previously, users would wait until something fails, usually in the field. Now they can act earlier by making intelligent decisions based on the data and prevent unforeseen downtime and expense,” said Zoller.

For all these reasons, the system pays for itself, often in just a matter of months, he added. The AMFS operates at temperatures from −20 to 150° F with fluid viscosities up to 1,000 SUS. Typical users include paper and steel-making plants, power-generation facilities, construction and mining sites, refuse and utility truck fleets, and equipment-rental operations.

FPW

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SAFETY

J. Eric Freimuth • Hydraulic Training Associates

Reducing the dangers of stored energy Accumulators are devices that store energy in the form of fluid under pressure. Because of their ability to store excess energy and release it when needed, accumulators help improve hydraulic efficiency. Industrial hydraulic accumulators are typically classified as hydro-pneumatic.

They apply a force to a liquid by using compressed gas and are most commonly available as bladder and piston type designs.

The hydraulic energy from the system exerts force against the piston or bladder, which isolates the gas from the fluid. The nitrogen is compressed as the piston or bladder travels from the force.

The compressed nitrogen then becomes stored potential energy. When the system pressure drops below the compressed nitrogen pressure, the nitrogen rapidly expands, forcing the hydraulic fluid out to the system. The velocity of this discharge is dependent on the pressure drop or differential across the piston or bladder.

Piston accumulators are available as gas-charged or spring-loaded designs.

A hydro-pneumatic accumulator has a fluid compartment and a gas compartment, with a gas-type element, such as a bladder, separating the two. The bladder is charged through a gas valve at the top of the accumulator, while a poppet valve at the bottom prevents the bladder from extruding into the pressure line. The poppet valve is 40

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Hydro-pneumatic piston accumulators from Kocsis Technologies.

sized so that maximum volume metric flow cannot be exceeded.

To operate, the bladder is pre-charged with nitrogen to a pressure specified by the manufacturer according to the operating conditions. When the system pressure exceeds the gas pre-charged pressure, the poppet valve opens and hydraulic fluid enters the accumulator. The changing gas

volume in the bladder determines the useable volume or useful fluid capacity.

Accumulators store energy that can be used during power failure or when additional energy is needed. In certain situations, additional flow may be needed. An accumulator can be used to supplement the flow rate of a pump.

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A technician performs a hydrotest of Kocsis Technologies’ piston accumulators at 1.5x the rated working pressure.

The company tests for vessel integrity, seal functionality and overall performance.

A close-up of more piston accumulators from Kocsis Technologies, which manufactures custom designs from 500 to 30,000 psi.

Being able to identify an accumulator in a hydraulic system is the first step to safety.

It’s important that accumulators are labelled properly to eliminate misidentification.

The accumulator label should contain the following: The manufacturer’s name, part number, year of production, model and serial number, maximum allowable pressure in psi or bar, volume in gallons or liters, and pre-charge pressure.

Understanding everything that makes up an accumulator is critical, too.

For example, two millwrights were doing maintenance service on a rock crusher. They mistakenly removed the fill valve (which resembles a bicycle stem) from the bladder

Piston Accumulator

accumulator, thinking it was the vent plug for a pressure filter. The valve hit the ceiling 60 ft above the crusher and was never seen again. The millwrights narrowly escaped injury. To the inexperienced, the pressure filter might look like an accumulator.

Hydraulic systems are complex, so identifying stored energy locations in them can be difficult and dangerous. The energy of hydraulic fluid under pressure and the loads this energy supports are extremely hazardous.

The accidental release of this energy has been the cause of many injuries and death throughout all industries. It is important to have an understanding of fluids

Bladder Type Accumulator

Piston and bladder type accumulators are the two most common hydro-pneumati accumulators used today.

under pressure including an in-depth study of hydraulic accumulators, their design, application and dangers when working with them.

Accumulators are one of the most dangerous components in a hydraulic system. The physical exposure to the accidental release of this stored energy can be fatal. When discharging and charging an accumulator in a confined area, you should always monitor oxygen levels. Nitrogen does not contain oxygen; it has no taste or smell, and will displace breathing air.

Always consult an expert when working with accumulators; the life you save may be your own.

FPW

Hydraulic Training Associates htahydraulics.com

Discuss This and other engineering topics at www.engineeringexchange.com

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Food safety and compressed air Deepak Vetal

Product Marketing Manager U.S. Oil Free Air Div. Atlas Copco Compressors

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Manufacturers must weigh risk versus cost when specifying compressed air systems for food and packaging operations.

Compressed air is a safe, reliable and essential power source for countless manufacturers. However, compressed air quality—gaged by the quantity of particulates, water and oil the air contains—can vary widely, depending on the application. In packaging, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, air cleanliness requirements are almost always more stringent than in other industrial settings.

For instance, high-quality compressed air is essential in food production to prevent product contamination and ensure consumer safety, as well as avoid costly headaches like product recalls, litigation and damage to brand reputation.

Surprisingly, there are two schools of thought when it comes to highquality compressed air, particularly in regard to oil content. Here’s how manufacturers weigh risk versus cost when specifying compressed air systems.

Oil versus oil-free

Food and packaging plants rely on compressed air for wide-ranging tasks, including powering actuators, cleaning equipment, pressurizing vessels, transporting and sorting material and blow-molding containers.

Such operations are often classified as contact and noncontact. Contact applications involve air that directly contacts food or in processes where compressed air is used in food production, processing, packaging and transportation. In contact operations, oil content in compressed air should be less than 0.01 mg/m3.

Noncontact compressed air is the air exhausted into immediate surroundings during food preparation, processing, packaging and storage. Oil content for noncontact operations should be less than or equal to 0.01 mg/m3.

Due to the wide range of applications, at least incidental contact of compressed air with products or equipment is often unavoidable.

Thus, manufacturers that select compressed-air systems must carefully consider safety on one hand, and productivity and cost on the other.

Precision, helical-shaped rotors are at the heart of oil-free, twin-screw compressors.

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Unfortunately, FDA regulations only provide broad recommendations when it comes to compressed air quality. That is, guidelines only say that compressed air introduced into food, or used to clean food-contact surfaces or equipment, must not contaminate food with unhygienic or harmful substances. The FDA does not stipulate specific compressor types for the food and packaging industries, so manufacturers can use both oil-free and oil-injected compressors.

Timing gears

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Oil-injected compressors

Probably the main reason manufacturers consider oil-lubricated compressors is that they cost less than their oil-free counterparts. In the process of compressing air, they introduce oil into the air, which is subsequently removed downstream. Separator elements extract the

Anti friction and roller bearings

Asymmetric rotors Timing gears synchronize the counter-rotating rotors in screw compressors, and watercooling channels in the housing help minimize internal temperature.

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majority of the oil from the compressed air; coalescing and carbon filters remove most of the rest. The tradeoff is high maintenance costs and constant system performance monitoring. Also, oil-removal filters and separators cause pressure drops, and that increases energy consumption.

Oil-injected compressors with oil-removal filters deliver what is often termed “technically oil-free” air. However, they also risk contamination. One aspect influencing the efficiency and purity of system air is temperature.

When using oil-injected compressors with oil-removal filters, oil carryover through filter media increases exponentially according to the temperature at the filtration interface.

Filter performance is often specified at 20° C. If ambient temperature rises to 30° C (not unusual in compressor rooms) compressor outlet temperature could rise to 40° C, causing oil carryover 20x the specified value.

High temperatures can also increase vapor content of the air and shorten the life of activated carbon filters.

Food and packaging companies increasingly rely on oil-free compressed air to minimize contamination

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ISO 22000 and compressed air ISO 22000:2005 is an international standard that specifies requirements for a food safety management system based on interactive communication, system management and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. It lets companies and organizations all along the food chain demonstrate their ability to control food safety hazards. The goal is to ensure that food is safe for human consumption.

Compressed air related to food safety is an important consideration regarding ISO 22000 certification.

The objective of ISO 22000 is to ensure food safety by adequate control over equipment and processes throughout the supply chain. It’s an auditing and certifying quality management system, although it does not define air quality.

Food safety hazards can surface at any point during production.

Getting food to table involves parties ranging from feed producers to food manufacturers, transport and storage operators, and retail and food service outlets. Related organizations include equipment builders and service providers, as well as manufacturers of packaging materials, cleaning agents and food additives.

How does it apply to compressors and other air-quality equipment? When used as intended, oil-free compressors will not generate biological, chemical or physical hazards. For example, during manufacturing of compressors, components (such as piping) exposed to chemical substances must be thoroughly cleaned during assembly and final testing. Likewise, when used as intended, oil-free compressors and related equipment might possibly release some particulates from the interior. In most cases, they are inert and, unless otherwise specified, require no special attention. Filtration to safeguard the user, adhering to ISO 8573, is advised.

ISO certification should be a key consideration for compressor manufacturers because compressed air plays an important role in the food manufacturing process. Working with certified suppliers assures customers that key pieces of equipment are made in a clean, safe environment. Being ISO certified means that a company has a food safety management system in place and has the ability to control food safety hazards.

In May of this year, Atlas Copco was the first compressor manufacturer certified to ISO 22000 for its Z series of oil-free compressors.

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Oil-free screw designs

For these reasons, more and more food, beverage and packaging companies now view oil-free compressed air systems as the best option, as they eliminate virtually all risk with regard to product contamination.

Oil-free compressors certified to ISO 85731:2010 Class Zero have a higher initial cost, but have lower maintenance costs because they eliminate the need for oil and filter replacements and reduce energy consumption due to pressure drops in the filters. Oil-free compressors come in several versions, including piston, diaphragm, toothed and scroll designs. Oil-free screw compressors are often specified in food and packaging operations.

Twin-screw compressors are positivedisplacement rotary devices originally developed in the 1930s to address the need for rotating compressors that generate high flow. They are constant flow, variable-pressure devices.

At a given speed, they always supply the same amount of air, but can do so at different pressures. Because compression takes place in a continuous process—as opposed to a cyclic process like in reciprocating piston compressors—they supply steady, nonpulsating flow with little or no vibration.

Helical-screw shaped rotors are the heart of these compressors. Male rotors have lobes

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An increase from 20 to 40° C can cut filter life from 1,000 to about 50 hours. Even worse, there is no warning when an activated carbon filter is saturated—it simply passes oil downstream to the end product.

Failure of the air-oil separator is another risk associated with lubricated compressors. If the separator fails, oil passes into the piping network and leads to contamination.

While preventive maintenance can help reduce risk, there is always the potential of oil carryover.

To lessen the risk, compressors lubricated with food-grade oils are often used in food-processing applications. But they’re no panacea, either. Granted, food-grade oil that bypasses the filters tends to pose less risk to the end product. The downside is that such oil typically has a relatively short life and needs to be changed more often, raising costs.

Lubricated air compressors also introduce oil as aerosol droplets, vapor and liquid into the compressed air stream. Material safety data sheets (MSDS) for food-grade oil note that inhalation of aerosols may damage the health of nearby individuals. There is some evidence that such aerosols can cause respiratory irritation. Finally, companies do not always list additives in food-grade oil due to confidentially reasons.

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and female rotors have flutes, and they turn in opposite directions. During each revolution, air is trapped in pockets between the two rotors and gradually decreases in volume, increasing pressure and temperature. Cold, low-pressure air enters on one side, is trapped between the rotors, and hot and high-pressure air exits on the other side.

Timing gears synchronize the position of the counter-rotating rotors, and an electric motor typically powers the gears and rotors. Pressure-ratio capacity (the maximum outlet pressure divided by the inlet pressure) depends on the length, screw pitch and geometry of rotors, as well as other factors like the housing design and ports. Bearings on the rotor shafts handle axial and radial forces during operation.

The rotors in oil-free screw compressors do not contact each other or the housing, so no lubrication is required inside the compression chamber. And seals between the gears and rotors prevent oil in the gearbox from contaminating the compressed air. Consequently, the resulting compressed air is completely oil free.

Rotors are made of carbon steel and coated and baked with Teflon. The coating helps protect rotors from corrosion. In the Atlas Copco design, the top layer of coating is Teflon graphite, which allows run-in and provides minimal clearance between the rotors.

Nonetheless, there are trade-offs. The highprecision rotors and housing must be meticulously manufactured to exacting dimensions and tolerances and assembled with minimal clearances. Lower clearances mean low volumetric losses and better efficiency.

However, oil-free compressors typically run at higher speeds and are normally two-stage units, due to higher temperatures in each stage.

Also, many oil-free compressors have water-cooling channels built into the housing to help limit thermal expansion. In contrast, oil-type rotary screw compressors inject cold oil into the compressor chamber to cool and lubricate the rotors and air and seal gaps to reduce leakage past the rotors.

While single-stage, oil-injected screw compressors can have pressure ratios around 13, for oil-free types that ratio is around 3.5 for each stage. Two-stage designs also need an intercooler. Air exits the first stage at about 140 to 180° C, and travels to the intercooler where temperature drops to about 25 to 30° C. A moisture trap after the intercooler removes water from the air. Cool air then travels to the second stage for final compression, and on to an aftercooler and additional moisture trap.

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expensive to purchase compared to oilinjected versions.

Tangible benefits f Class 0 air

Nonetheless, for product safety, as well as reasons like energy efficiency, minimal maintenance and lower total cost of ownership, an increasing number of food and packaging manufacturers around the world are turning to oil-free compressors for their compressed air needs.

Take the case of dairy company DMK, based in Bad Bibra, Germany. It processes one million liters of milk into cheese and whey concentrate every day. Atlas Copco’s oil-free, water-cooled Z Series compressors supply the air for this process, while 75% of the energy used to generate the air is captured and reused by a unique heat recovery system.

The company processes 6.6 billion kg (14.5 billion lb) of milk annually, making it the largest milk processing company in the German market. Quality and safety are paramount in milk processing, according to company officials. To ensure high standards, the dairy in Bad Bibra uses Class Zero oilfree compressed air in the cheese production lines. Because compressed air comes into direct contact with the cheese, it is absolutely critical that any oil is completely eliminated during processing.

“In the past, we used oil-injected compressors,” explains Johannes Bechtle, technical manager at DMK. “We filtered oil from the compressed air using activated carbon and other filters.” Ultimately, this method was not reliable enough for the dairy facility, and it was also costly because the filters needed to be changed frequently.

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Instead of the laborious process of filtering oil out of compressed air, oil-free air is now produced from the outset. As an added safety measure, coalescing filters installed downstream of the compressors remove any other potential pollutants.

One ZR 55 compressor with variablespeed drive (VSD) and two ZR 45 fixedspeed compressors with load/unload regulators supply air to its production lines.

The ZR 55 compressor’s VSD regulates its speed to meet peaks in demand, while the fixed-speed units are alternated at regular intervals.

This configuration has resulted in significant energy savings for DMK. Since the installation of the Atlas Copco machines two years ago, energy consumption has dropped from 12,000 to 10,000 kWh per week, and improved regulation also has

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Oil-free compressors virtually eliminate compressed-air related risks in beverage production and bottling operations

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cut no-load hours by 1,000 kWh per week. The network’s central controller monitors demand and runs compressors to maintain a stable and narrow compressed air-pressure band between 7.5 and 8 bar.

Cooling water leaves the compressor at nearly 80° C; two heat exchangers preheat water for a 90° C wash system. Of the 10,000 kWh per week required for air compression, 7,500 kWh (75% of the energy used) are reclaimed through the heat recovery system and used for cheese reproduction.

Similarly, as the largest regional beverage company in China, Hangzhou Wahaha Group provides more than 150 varieties of food and beverage products, such as drinks, canned foods, health products and milk powder. Currently, Atlas Copco provides more than 90% of Wahaha Group’s 600 compressors.

“Food safety is the biggest concern for food and beverage manufacturers,” explains Qiu Yijun,

Wahaha’s engineering manager. The company has relied on Atlas Copco Class Zero oil-free compressors for more than a decade, because they virtually eliminate compressed-air related food risks during production. For example, compressed air is required to make PET bottles. Any traces of oil in the compressed air can enter the bottles during the PET blowing process and contaminate the end product. This would have a negative impact on the taste and odor of the end products and could even affect consumers’ health.

As an added advantage, compressors equipped with energy recovery systems provide significant savings. The heat

recovered from the compression process is used to preheat water for cleaning and sterilizing, greatly reducing steam demand.

Savings due to heat recovery is estimated at about €140,000 per year.

FPW

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Air springs

prove excellent actuators for agriculture applications Don Foulke

Industrial Sales Manager Firestone Industrial Products

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Compressed-air bellows have long been major players on farm equipment, but now they’re showing they can help in force control, too.

In 1900, many farms dotted the American landscape. They were small and diverse, and according to a report issued by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, employed 41% of the American workforce and an estimated 22 million work animals. Today, the U.S. agriculture industry paints a very different picture. Modern farms are large, specialized and highly mechanized. They employ a fraction of the workers the industry required a century ago, and work animals have been shown the door. By 2000, less than 2% of the employed labor force in America worked in agriculture— freeing these would-be farmers to work in fields other than those that grow crops. Notably, the efficiencies gained throughout the past century have also made food more affordable in the U.S. and abroad.

Demands to produce more for less are always in play. As agriculture continues to be asked to produce more food more efficiently for more people, key technologies are being used so farmers can meet this demand. The introduction of

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MOBILE HYDRAULICS

air springs into the agriculture arena is one such advance that has helped the business of farming evolve.

Adapti e use of air spring technology Air springs are an adaptive technology that was originally developed in 1938 as pneumatic suspension devices for lightduty vehicles. Yet, these sophisticated rubber and fabric products have been used for technologically advanced actuation and isolation solutions for a broad range of non-vehicular applications for years. About four decades ago, air springs entered into the agriculture market in dairy and crop handling applications, and more recently, they have helped improve the way seeds get planted, not to mention the ride of tractors.

So, exactly what are air springs? Essentially, they are rubber and fabric bellows that contain columns of compressed air that provide support, stability, protection and more.

They are constructed out of fabric-reinforced rubber with metal enclosures to be a sustainable option in the market. While the material itself does not provide force or support (it is the compressed air operating inside that does that) it is exceptionally enduring—a fact that has been proven both in the field and through formal, rigorous testing. A handful of manufacturers produce similar styles of air spring products; however, Firestone was the original developer of the technology.

As an example, standard air springs consist of four layers: the inner layer of rubber, which contains the air, the first layer of fabric-reinforced rubber, a second layer of

require a great deal of service. These heavyduty balloons contain no moving parts, are friction-free and give immediate response in the form of force or compliance. Air springs take in and release air to maintain the proper amount of force and support to whatever object may be applying pressure.

They can serve as actuators, vibration isolators or support springs, depending on the requirements of the application.

Air springs on the farm On the farm, air springs are being used in hay balers, planters and cultivators, conveyor and vibrating screens, dairy barn parlors, cab mounts on heavy equipment, and irrigation systems. Obviously, the adoption of the technology has become quite pervasive across applications.

The technology’s latest hit on the farm is as actuators for down force control. They were first used in minimum tillage equipment, as farmers sought effective ways to plant with minimal disruption to the soil structure. Soon thereafter, air springs were used in planters, where the technology has been adapted to aid in sowing seeds at the correct depth.

This is perhaps the most common use of air springs in the industry today.

A typical application of the technology at work in planters is within pneumatic down force control modules. These modules help farmers maintain consistent seed depth directly from the comfort of the tractor cabin. It is the same technology that allows buses—with the flick of a switch—to lower and rise so passengers can board more easily.

Historically, planter systems were hands-on, labor-intensive pieces of equipment. Even when tractors entered the main stage, farmers had to manually adjust planter equipment by hand to get the force

“So, exactly what are air springs? Essentially they are rubber and fabric bellows that contain columns of compressed air that provide support, stability, protection and more” fabric-reinforced rubber that supplies the strength, and the cover to protect the bias fabric plies. Depending on the rubber used in the air spring, these products can withstand temperatures from −65 to 225° F.

Air springs are closed systems that never corrode and are operable in naturally dirty, dusty environments—such as farms, where soil and the elements are constantly a factor. Because air springs are sealed units, they last a long time and don’t 54

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needed based on soil conditions. This took a lot of time and physical effort, because details like seed spacing, consistent depth and the right amount of seed-to-soil contact matter a great deal to farmers interested in cultivating a healthy crop.

Fortunately, apparatuses like seeder pneumatic systems came about. These particular systems employ a row of air springs that are fed by a small electrically driven air compressor and a down force control module that helps create the appropriate pressure within them to keep the planter head at the correct depth in the soil.

The air springs serve as actuators that help the machine handle terrain and soil density changes.

Specifically, the air springs could be inflated or exhausted as the soil changes from sandy to heavy clay. This keeps the seed planter head at the correct depth to ensure the best germination and crop production rates.

Regardless of whether used on a tiller or a seeder, air springs adjust automatically to changing soil conditions and requirements with just the right amount of down force on the cultivator wheel or planter head. Plus, they perform exceptionally well in corrosive, abrasive environments, and even accept and easily accommodate misalignment.

Air spring applications expected to grow Whatever the application, air springs can make farm equipment work better. Consider hay balers: This equipment benefits from the friction-free, leak-free, flexible-force properties that enable air springs to adjust belt tension in such a way that maintains bale density and applies constant force as the bale diameter changes. In dairy barn milking parlors, the technology provides years of trouble-free performance for the essential flush valves and dairy stall automation equipment.

When used in conveyor systems, air springs isolate and reduce vibrations as produce moves down the line, whether it’s fruits, vegetables or grains. Even tractor cabs experience smoother, more comfortable rides thanks to the heavy-duty balloons.

The agricultural equipment of today operates at higher speeds and is more common on the road than ever before. The list of air spring applications will only grow in time as the agriculture industry continues to produce more food in more economical, efficient and ergonomic ways. The possibilities for this technology are endless.

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Next up, the developing world To date, air spring technology has mostly been adopted into the Western (developed) world. However, it behooves agriculture equipment engineers and manufacturers to look at where the cost and efficiency of food production is most needed: developing countries.

In many developing countries with large populations, the available arable land is being overrun by mega-cities. These cities are eating up the best farmland. In the meantime, demand for food is growing substantially thanks to exponential growth in the global population and rising incomes in emerging markets. It is imperative that the highest degree of agricultural technology is adopted and employed in these areas—it is the only way to sustain a population whose growth is overrunning farmable land. The use of pneumatic down force control to maximize yield is one of those technologies that is ecologically friendly, energy efficient and effective in the environment of a remote farm community. It has been a boon in Western agriculture, and so it could be for countries around the globe.

FPW

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Industrial hydraulic efficiency starts at component selection.

Josh Cosford • Contributing Editor

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A close-up of Bosch Rexroth’s Sytronix variable-speed pump drives, which only spin at fractional speed during standby mode, using only enough energy to maintain leakage and pressure.

we’re exposed to daily from television, newspaper, radio, magazines and online media, few hours in the day involve freedom from being reminded how important it is to be mindful of our energy consumption. Let’s face it, we’re not any less reliant on energy than we were six weeks ago, let alone six decades ago. If you’re an environmentalist, you understand how difficult it is to extract energy resources from our planet and the repercussions involved with some of those processes. If you’re an accountant, you understand how expensive energy is, and it’s not getting any cheaper.

Waste is common Industrial hydraulics has not traditionally been a champion of efficiency.

If you list the top three reasons to use hydraulics for an application, efficient use of energy is not on that list. Much of the history of industrial

hydraulics was written to reflect the advances made in power density, reliability and responsiveness, all areas where advanced hydraulic systems excel. Each of those factors had at least some detriment to efficiency, and only in the past decade have they been systematically addressed.

Power density describes the amount of force capable of being achieved with the smallest possible actuator. Hydraulics has no peer in this regard. No other system of force transfer is capable of creating so much force from such small devices. The key to hydraulics’ high force density is the high pressure of the fluid used to transfer force. By using a small pump to stuff fluid into a large actuator, the level of force that can be achieved is monstrous.

But because of this high pressure, the potential for energy

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Variable-speed pump drives, such as the Sytronix family from Bosch Rexroth, can provide as little or as much flow as needed, helping reduce leakage, noise and energy use by up to 80%.

waste is high. High pressure means fluid will bypass and/or leak with greater intensity. A key fundamental of hydraulics is that any fluid not being used to create useful work is wasted as a heat by-product. This higher pressure equates to a higher pressure drop, and higher pressure drop means a higher waste of energy. You can imagine fluid leaking past a piston in a hydraulic pump will create a drop in efficiency proportional to the rise in pressure—for example, 5,000 psi leakage wastes more energy than 2,500 psi leakage.

Equally important is considering the energy lost over a pressure valve at high pressure. Just as more energy is wasted through leakage when pressure is high, the energy lost over a relief valve, for example, is also directly proportional to its pressure setting. Once again, 5,000 psi blowing over a relief will waste twice the energy as 2,500 psi, if flow is equal in both cases.

Intelligent circuit design is key To remedy the waste of energy related to high-pressure hydraulic systems, intelligent circuit design is a must, and proper

selection of efficient components should be heeded. A hydraulic circuit that relies on relief valves to control force will just result in wasted heat as fluid jets back to the tank, having done nothing but heat up the return line. But if an actuator is appropriately sized, it will operate the loads it was designed to handle without ever going over a relief valve. Also, not all hydraulic valves are created equal, and some have internal clearances tighter than others, mostly due to how refined they are in their quality and manufacturing process.

A new family of highspeed proportional valves from Contin ntal Hydraulics offers singleand double-feedback capabili es. They operate on lower pilot pressures, so the system or machine operates at higher performance and efficiencie

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INDUSTRIAL HYDRAULICS When in doubt, use only the highest quality components.

Reduce internal leakage Hydraulic cylinders, motors, pumps and valves require lubrication and sealing to operate effectively and efficiently. The piston shoe of a variable pump will melt quickly if it were sliding across the lens plate with no lubrication. Lubrication is one of the fundamental qualities of hydraulic fluid and is required to allow operation of all the various components used. Without lubrication, the metal-to-metal surface friction of many hydraulic components would make their function impossible.

The problem with lubrication is that it’s required to be consumed as leakage, and does not provide any useful work to the machine. Leakage fluid flows through clearances, providing boundary lubrication and sealing, but always moves to an area of lower pressure. For this reason, and as previously mentioned, only high-quality components should be used if you care about efficiency.

They will require less leakage to maintain lubrication due to their tighter tolerances.

Because leakage is such a concern for efficient hydraulics, top-tier manufacturers have addressed the rates of leakage from their components. Most of the advances

are in metallurgy and refined machining processes. Advanced metals used in the pistons, rotating group and wear plate of a piston pump, for example, allow for a harder surface finish with lower friction

“Hydraulic cylinders, motors, pumps and valves require lubrication and sealing to operate effectively and efficiently ” properties. As well, the improved machining of these components creates clearances that result in more consistent lubrication and less required leakage to achieve it.

Take care in valve selection Improved sealing for valves is also a result of those same advances in material quality and machining processes. Spool valves, for

example, have traditionally been known to exhibit high leakage due to large clearances between the spool and body. But with a tighter and consistent clearance between the spool and body, and improved material quality that won’t warp or expand when heated, they will waste little fluid in sealing and lubrication.

Servovalves have long been the gold standard in hydraulic valve performance and represent the most responsive design of their kind. They are expensive and tricky little guys, able to flow rivers of hydraulic oil belying their size. They are easily the most responsive valve you can get, with rapid transient and frequency responses.

However, they require absolutely ridiculous pressure drops to achieve this. In other words, they consume anywhere from 600 to 4,000 psi of fluid at their given flow rate, just to achieve this high performance.

They’re the equivalent of a full-throttle Formula 1 car, which is clearly king of the hill in their domain, but perhaps a Corvette would suffice.

The Corvette of hydraulic valves is the proportional valve. In their simplest form, they are simply spool valves with variable coils that can vary their magnetic field to position the spool within the body, rather than just bang it from side to side. This

Continental Hydraulics has just launched a new series of high-speed proportional valves. Seen here, the VEDK and X series are two-stage proportional valves that offer higher performance with higher flow pilot valves that operate on lower pilot pressures.

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INDUSTRIAL HYDRAULICS

allows it to vary flow to the work ports. The problem in the past is that they haven’t been that accurate or responsive, and were susceptible to pressure and flow forces.

The industry has responded by creating its Corvette “Z06,” which is a proportional valve using onboard electronics and spool-position feedback. The valve recognizes where the spool is supposed to be, then the electronics tell it where it really is and adjusts position accordingly. Highperformance “prop” valves are so advanced as to nearly match the performance of servovalves. Because they are so close in performance now, they are an excellent option over servovalves in improving machine efficiency because they require minimal pressure drop to achieve that performance.

Variable speed reduces energy waste The newest technology to hit the industrial hydraulic market is that of servomotor con-

trolled pumps. Traditionally if you wanted to vary flow to a hydraulic circuit, the best option was with variable displacement pumps. However, when these pumps are pumping anything less than full flow, they’re not at their optimal efficiency. By using a fixed displacement pump, but varying its speed with a servo or VFD motor, the pump can provide as little or as much flow as needed, with minimal leakage and energy waste.

This technology requires sophisticated electronics with closed-loop control, but current projects and studies are resulting in massive energy savings. When in standby mode, the pump will spin at fractional speed, using only enough energy to maintain leakage and pressure. Although currently an expensive technology as well, it still provides enough return on investment to be justified for high-end applications,

and just as with any new technology, it will become more economical as it proliferates the market. When this prediction is realized, hydraulics will enter a golden age of efficiency and re-invigorate its relevance as a primary choice for machine actuation.

FPW

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COMPONENT FOCUS

Josh Cosford • Contributing Editor

The lowdown on pressure reducing valves Pressure valves are absolutely critical for the safe, reliable and precise control of hydraulic machinery. As anyone would assume by their name, pressure valves are any hydraulic component put in charge of controlling and/or limiting fluid pressure. Although it is possible for a hydraulic system to operate without a pressure valve, nearly every machine has at least one.

For the most part, pressure valves are just a spring pushing against a ball, poppet or spool, contained within some type of cavity or ported body. The spring pushes the ball, poppet or spool against a seat, at which point the valve is considered closed. When pressure in the circuit rises to a point sufficient enough to compress the spring, the valve starts to open and fluid is directed to tank at a rate equivalent to how far the valve is open. Higher pressure will result in the valve opening further to bleed away fluid in an attempt to lower pressure.

Pressure valves are all similar in their operation, and they differ only slightly in their application. The most common pressure valves are the relief valve, the pressure reducing valve, the counterbalance valve and the sequence valve, the latter being less common these days.

The relief valve is used to limit system or sub-circuit pressure by opening up to dump fluid to tank. Any part of the hydraulic circuit running in parallel to a relief valve will be subject to its control and reduction of pressure, as long as it remains the path of least resistance.

The counterbalance valve is a pressure valve typically plumbed on a hydraulic cylinder, and is designed to control motion for reliable and safe operation. Whereas a relief valve has two ports—one for the pressure port

and another to the tank—a counterbalance valve usually has three ports, two being the same as the relief. The third port is a pilot port, where fluid is channeled from the opposing work port to pilot open the counterbalance valve. It essentially holds the cylinder load until the opposite work port tells it to open, allowing for safe and controlled movement of the cylinder, and preventing runaway loads.

The sequence valve is “normally closed,” just as the relief and counterbalance valves. The sequence valve serves the function of a selfpiloted directional valve, in that it remains closed until pressure reaches the value of its spring setting. Sequence valves are used to create— you guessed it—sequential operation of circuit functions. For example, if a clamp operation is achieved at 2,000 psi, and then the drilling operation requires 3,000 psi, then you might set your sequence valve to 2,500 psi. When the clamp cylinder dead-ends and pressure rises past 2,500 psi, the sequence valve opens, allowing flow to reach the drilling motor.

Of the major pressure control valves used, the pressurereducing valve is unique because it is the only one that is normally-open. To prevent confusion to any electricians or electrical engineers reading this, normally-open in hydraulics means normally flowing. So in the reducing valve’s neutral state, fluid passes freely through it. All other pressure valves are normally-closed, which means they are non-flowing in their neutral state.

In many applications the primary machine function uses a high-pressure (up to 345 bar/5,000 psi) pump, while secondary or pilot circuits that are connected to the same pump do not require, or cannot withstand, this pressure. This pressure-reducing valve has a ductile inlet that sits on top of the manifold, allowing the user to reduce the pump pressure to a lower pressure suitable for the auxiliary functions without having to use a large steel or ductile iron manifold.

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The pressure-reducing valve is also different from most other pressure control valves because it senses pressure downstream of itself. In contrast to that, a relief valve, for example, senses pressure upstream of itself. For example, if you tee off a relief valve directly after the pump, then any conduit openly connected to that port will be subject to the control of that relief valve.

A pressure-reducing valve installed after a relief valve only monitors and controls pressure after itself. In the example circuit, the relief valve is set to 2,000 psi and the pressure-reducing valve is set to 1,000 psi. However, only port 2 of the reducing valve senses pressure, in this case for a maximum of 1,000 psi.

If the directional control valve A is operated alone, cylinder A has 2,000 psi available to it based on it being plumbed in parallel with the relief valve. Should load pressure rise above

A

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A sample pressure-reducing valve circuit

2000 PSI

2,000 psi, or should the cylinder reach the end of stroke, fluid will dump over the relief valve.

If directional control valve B is operated alone, and the same load forces affect cylinder B during extension, pressure at port

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1000 PSI

2 of the reducing valve will rise and start to close off port 1, as you can see by the direction the pilot lines are pushing. This prevents additional fluid from exiting port 2 toward the cylinder. As downstream pressure decays, pressure at port 2 drops below 1,000 psi and

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COMPONENT FOCUS

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the valve once again opens to allow pump flow to cycle through the cylinder. The effect is not digital, such as can be seen with a pilot-operated check valve, for example, but rather the flow is smoothly metered down to reduce the hydraulic energy entering cylinder B.

Some pressure reducing valves are also pressure-relieving valves. A “reducing/relieving� valve has a third port that is connected to tank. Not only does it provide a drain for the spring chamber, ensuring that reducing pressure is unaffected by residual pressure from leakage, it gives excess pressure somewhere to go even if port 1 is blocked.

Imagine in the previous example that pressure rises to 2,000 psi at port 1, and the reducing valve closes entirely. Although no further hydraulic energy is entering the B-side sub-circuit, load-induced pressure could still remain at or above 1,000 psi past port 2.

The relieving function would now bleed any pressure above 1,000 psi from port 3 back to tank, ensuring pressure cannot increase past 1,000 psi. If you went a step further, and mounted the reducing valve between the DCV and the cylinder, the reducing valve could then control pressure even if the machine was turned off. Any load or thermally induced pressure increase above 1,000 psi would simply be bled back to tank.

One advantage of pressure reducing valves is that they can be plumbed in parallel and provide as many pressure settings as there are actuators in the system. Reducing valves can be used to control force, such as may be required by a clamping function where the work piece is easily damaged.

They can also be used to improve reliability to a sub-circuit of the machine. An example of this may be on a hydraulic press that requires full press tonnage of 5,000 psi from the piston pump, but auxiliary functions can manage with 2,000 psi. A pressure-reducing valve in the auxiliary sub-circuit reduces the pressure so that lower quality filtration can be used. This means that seals last longer and less heat energy is wasted through pressure drop.

The most common reducing valve designs include cartridge valves, inline bodies and sandwich valves. Just like all hydraulic components, pressurereducing valves can range from poor to high quality.

Their rate of leakage, hysteresis, accuracy and reliability are all factors when selecting the correct one for your application, so spend time considering your requirements.

FPW

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PRODUCT WORLD

Pneumatic mini cylinders AVENTICS aventics.com/us The CSL-RD pneumatic mini cylinders are hygienically designed and fabricated from 304 stainless steel, providing great coverage of food and packaging applications. They come in three versions. The food processing-optimized FRE version has no external mounting threads, avoiding food and bacteria traps. The electro-polished construction, smoothed to no more than 0.8 µm, prevents beading of caustic washdown solutions, allowing the solution to run off the cylinder to leave it clean and dry. A PEEK rod bearing further enhances the corrosion resistance.

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AAH Fluid Power .....................................71 Aggressive Hydraulics .............................17 Alro Steel Corp. .......................................68 Anderson Metals Corporation, Inc. ........57 AutomationDirect .....................................1 Brennan Industries ..................................15 Camozzi Pneumatics Inc. ...................24,44 CD Industrial Group ................................29 Clippard Instrument Laboratory, Inc. ......BC FABCO-AIR, Inc. .......................................45 Festo ........................................................32 Firestone Industrial Products ..................49 Flaretite, Inc. ...........................................24 Flow Ezy Filters, Inc. ................................56 FluiDyne Fluid Power ..............................61 Holmbury, Inc. .......................................IBC Hunger Hydraulics ...................................21 HydraForce ..............................................33 Hydraulic Training Associates .................64 IC-Fluid Power, Inc. ..................................37 igus, Inc. .................................................34 Intertraco ................................................11 Kocsis Technologies, Inc. .........................27

Air springs prove excellent actuators for agriculture applications p.52

Efficiency in industrial hydraulics p.58

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December 2015

Food safety and compressed air Manufacturers must weigh risk versus cost when specifying compressed air systems for food and packaging operations.

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