The term hydraulic refers to equipment that performs processes using pressurised fluid. The word itself is based on the Greek hudraulikos, combining the word for water, hudro, with the word for pipe, aulos. In hydraulic machinery, an engine or motor powers a pump that pressurises hydraulic fluid. The fluid flows to the machine’s actuators through hydraulic tubes, where the fluid’s pressure is put to required use. The pressurised fluid is then shunted through a filter before returning to the pump. Hydraulic fluid is usually a mixture of the mineral oils polyalphaolefin or organophosphate ester, sometimes in conjunction with other chemicals.
There are many types of hydraulic systems used for many different applications, which we will explore further, but they all operate on the same basic principle and accomplish tasks by using a pressurised fluid to make machinery run smoothly. Despite their relative simplicity, hydraulics are also subject to wear and tear and sometimes break down. When that happens it’s time to contact a company that offers hydraulic repair in Sydney whose expert technicians can use their skills and cutting-edge repair machinery to make faulty hydraulic systems as good as new.
Hydraulic systems are widely used in Australia to perform a great variety of applications, in heavy industry and also in our own homes. The following list of hydraulic system uses may surprise you!
Cars– A car’s brakes are a hydraulic circuit applied to all four wheels
Fuel pumps– Hydraulics are used to draw the fuel up from storage tanks, then pump it into our vehicles.
Vehicle maintenance and repair– A hydraulic lift is employed to safely raise heavy vehicles up in the air where they can be worked on from beneath, then lowered back down when the work is done.
Airplanes– Hydraulic mechanisms lift the wing’s ailerons up and down to control altitude and deploy and extract the landing gear.
Dishwashers– Hydraulics are used to increase water pressure for more thorough cleaning. Hydraulic dishwashers also tend to be quieter.
Barber chairs– The barber steps on a pump to trigger the hydraulic lift mechanism that adjusts the chair’s elevation according to the customer’s height.
Construction machinery– Equipment like forklifts, cranes, and cherry-pickers use hydraulic systems to raise and lower both people and objects. Hydraulics also provide power to the digging arms of excavators and backhoes.
Theatrical presentations– Hydraulics are used to raise and lower stages and heavy props.
Amusement park rides– Hydraulic machines power and control the motion of attractions such as Ferris Wheels, carousels, roller coasters, and thrill drops.
Bakeries– Hydraulics are even used to mass produce our breads and pastries by lifting them, flipping them over, and moving them along conveyor belts to be packaged.
Lifts– Lifts utilise a hydraulic mechanism to provide power for the passenger car’s upward motion and for the braking needed to slow and stop it when going down.
Hydraulics have a vast number of applications for powering and controlling all sorts of different components in the machinery that runs construction, transportation, entertainment, homes, and much more.
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