The Lowdown on Hydraulics

Practical Design for Fluid Power Motion Control by Peter Nachtwey is the latest Design Guide Edition from Delta Computer Systems. It covers a wide range of topics, including the basics of closed-loop control, cylinder-sizing, selecting valves and transducers and motion tuning for optimal performance. The guide will help readers build machines optimized for precise position and pressure/force control. This 64-page, second-edition servo-hydraulic guide is available for free in single quantities. Delta Computer Systems
COMING TO TECHNICAL TERMS    I The hydraulics section of Eaton's website is highlighted by several useful sections, including various product categories, literature, training, support and videos, but probably the best is a comprehensive glossary of technical definitions of terms used in hydraulic applications and technologies. EatonAlso Read:  Why Fluid Power Matters as a Machine Motion SourceSELECTING THE RIGHT CYLINDERS

"Cylinder Selection: The Key to Better Hydraulics" is a short white paper by Bosch Rexroth that details the challenges of choosing the right hydraulic cylinder for each application by taking into account bore size, stroke length, mounting method, operating conditions, type of hydraulic fluid and many other parameters. It advises considering the following parameters: mounting methods; operating conditions; operating environment; types of cylinder fluids and seals; cylinder materials; maximum psi required and peak load; push, pull or double-action types. Bosch Rexroth
APPLICATION GUIDELINES    The National Fluid Power Association's "Application Guidelines for Selected Fluid Power Components" helps readers select the right fluid power devices and apply them most effectively. Created by NFPA's technical committees, the document covers accumulators, cylinders, hydraulic valves, pneumatic filters, regulators and lubricators, and position transducers. National Fluid Power Assn.HYDRAULIC RESEARCH CENTER        

The Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) is a network of researchers, educators, students and industry working together to transform the fluid power industry—how it is researched, applied and studied. The Center's research is creating hydraulic and pneumatic technology that is compact, efficient and effective, while CCEFP's education and outreach program is designed to transfer this knowledge to diverse audiences, including students of all ages, users of fluid power and the general public. CCEFP is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center that was established in June 2006. In addition to its grant from NSF, the Center is supported by its seven participating universities and more than 50 industrial partners. For more information, CCEFPHYDRAULICS LIBRARYThis library from Maplesoft contains software components for modeling hydraulic systems. These MapleSim devices consist of actuators, which are hydraulic components to control 1D mechanical systems; chambers, which are components to model compressible fluids and compliant walls; pipes and valves, which are basic hydraulic components, including fluid inertia, pipes, orifice and valves; reference components, including atmospheric pressure and fluid properties; sensors to generate signals proportional to hydraulic quantities; and hydraulic pressure and flow-rate sources. Maplesoft