308 Hydraulic Troubleshooting Course Preview PDF
308 Hydraulic Troubleshooting Course Preview PDF
308 Hydraulic Troubleshooting Course Preview PDF
Troubleshooting
Table of Contents
Lesson Three
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Installing Hydraulic Components.............................................. ....35
Lesson Four
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Lesson Five Selecting Hydraulic Fluids.............................................................67
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Lesson Six
Lesson Seven
Planning System Maintenance.......................................................83
Troubleshooting Systems...............................................................99
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Lesson Nine
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Lesson Eight Troubleshooting Valves................................................................115
Troubleshooting Cylinders........................................................129
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2319.
HYDRAULIC TROUBLESHOOTING
Lesson One
Hydraulic
Systems
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30801
4
Lesson
1 Hydraulic Systems
TOPICS
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Convertible Components
System Operation
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After studying this Lesson, you should be able to…
OBJECTIVES
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• Name the six basic elements of a hydraulic system. • Describe how to trace a system.
• Explain the functions of hydraulic pumps, actua-
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tors, control valves, conductors and connectors,
hydraulic fluid, and fluid storage and conditioning
equipment.
Actuator 1.06 a device at the output end of the Conductor 1.09 pipe or tubing that carries the
hydraulic system that converts hydraulic power hydraulic fluid through which power is transmitted
into mechanical power Connector 1.09 fitting used to connect pipe or
Directional control 1.08 a valve that directs the tube sections
path of fluid flow in the system Hydraulic fluids 1.10 blends of oils and addi-
Flow control 1.08 a valve that controls actuator tives
speed Reservoir 1.12 container where the hydraulic
Pressure control 1.08 a valve that limits fluid is stored
hydraulic pressure
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5
This Lesson explains how to recognize the elements of a hydraulic system and
how to blend your knowledge of the individual components into a comprehen-
sive knowledge of the entire system.
1.01 Hydraulic systems transmit power from one • fluid storage and conditioning equipment.
point to another. The power or energy needed to oper-
ate a machine is usually provided by an electric Pumps and Their Drive Units
motor or an internal combustion engine. But, because
these power sources do not always deliver their 1.05 The pump drive unit is usually either an
power output in a directly usable form, hydraulic sys- electric motor or an internal combustion engine.
tems convert the available power to usable power at The drive unit, motor or engine, provides rotary
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the location where it is required. Consider, for motion and torque to turn the pump. The pump con-
instance, how much mechanical linkage would be verts the mechanical energy input to hydraulic ener-
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required to provide straight-line motion to a compo- gy output.
nent located 15 or 20 feet away from a rapidly rotat-
with hydraulics.
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ing motor shaft. The same job is easily accomplished Actuators
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1.06 At the output end of the hydraulic system,
1.02 Almost every type of machine built today actuators convert the hydraulic energy into the
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already has hydraulic equipment or can use hydraulics
to power its motions. You are probably aware of sever-
al hydraulic systems in the plant.
mechanical energy required to operate the machine.
Actuators are either cylinders or fluid motors.
Cylinders are used to push or pull the object to
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be moved.
1.03 Hydraulic equipment may seem complicat-
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ed and unfamiliar at first. This may be true even if
you already have made successful repairs to a
hydraulic system. To understand how a hydraulic
system operates, much of what you will study in
this Lesson requires that you trace or follow the
1.07 In the case of fluid motors, the speed of the
hydraulic motor can be varied to provide a variable
torque or turning force even though the electric motor
itself is running at a constant speed. Hydraulic motor
systems operate in much the same way as a gearbox
path of fluid flow from one component to the next, transmission, except that with hydraulics you do not
until you have traced the entire circuit or path need to shift gears.
through the system.
Control Valves
1.04 All hydraulic systems include six basic ele-
ments or groups of components: 1.08 There are three basic types of control
valves: directional controls, flow controls, and
• pumps and their drive units (power sources) pressure controls:
• Flow controls are used to control actuator 1.13 Fluid-conditioning equipment is a broad cate-
speed—fast, slow, or moderate. They do so by gory that includes filters for cleaning the system dur-
limiting the volume of fluid flow. ing operation, coolers to prevent fluid from overheat-
ing, and heaters to prevent damage to the system under
• Pressure controls are used to limit hydraulic cold start-up conditions.
pressure. They control the force applied to an
actuator. This can be the amount of force Tracing the System
pushing or pulling a cylinder, or the amount of
torque from a fluid motor. 1.14 If you have ever stood next to a hydraulically
operated machine and wondered how the hydraulic
Conductors and Connectors system worked, you are not alone. Even the experts
would find themselves confused if it were not for
1.09 Conductors are the pipes and tubes that carry hydraulic diagram. Diagrams are the most important
the hydraulic fluid through which power is transmit- key to understanding hydraulic systems.
ted. Connectors are the fittings used to join the pipe or
tube sections together, or to connect them to compo- 1.15 Hydraulic diagrams come in many forms:
nents such as pumps, valves, and actuators. Although block-type, outline drawings, pictorial or cutaway
conductors are extremely important, often they are not views, schematic, or various combinations of these.
given proper attention. Pipe or tube that is too small In some cases you may have schematic diagrams of
can restrict fluid flow and rob the system of hydraulic
power. Poorly fitted systems leak, creating mainte-
nance problems and safety hazards. Leaks also W
the system, but pictorial or cutaway views of each
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component are also available. (Diagrams, symbols,
and the interpretation of drawings are covered in
decrease power.
Hydraulic Fluids
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1.10
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Most hydraulic fluids are carefully selected
blends of oils and additives. For safety reasons, many
hydraulic fluids are made fire-resistant for the areas
where they are used. Many fire-resistant hydraulic flu-
1.16 The first thing to do is to understand the
operation of the basic machine or piece of equip-
ment on which the system is installed. As an exam-
ple, consider a basic machine tool used for drilling,
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ids are formulated with glycols or a highly controlled
water content. Other fire-resistant fluids are made of
chlorinated hydrocarbons, generally referred to as
phosphate-ester fluids.
counterboring, and similar operations (see Fig. 1-1).
This machine has a hydraulic drive to feed the tools
into the workpiece and retract the tool head for the
next job.
1.11 Fluid acts as the carrier of hydraulic power 1.17 The machine is basically a drill-slide unit
through the system, but it also serves the important that has a hydraulic power unit mounted alongside
function of lubricating the hydraulic equipment. Poor it. Some of the hydraulic components are on the
lubrication causes many breakdowns and maintenance power unit and others are on the machine itself. In
problems. Use of good fluid is one of the maintenance each case, important hydraulic elements are out of
man’s best hydraulic maintenance tools. (Hydraulic sight—some in the power unit, and some in
fluids are covered in a later Lesson.) the machine.
Fluid Storage and Conditioning Equipment 1.18 In Fig. 1-2 you can see one of the hydraulic
elements that is not visible in Fig. 1-1: the cylinder
1.12 The container where the fluid is stored is inside the machine base. This hydraulic circuit
properly referred to as a reservoir (or reserve fluid is referred to as a “machine tool traverse and
chamber). Some people use the expression “hydraulic feed circuit.”
tank.” A good reservoir is actually much more than a
tank, because it also cleans and cools the fluid during 1.19 The hydraulic cylinder drive is used to move
system operation. and position the tool head on the machine. When the
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Hydraulic Systems 7
Power
unit
Reservoir
Return Manifold
line
Machine base
4-way valve Feed panel
machine is at rest, the cylinder retracts the slide. Circuit and System Diagrams
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When actuated, the cylinder extends rapidly (rapid
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traverse) to move the tools toward the workpiece. 1.21 Using diagrams, you can now look at the
The drive speed is then reduced (often referred to as entire hydraulic system and several of its elements in
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“slowdown”) to the slow speed used for cutting more detail. Figure 1-3 on the following page is a
(feed rate). The slow speed is maintained until the block diagram of the system. From the diagram, you
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cut is finished. Then the tools are rapidly returned to
their starting position where they wait for another
can get an idea of how the system works and what its
primary components are.
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work cycle. This waiting period is referredto as
“dwell.” 1.22 To learn even more about the system, a
schematic diagram can be studied. Figure 1-4 on the
1.20 During these operations, hydraulic fluid following page is a schematic diagram of the circuit,
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flow and pressure provide the motion and necessary
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force to move the slide and feed the tools into
the workpiece.
using JIC (Joint Industry Conference) symbols. The
four-way valve diagram has been expanded to
show that it is actually two valves. One small,
Stationary way
Cylinder
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8 Lesson One
Fig. 1-3. Block diagram of a hydraulic system know because circuits-within-circuits are often found
in hydraulic system.
Cutaway Drawings
Cylinder
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out how the system functions. Note that cutaway
drawings are not drawn to scale. They may use big pic-
tures for small units to make them clear and to show
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solenoid-operated pilot valve directs hydraulic pres-
sure and flow from Port P to the appropriate pilot oper-
ator of the main valve, as shown. This shifts the main
inside details.
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valve, which controls the cylinder through ports A and
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B. You can see that a small, separate hydraulic circuit
is included in the four-way valve. This is important to
piping and reduce the number of lines and fittings
used. A manifold is a device that has several outlets
for connecting one pipe with others. A manifold also
Cylinder
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Expanded view of 4-way valve showing
Cycle control panel how a pilot valve operates the main valve
Solenoid
actuates
pilot valve Pilot valve
Main valve
P T
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Hydraulic Systems 9
Cylinder
In
151/2
Out
Input to feed-cycle
control panel
In
Input A
Cylinder B
Cylinder A
P
T
Feed-cycle
control panel
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T
P
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serves as a rigid mounting base for valves, and The Programmed Exercises on the next page will
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reduces leakage points. Figure 1-5 shows a mani-
fold on which a feed-cycle control panel and a four-
way valve are mounted. Without a manifold dia-
gram, you would find it almost impossible to trace
the path of fluid flow from one point to another in
tell you how well you understand the material you
have just read. Before starting the exercises,
remove the Reveal Key from the back of your
Book. Read the instructions printed on the Reveal
Key. Follow these instructions as you work
the manifold. through the Programmed Exercises.
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10 Programmed Exercises
1-3. Name the three basic types of 1-3. DIRECTIONAL, FLOW, PRESSURE
control valves.
Ref: 1.08
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Ref: 1.09
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1-5.
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Hydraulic fluid transmits power through
a system and it also ________
the system.
1-5. LUBRICATES
Ref: 1.11
1-6.
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Name the three important functions of
a hydraulic fluid reservoir.
1-6. STORE, CLEAN, COOL THE FLUID.
Ref: 1.12
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Hydraulic Systems 11
Mechanical Setup
Fig. 1-6. Feed-cycle control panel setup data
1.26 In order for the system to provide the correct
hydraulic action, the valves and other components
have to be installed correctly and set up in the first
place. Look at the feed-cycle control panel in
Fig. 1-6.
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15 gpm 12 9 6 3 0
closer fine control of the fluid. 20 gpm 17 13 9 4 0
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30 gpm 24 19 13 6 0
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erly, you cannot expect the hydraulic circuit to work
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properly. Whenever a system is not operating as it was
designed to, first check out all control devices to be depressed by cam action, it throttles down until it clos-
Understanding Components
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certain that they are operating correctly before you try
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es completely. Fluid then passes through the single
feed spool to control the rate of slide travel and cutting
feed, by controlling the volume of flow to the cylinder.
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1.32 The dual-feed, two-port arrangement is the
1.29 To understand the complete system, it is nec- type shown in Fig. 1-6, where you will note that there
1.30
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essary to understand fully each component in the sys-
A In
In
Drain
Out
D
Two-port feed panel A In
Drain
In
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spool spool
Out
Out
Dual feed
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D
Dual feed
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be furnished in several circuit styles and be connected different units from one basic type. Knowledge of
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in several ways. From this example you can readily
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understand the difficulties that can result from not
knowing what each component in a system is intended
to do.
components and their variety is fundamental to under-
standing the system.
System Operation
Convertible Components
1.35
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Almost every component shown in the circuit
is a convertible unit. That is, the valve or pump manu-
facturer designs his equipment to be adaptable to many
1.38 Unless equipment units or machines are exact
copies of one another, no two systems are identical.
However, they are often so close to being alike that
you can understand many systems without a lot
of study.
kinds of machines. In this way, a plant can stock basic
spare units and parts that can be used to convert and 1.39 Understanding the machine, knowing what is
make up many varieties of pumps and valves. The inside the hydraulic system, and being able to read
more you know about these conversion possibilities, circuit diagrams will prepare you for analyzing the
the easier your maintenance job will be. system. Referring to Figs. 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, and 1-4,
study the system in detail. Most of the following ref-
1.36 Figure 1-8 shows both a single-feed and a erences are easier to check if you refer to Fig. 1-9 on
dual-feed unit. Elements of the conversion kit are also page 14.
shown. All that is necessary to change the single-feed
unit to a dual-feed unit is to remove a plug, install the 1.40 Here is what happens when the starting button
second spool and other parts provided in the conver- is pushed. First, the electric motor turns the pump in
sion kit, and change to the new nameplate which has a the proper direction.
dial for the second spool.
1.41 Atmospheric pressure in the reservoir forces
1.37 The four-way valve in the system is convert- hydraulic fluid through the filter and into the pump
ible. The pump can also be changed to make several inlet, as the pump pulls in the fluid.
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Hydraulic Systems 13
1.42 The rotating pump carries fluid around to 1.45 System pressure and fluid flow act together on
the discharge side and discharges it into the system. the cylinder piston to extend the cylinder. Fluid from
the rod end of the cylinder passes through the
1.43 As shown in Fig. 1-9, the spring-centered feed-panel traverse spool at full flow. At this time, the
four-way valve is blocked closed. Therefore, pres- tool head is approaching the workpiece at full pump-
sure in the system rises until the pump spring allows output speed.
the pump to shift to an idling position. While idling,
the pump delivers no fluid but does hold pressure. 1.46 As the tools approach the work, the cam on
The system is now ready to operate the machine on the tool slide depresses the feed-panel traverse-control
signal. spool. That restricts the flow path of the fluid leaving
the rod end of the cylinder. Restricting the fluid flow
1.44 When the machine operator selects the causes a buildup of pressure on the rod end of the
“forward” control position, an electrical signal is cylinder. As a result, the cylinder slows down.
sent to the pilot-valve solenoid A. This shifts the
pilot-valve spool to the right to connect system 1.47 When the traverse flow path has been closed
pressure through to the main-valve pilot connection completely by depressing the traverse-control spool all
A. At the same time, it connects the main-valve the way, the flow passes through one or two small
pilot connection B to the reservoir through a pas- adjustable feed spools, which control the cutting-feed
sage in the spool body. The change in pressure rate. The cam holds this position as the tool moves into
causes the main valve spool to shift to the left.
Doing so connects the internal passages X and Y,
which directs system pressure through to main-
the cut.
1.48
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Near the end of the cut the cam trips a limit
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valve cylinder port A. (Designations X, Y, and Z are
added for illustration only. You are not likely ever
to see a valve marked like this.) At the same time,
switch that has a time-delay relay. The switch signals
the pilot valve to reverse, but action is postponed by the
time delay until the slide makes contact with the posi-
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the main valve spool connects the feed-cycle panel
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port B to the tank through a passage in the spool
body, as shown in Fig. 1-10 on page 15.
tive stop which controls the depth of cut. After the time-
delay relay times out, the solenoid-pilot valves reverse.
That is, solenoid A becomes deenergized and solenoid
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Fig. 1-8. An example of component convertibility
New
name- Old
plate name-
plate
New
spool
Dial knob
added Plug removed
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14 Lesson One
Feed-panel traverse-
Cylinder control spool
Dial
adjustment
Check
valve
Compensator spool
Pilot-valve solenoid A
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Main-valve pilot
connection B Pilot-valve solenoid B
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drain
To tank
X Y Z
Main-valve pilot
connection A
Pressure
Pressure (psi)
0 MAX Return entry
MAX 0
Flow (gpm)
Drain
Filter
Dirt settles
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Hydraulic Systems 15
Fig. 1-10. Shifting the main valve spool Fig. 1-11. Reversing the main valve spool
X Y Y Z
B is energized. This action also reverses the main valve center the pilot valve. When the solenoid-pilot valve
spool by reversing the pilot fluid flow. is fully centered, the pilot connections of the main
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valve are interconnected through internal passage-
ways in the main valve body and open to the tank.
This allows the main valve to center, which stops the
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Pressure from the system is now ported to the main-
valve cylinder port B of the four-way valve (Y to Z). It
passes through the free-flow return check valve in the
slide. Now the unit is ready for another start
command signal.
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feed panel and into the rod end of the cylinder. At the
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same time, flow from the cap end of the cylinder is
ported from cylinder port A of the four-way valve back
to the reservoir, as shown in Fig. 1-11.
1.51 Note that when the machine is decelerating,
feeding slow, or is stopped, the pump supplies only
enough flow to hold proper, spring-adjusted pressure
levels. This feature conserves power.
1.50
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As the slide is retracted, removing the tool
head from the workpiece, it trips another limit switch,
which deenergizes the solenoid-pilot valve. Because
neither solenoid is energized, the pilot-valve springs
1.52 The description given is just one possibility.
Many other arrangements can be used. Some
machines, for example, use manually operated lever
valves rather than solenoid units.
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16 Programmed Exercises
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Ref: 1.33
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the ________ end of the cylinder.
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1-13.
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Most valves and pumps are adaptable
to many installations because they
are ________.
1-13. CONVERTIBLE
Ref: 1.35
1-14.
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Except in duplicate installations, no
two hydraulic systems are ________.
1-14. IDENTICAL
Ref: 1.38
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Self-Check Quiz 17
1-1. Which of the following elements is basic to all 1-6. What is the purpose of the filters, coolers,
complete hydraulic systems? and heaters in a hydraulic system?
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1-3. What type of valve is used to regulate and pressure?
actuator speed?
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a. Quiet system operation
a. Solenoid b. Motion and force
b.
c.
d.
Flow control
Pressure control
Directional control
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c.
d.
Variable speed control
Greater fluid-carrying capacity
1-4.
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With which of the following are some
hydraulic fluids formulated to make them
fire-resistant?
1-9. The number of lines and fittings in a system
can be reduced by using a
a.
b.
hydrojunction
mixing valve
a.
b.
c.
d.
Alcohol
Foaming agents
Water
Spindle oils
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c.
d.
four-way junction
manifold
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18 Lesson One
SUMMARY
Hydraulic systems convert power into useful forms a wide variety of units which look alike but have
and transmit it to the proper location on the small differences that affect circuit hook-up and
machine. Although hydraulic systems may be dif- operation.
ferent from one another in detail, each one is made
up of the six basic elements described in this When you understand a hydraulic system, you
Lesson. In order to understand hydraulic systems, should be able to follow a description of its oper-
you must have proper diagrams of the system, ation from start to finish, using the steps given
knowledge of mechanical relationships, and a thor- in this Lesson. This becomes easier with experi-
ough understanding of the system components. ence and practice, but it is always necessary to
study the system carefully before you begin to
Components often contain circuits or subsys- work on it.
tems within themselves. Components come in
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1-6.
W a. To condition the fluid. Ref: 1.13
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1-7. a. Dwell. Ref: 1.19
1-2. a. Fluid motor. Ref: 1.07
R E 1-8.
1-9.
b. Motion and force. Ref: 1.20
1-5.
c. Water. Ref: 1.10
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c. System breakdown. Ref: 1.11
1-10. d. Obtain a cutaway drawing of every
component. Ref: 1.39
Figure 1-6.
Racine
Racine
Hydraulics
Hydraulics
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Contributions from the following sources are appreciated:
Figure 1-5.
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