Modern hydraulic powered systems have been around for well over 250 years now and are present in so many aspects of everyday life that sometimes it can be easy to forget just how much we rely on them.
From food production to construction, fun fairs to transportation, there is hardly a part of modern day life that these systems do not play a part in. Here we look at some of the uses of hydraulic power and consider a world without its assistance.
Hydraulics Aid All Aspects of Food and Agriculture Production
From farm to fork, hydraulics are involved in every part of the food that we consume today. In agriculture, hydraulics are involved in the sowing and reaping of every crop, from grains to vegetables as they are a key component enabling various working functions of the agricultural equipment operating in farm fields around the world.
In fact, hydraulics are even involved in the milking process. Hydraulic milking machines were put to use as early as the 1900s, enabling a farmer to extract milk from multiple cows at a time to improve the efficiency of the process.
The hydraulic systems used in this vital industry make precision planting and efficient harvesting a reality for many of the world’s farmers, cutting down on the highly manual processes that used to be the daily reality of life on the farm.
In the food processing industry, hydraulics have a key role to play in everything from processing the raw materials through to the packaging and distribution of the final products. Hydraulic motors and linear actuators are commonly used in conveyance systems as well as assembly and packaging lines, for instance.
Because of the reliable power that hydraulics provide, the systems in factories are often far less labor intensive, and with the innovative use of technology to continually monitor everything, potential problems can be addressed before production lines grind to a halt.
Without hydraulics the processing of foods from the field would take significantly longer and consumers would be paying a higher price for the increased manpower required to produce food.
READ MORE: Benefits of Selecting the Right Hydraulic Hoses
Construction Relies on the Power Density of Hydraulic Systems
Use of hydraulics in construction equipment can be traced as far back as the 1800s but its adoption in this market became more widespread in the early 1960s, enabling much faster daily operations and significantly increased power to be used onsite. Everything from concrete pumping machines to earth movers to jackhammers are using hydraulics and the precision of the equipment is now second to none.
The power density provided by hydraulics is a key enabler to the function of many machines, such as excavators and dozers. Hydraulic cylinders aid with the lifting of booms and buckets, for instance, while hydraulic transmissions enable a machine to move from one location to another.
Reliability on a construction site is of paramount importance and hydraulic systems offer this, with significantly fewer breakdowns than the old mechanical systems that were once used.
When you couple the power and precision of hydraulics with new technologies that are now available to construction, such a laser sighting and GPS location devices, the construction equipment of today is innovative, efficient, reliable and able to carry out significantly more work than early versions.
With GPS and the integration of sensors, hydraulic systems can help to automate machine functions for easier, more accurate work as well as the eventual fruition of fully automated equipment.
Hydraulics are Important to the World of Transport
Hydraulics play an important role in the transportation sector — from their use in the machines which build the infrastructure to the rail, air and on-road transport systems themselves to the vehicles which service and work alongside these systems.
The roads we drive on every day were all laid with the help of machinery powered by hydraulics, railway lines are laid using equipment that relies on hydraulic power to lift heavy and often cumbersome steel equipment and airports rely on hydraulic power to restock aircraft, position air bridges and even to keep aircrafts ice-free in the winter.
Landing gears, brakes and other systems on airplanes make use of hydraulics as well, as do other airport vehicles such as the tugs which pull the planes. In the rail sector, hydraulic hoses and drive systems enable the movement of trains.
READ MORE: The Vital Role of Hydraulic Systems in Aircraft
Without the assistance of hydraulic systems, our transport network around the world would be much slower and far less efficient. Road and rail would take longer to build and repair and flights would have much longer turnaround times if everything had to be carried out mechanically (imagine walking up the amount of stairs you would need to board a larger plane such as the A380).
Hydraulic Brakes Ensure Safety of Thrill Seekers
But it isn’t just the every day that benefits from hydraulics. The world of theme parks is also powered by hydraulics. From the highest roller coaster to the spinning revolutions of rides like waltzers, hydraulics create head spinning, stomach churning sensations all whilst keeping the riders completely safe. Most roller coasters use hydraulic braking systems – a key safety feature on some of the world’s most popular and exciting rides.
As with construction, transport and food production, the precision and accuracy of hydraulic systems can be used to create swing, tilt, rise and fall. Rollercoaster designers turn to hydraulic systems to enable them to build the sensations they want a rider to feel whilst keeping them completely safe. Hydraulics are also used in simulators to create a sense of motion, moving through 360 degrees whilst never actually leaving the ground.
The world of hydraulics is vast and demanding. It’s crucial that all of these systems are maintained to the highest possible standards, whether by on-site personnel or a trusted service provider.
The mobile service technicians at Pirtek, for instance, are on hand 24/7 to keep everything moving smoothly. Whether that means attending to a combine harvester in the middle of a field, an excavator on site in a quarry or fixing a rollercoaster in a busy theme park, there is nothing the company's technicians cannot do when it comes to hydraulic hoses.
This article was written and contributed by Andy Harding, National Technical Sales Manager, at Pirtek UK and Ireland.
