How a Hydraulic Cylinder is built and How it Works

Written by Camilo H Rueda

Videos - Educational

The hydraulic cylinders are one of the hydraulic components that are responsible forconverting the hydraulic power into mechanical power,

ie force x speed acting on astraight line.
At this time we will discuss the double acting cylinder, or working in and out. Let's look at how to build it and how it works.

As you can see, 2 separate chambers are formed which allow the hydraulic cylinder to go in and out according to the flow that we provide in each chamber.

Moving forward, the oil puts pressure on around the piston area, while in the reverse just does the annular area, ie the piston area minus the area of the rod. Therefore the cylinders are more strongly when going out but come back faster than they come out.

In the next picture you can see the different elements that compose a typical double acting hydraulic cylinder .

If you want to revise the formulas that apply to the cylinders, click here: Hydraulic Cylinders Formulas.

There are several options in the double acting cylinders, in regard to its construction, according to the specifications of the load. First, in regard to speed, polymer packaging are used if not exceeded 1 (one) foot per second. Above this speed metal or hard plastics seals should be used, similar to those used in internal combustion engines. Also, if this rate is very high, it is advisable to use cushions at the ends of stroke, so do not show hits in the end of stroke.