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Essay on Basic Aircraft Hydraulics
Basic Aircraft Hydraulics
The operation of a hydraulic system is based on the fact that fluids are incompressible. If we apply pressure to a fluid, that pressure is instantaneously transmitted throughout the fluid in all directions. Pressurized fluid traveling through a tube or "line" can be reconverted to mechanical motion through an actuating cylinder that drives a pushrod.
Like other mechanical systems, a hydraulic system can be used to develop considerable mechanical advantage, much the same way that a lever or pulley can multiply force. By selecting the proper size actuator cylinders, we can adjust the ratio between the force applied and the force delivered.
A number of design advantages endear hydraulics to aircraft designers.
First, hydraulic systems are both lighter and more reliable than other mechanical systems, such as electrically driven screw-drive or cable and pulley systems. Unlike cable systems that can stretch and suffer from excess play, hydraulic systems offer a distinct lack of sloppiness. The use of an engine-driven hydraulic pump to operate landing gear, flaps and other high-energy applications reduces the demands placed on the electrical system.
Hydraulics are relatively easy to maintain and can provide almost unlimited force - an important consideration as aircraft evolve to higher speeds and weights.
A basic aircraft hydraulic system consists of a hydraulic pump, fluid reservoir, hydraulic lines, control valves, actuator(s), accumulator(s), filters, and a variety of relief and check valves.
The hydraulic pump provides the pressure to operate the system, and can be engine driven, electric motor driven or manual. The hydraulic lines - small aluminum or stainless-steel tubes and reinforced flexible hoses - transmit the pressure from the power source to the actuator(s). Control or selector valves are used to direct the pressure to the proper actuator(s) at the correct time to operate them....
