Getting to know about hydraulic actuators
Hydraulic actuators use pressurized hydraulic fluid (that is, oil) as an energy source to produce rotary or linear motion for an application consisting of high force and ruggedness. A hydraulic actuator can also be referred to as a hydraulic cylinder. It converts hydraulic energy (that is, the energy of fluid) into motion. It also consists of a cylinder in which a piston connected to a piston rod moves back and forth by pumping hydraulic fluid into a port at one end of the piston or at the other end.
Similar to a pneumatic actuator, a hydraulic actuator has two types:
- Hydraulic linear actuator
- Hydraulic rotary actuator
The principle of operation of each type is similar to the ones explained about pneumatic actuators in the previous section of this chapter, only that hydraulic actuators utilize hydraulic fluid (that is, oil) unlike compressed air or gas used in pneumatic systems.
The following diagram shows a single-acting hydraulic linear actuator...
