Industrial Applications of Fluid Power - Assignment Example

 Introduction There are several kinds of works that fluid power was used to do over many years ago. Fluids that are most commonly used include water, oil, and air. These are mainly used in their pure forms to avoid wearing out and corroding components of machines. Norman, Houghtalen, & Johnston (2005) defined fluid power as the energy that is propagated and controlled under a great pressure, using fluids that can take either fluid or gaseous form. To introduce hydraulics, it is a fluid form of fluid power that work by using liquids like oil under pressure. Pneumatics, on the other hand, tends to apply a similar mechanism as that of the hydraulics, but is different in its components. The paper is, therefore, aimed at discussing the applications and uses of pneumatics as opposed to fluid power in different technological applications. The paper also accompanies description of various components of pneumatics and illustrations of their functions. Pneumatics has increased its application over time due to the various advantages it has over the fluid power. Various properties of air are considered in choosing this kind of technological application for its mechanical function. Air might be preferred, owing to its light weight, which some fluids do not possess (Schall, Richardson, & Morris, 2008). It can also be used without any purification, in its neutral state. This is because; it is proven that air has little impurities compared to the other fluids. One application of pneumatics is in the automation and development of different sophisticated and technological applications. In simple terms, the use of gas under pressure to perform various industrial applications, is what we refer to as pneumatics. In real world, there are systems that apply the use of both pneumatics and fluid power while other systems only do with one them. Both the hydraulic and pneumatic fluid power systems are used in systems such as fluid logic control systems and electronic control system. Fluid power system is used majorly due to its many advantages that other systems do not have to perform similar functions. Some of them include the fact that fluid power systems are considered very simple and very easy to use. It is easy and very convenient to start a machine component that uses fluid power system. The machine component can also be easy to accelerate, stop, reverse and decelerate. In aircrafts, for example, hydraulic components are used to provide safe landing, flight and take offs. We also find applications of hydraulic and pneumatic systems in the modern advances in mining and tunneling. Simple technical applications are employed by those systems that use fluid systems, including pneumatics. Only the regulatory valves and buttons as the main operational technicalities to regulate the efficiency and effectiveness of the machine components. In mining and tunneling, machines are controlled to regulate the quantity of fluid going through the pump. Fluid power systems are found to be cheap to acquire and operate. Hence, it has been widely used. The diagram below illustrates the sketch of pneumatics and functions of the components as discussed here below. Main Components: The pneumatic actuator: This component converts pneumatic power into mechanical power to be used in various applications. The compressor: It maintains pressure required to operate the whole system Valves: The valves help with pressure and air flow rate regulation through the tubes. A pump: This is used to set the system in motion by resetting the circuit, and force the fluid out. Reservoir: This is where the fluid is held to provide the gas that is used in running the whole system. External power supply: The component drives and makes the pump operational. Installation process During installation, precaution should be taken through reading and understanding the requirement for safety during the process. Correct mounting system should be considered. Good care of the information printed on the product so as not to be erased. Consult with the manufacturers before replacing the paints. The conditions of the piping system must be checked to ensure no disconnects. Ensure that the fluid is properly mounted by inspecting the source of the compressed air supply. Basic safety and maintenance requirements All safety measures must be considered during installation, as well as all Health and safety measures. Only qualified personnel should be given the consent to do the installation and maintenance practices. Air and pressure supply into the system must be turned off before any operation of the installation is commenced. In the case there is any possible hazard, it should be identified and prevented from happening in good time to avoid them happening. Any possible risks should also be identified and eliminated or minimized before they occur. This should be carried out through the use of appropriate precautions. The Health and Safety Legislation also recommend that all the safety measures that lead to an explosion or harm to the body must be eliminated, or its impact minimized. Conclusion In a nutshell, there has been a wide application of the fluid power system globally to help in various technical and mechanical operations. Depending on applicability, efficiency, and effectiveness, various forms of fluid systems have found various applications in different areas. Pneumatic and hydraulic fluid power systems are among the widely used fluid systems. In these systems, the fluids used include water, gasses and oil. Among all the system types, pneumatic fluid system is widely and commonly used because of its ease of use, acquisition and cheap operational cost tied to it. Bibliography Normann, J., Houghtalen, R., & Johnston, W. (2005). Hydraulic Design of Highway Culverts. Hydraulic Design Series, 5 (FHWA-NHI-01-020). Schall, J., Richardson, E., & and Morris, J. (2008). Introduction to Highway Hydraulics. Hydraulic Design Series, 4 ( FHWA-NHI-08-090,). Read More