Reliability of a hydraulic cylinder system not only depends on the system design but also on factors such as component design, material and workmanship especially selecting the hydraulic cylinders. The overall efficiency is mostly dependent on the frictional losses encountered by the piston and rod during its stroke.
The thickness of a cylinder barrel is a very important factor while the piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder is highly stressed and therefore should be able to resist bending, tensile and compressive forces that it may encounter without buckling. As for other additional mountings, it is important to design with sufficient factor of safety (FOS).
A basic hydraulic system consists of a cylinder or multiple cylinders, a pump or multiple pumps, accessories such as quick coupling connections, fittings, hoses or pipes, gauges and other flow control valves. Though each of the items is equally important for the system, the pump plays a specific and unique position in the system. It can be compared to the heart of a human being.
The main purpose of the pump is to create the flow of oil through the system and thus assist transfer of power and motion. These pumps are usually powered by kinetic (hand) or power (electric/air/fuel). The inlet side of the pump is connected to the reservoir: the outlet of pressure side, is connected to the control valve and thus to the rest of the system. Directional Control Valves (DCV) is used for blocking or stopping the flow and directing the fluid direction, comes in poppet or spool type.
Apart from the DCV as described above, many other types of valves are often used in a hydraulic system such as non-return, check, and pressure control valves. These are commonly known as Flow Control Valves (FCV). All these components are joined and connected by means of couplers, fittings, tubes, hoses, pipes, etc.
The window of the system is a manometer or pressure gauge: it is essential to know the pressure within the hydraulic system.
