2. Introduction to Hydraulics
Hydraulics and hydraulic systems can be found
almost everywhere. Hydraulics can be found at any
construction site. Some machines that use hydraulics are
bulldozers, fork lifts, and cranes. Hydraulics are used to
lift cars so mechanics can work underneath them. Many
elevators use the same operating technique. This website
was created for a 9th
grade physics project.
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CONTENTS
4. Introduction to Hydraulic
Science
Hydraulics is a type of science and engineering
that deals with mechanical properties of liquids and
gases. Hydraulics is part of the more general
discipline of fluid power. Fluid mechanics provides
the foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on
engineering uses of fluid and gas properties. On the
next slide I will show you a graph of 20 adult
responses to the question, what is Hydraulics?
6. Hydraulic Science
Pascal’s Principle
NEXT!
The basic idea behind any hydraulic system is very simple:
force applied at one point is transmitted to another point
using and incompressible fluid, which is almost always
going to be a type of oil. In some systems, such as brake
systems in a car, multiply the process. A major part of
hydraulics is Pascal’s principle:
Changes in pressure at any point in an enclosed
fluid at rest are transmitted undiminished to all points the
fluid and act in all directions.
7. Pascal’s principle
Changes in pressure at any point in an
enclosed fluid at rest are transmitted,
without any decrease to force, to all points
the fluid and act in all directions.
9. Hydraulic Science
Contents
Whenever we change the pressure in one part of a fluid,
this change is transmitted to other pars. If the pressure of city
water is increased at the pumping station by 10 units of
pressure, the pressure every where in the pipes of the connected
system will be increased by 10 units of pressure when the water
is not moving. Pascal’s principle applies to all fluids (gases and
liquids). An example of Pascal’s principle for gases and liquids
is the automobile lift seen in many service stations. Compressed
air exerts pressure on the oil in an underground reservoir. The
oil in turn transmits the pressure to a cylinder, which lifts the
automobile. Because the small force is exerted over large area it
produces a large force.
10. Hydraulic Vocabulary Contents
Liquid - the state or phase in which matter takes the shape of its container &
the molecules “slide” past each other.
Pascal’s principle - the change in pressure on one part of a confined fluid is = to
the change in pressure on any other part of the confined fluid.
Force - the influence that produces a change in a physical quantity
Pressure - the force applied to a unit area of surface
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
11. Related Links
Contents
Ichiban
Hydraulics
How Brakes
Work
Wikipedia
Hydraulics
Conceptual
Physics
“Biggie questions”
I used Ichiban
Hydraulics
website for their
detailed pictures
and extensive
picture index.
I used How Stuff
Works for their
information on the
functions of
hydraulics and
different uses of
hydraulics
I used Wikipedia’s
page on
hydraulics for my
science about
how hydraulics
function.
I used a couple
pages in our
textbook (284 -
285) to research
Pascal’s principle.
Mrs. Peck’s
Homepage