Everyone knows that contamination can be catastrophic to a hydraulic system. But heat can also be detrimental to hydraulic fluid and the components within that system. Heat contamination reduces oil viscosity, which in turn reduces the fluid’s ability to lubricate components. This thinning of the oil causes surface-on-surface wear. Without … [Read more...]
Miniature in-line screens and breathers from O’Keefe Controls advance particulate control
O’Keefe Controls Co.'s miniature in-line screens/breathers help engineers protect critical components from damage or reduced performance due to clogging or reduced flow rates. Designed to augment the protection of critical components in fluid control systems, the fine screens are intended to prevent the occasional particles that enter the fluid … [Read more...]
What is the “toast” test?
An important characteristic of many hydraulic fluids is the ability to maintain performance at high temperatures. Higher temperatures can cause oxidation—the reaction of the fluid and its constituents with oxygen. The rate of reaction accelerates as temperature increases, as does the presence of catalyst metals like copper and iron, especially at … [Read more...]
What does hydraulic maintenance mean to you?
By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor I once had a walk-in customer bring with him an old, rusty spin-on filter, which I believe was originally coloured white below the now orange and brown soup of rust and oil. He needed a replacement filter for his vacuum truck, a machine he said he bought used eight years ago. I grabbed a stock filter head to … [Read more...]
Track contamination, not people
Nobody likes a micromanager. A boss constantly looking over your shoulder is at best annoying and more often counterproductive, demotivating and the root cause of high turnover. Yet in recent head-scratching news, Amazon has patented a tracking wristband that monitors a worker’s every move and vibrates when they do something wrong. Ostensibly, … [Read more...]
Contamination begets contamination
By Josh Cosford What I’m about to tell you could be the most profound concept of hydraulic fluid contamination control. Without this understanding, you and your hydraulic system will be forever plagued by contamination-related failure and decay. It’s obvious a hydraulic system requires contamination control, but less obvious how far you … [Read more...]
Proper hydraulic contamination control
(Following is the unedited transcript from a recent webinar, with Josh Cosford as the presenter.) We're going to talk about proper contamination control today, and what that means to your hydraulic system, how you can apply it, and what it all means in the end. Controlling contamination is the single most important consideration for ensuring … [Read more...]
Troubleshooting tales from the trenches
One of Fluid Power World’s resident technical experts, Carl Dyke, has related a number of field-service issues he’s come across over the years. In a presentation at the 2017 Fluid Power Technical Conference in Milwaukee, he enlightened us on one mobile application that had the machine owners scratching their heads. This one cropped up last … [Read more...]
In-line contamination monitor offers user flexibility
The ICM – 2.0 in-line contamination monitor, developed by MP Filtri in Milan, Italy, automatically measures and displays particulate contamination, moisture and temperature levels in various hydraulic fluids. It is designed specifically to be mounted directly to systems, where ongoing measurement or analysis is required, and where space and costs … [Read more...]
What are the top 5 forms of hydraulic contamination?
By Josh Cosford Dirt. That’s what you think of when you hear the term contamination, especially as it relates to hydraulic systems. It is, of course, a common form of contamination. But ingested evils are not limited to the same types that turn your white Yeezys brown. In fact, contamination comes in many forms, some of which you’d be … [Read more...]
