Having spent over 45 years in Engineering I now have ways of doing things that has become second nature and one of the basic rules Engineers work by is clarity.
Everything from drawings, instructions or systems must be unambiguous and crystal clear. The consequences of unclear instructions can be disastrous.
IT on the other hand comes from a very different world. Trying to follow instructions on how to set up a program or install some piece of equipment is rarely clear.
A typical example of my point happened a few days ago when I tried to install a new Broadband Router. No instruction except a brief letter giving me a user name, password and WEP Key code.
Need I say that I could not install the system? I contacted the helpline and they gave me a new User name and Password that differed from that sent to me in their letter. When I pointed out that the details did not match my letter I was told that there are about six user names and passwords for various parts of the system. The password I needed was in fact a Serial Number on the machine. In Engineering if it was gave something a Password it would remain so and not suddenly turn into a Serial Number. We have terminology that does not changed and names that are clear and unambiguous.
Until IT people get more discipline,consistency and accuracy in how they describe things and clearer instructions they give out we will continue to get it wrong, get frustrated and cost us all more time and money.
Cheers
Bob
Saturday, 8 October 2011
The Benefits of Hydraulics
With rapid developments in Electric motor drives and the reduction in costs you might wonder if hydraulics is relegated to past technology.
There can be no doubt that electric drives have replaced some hydraulic applications, especially in the machine tool industry. Electric drives are cleaner, more efficient provide better control but hydraulics can still provide a better and often the only solution for many applications. Hydraulics provides better power to weight ratio. You can get a lot of power out of a very small package and where size and weight is important it will be the best choice. For small forces, the electric motor and worm drive can be a “no brainer” but if large forces are required for applications like Earth moving equipment, presses, jacks etc Hydraulics (at the moment) have no better alternatives.
Hydraulics provides other benefits that include:
1) Easy direction control
2) Easy speed control
3) Easy force control
4) Can take shock
5) Linear and rotary drives from the same system
6) No lubrication required
7) You can stall the drive without damage
8) Easy to keep cool
If you specialise in Hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical drive systems always try to use the best solution for the application and not just because you have a personal bias to a particular technology.
Very best Bob
www.hydraulicbrain.com
There can be no doubt that electric drives have replaced some hydraulic applications, especially in the machine tool industry. Electric drives are cleaner, more efficient provide better control but hydraulics can still provide a better and often the only solution for many applications. Hydraulics provides better power to weight ratio. You can get a lot of power out of a very small package and where size and weight is important it will be the best choice. For small forces, the electric motor and worm drive can be a “no brainer” but if large forces are required for applications like Earth moving equipment, presses, jacks etc Hydraulics (at the moment) have no better alternatives.
Hydraulics provides other benefits that include:
1) Easy direction control
2) Easy speed control
3) Easy force control
4) Can take shock
5) Linear and rotary drives from the same system
6) No lubrication required
7) You can stall the drive without damage
8) Easy to keep cool
If you specialise in Hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical drive systems always try to use the best solution for the application and not just because you have a personal bias to a particular technology.
Very best Bob
www.hydraulicbrain.com
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Hydraulic Winches
Hydraulic Winches
My most common fear about Winches and Cranes is that they can both cause serious accidents if used or designed incorrectly.
Most of the winches I am involved with are on boats and range from small 1-2 tons pull to many tens of tons. The basic design is a drum with a coil of wire rope. This is driven by a hydraulic motor through a gearbox. The controls can just a very simple hand valve or much more complex with joystick and servo valve that can provide steady pull or payout speeds.
Read in full at www.hydraulicbrain.com
Bob Jackson
www.hydraulicbrain.com
Please revisit Hydraulic Brain and learn more about the fascinating subject of Hydraulics.
My most common fear about Winches and Cranes is that they can both cause serious accidents if used or designed incorrectly.
Most of the winches I am involved with are on boats and range from small 1-2 tons pull to many tens of tons. The basic design is a drum with a coil of wire rope. This is driven by a hydraulic motor through a gearbox. The controls can just a very simple hand valve or much more complex with joystick and servo valve that can provide steady pull or payout speeds.
Read in full at www.hydraulicbrain.com
Bob Jackson
www.hydraulicbrain.com
Please revisit Hydraulic Brain and learn more about the fascinating subject of Hydraulics.
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Dangerous Cranes
I think most will agree that hydraulic crane safety should be of paramount importance and I would like to mention just a few observations about the use of this potentially dangerous piece of machinery.
In my opinion the safest type of crane has been designed to prevent overloading. Not just on the main lift but more importantly where you pick up a load and then telescope out. As the telescope extends increasing its length the main lift cylinder pressure also increases in proportion.
Now some cranes have load sensing devices that will disengage the telescope so that overloading cannot occur and stop the telescope extending when the maximum load is exceeded.
Also the counterbalance valve can also relieve and lower the load in a controlled way.
However there are some cranes that I have come across where they have been fitted with a simple hand valve with all blocked centre ports. These cranes have often been salvaged and the hydraulics replaced by people not proficient in hydraulic systems or crane design. Unwittingly the users of these cranes are just waiting for disaster to strike, at best causing costly damage and at worst serious injury.
See more on www.hydraulicbrain.com
very best
Bob
In my opinion the safest type of crane has been designed to prevent overloading. Not just on the main lift but more importantly where you pick up a load and then telescope out. As the telescope extends increasing its length the main lift cylinder pressure also increases in proportion.
Now some cranes have load sensing devices that will disengage the telescope so that overloading cannot occur and stop the telescope extending when the maximum load is exceeded.
Also the counterbalance valve can also relieve and lower the load in a controlled way.
However there are some cranes that I have come across where they have been fitted with a simple hand valve with all blocked centre ports. These cranes have often been salvaged and the hydraulics replaced by people not proficient in hydraulic systems or crane design. Unwittingly the users of these cranes are just waiting for disaster to strike, at best causing costly damage and at worst serious injury.
See more on www.hydraulicbrain.com
very best
Bob
Sunday, 18 September 2011
My Trip to Breast
The use of hydraulics is often simply down to the ingenuity of the designer.
I have just returned from France after commissioning a hydraulic system on an Open 60 racing yacht, not the most likely place you would expect to find large hydraulic rams.
Designed and built by Target Fluid Services two 100mm bore rams are connected together in a push pull arrangement moving a 3ton keel from side to side. The canting keel ensures the boat is kept upright in an optimum position for maximum speed.
The most challenging part of the design is providing the lightest system possible but strong enough to take the large dynamic loads experienced in the worlds heaviest seas.
The boat has been sponsored by a Spanish company called Acciona who specialise in renewable energy. The boat is also eco friendly with many innovations to generate green power (as well as the sail). The boat is covered with solar cells and a Hydrogen cell system to generate electricity. This power is used to drive an electric motor for emergency use and for moving in and out of the harbour.
I apologise that we cannot show the hydraulic stuff inside the boat as the client is sensitive to showing this at present time but you can see the keel when a 90 degree test is being carried out and witnessed by IMOCA who are adjudicators for this class of boat.
Anyone who is keen on sailing I would suggest that you watch out for this boat when it starts on the racing circuit as I believe that it could be a very fast contender.
Very best
Bob
www.hydraulicbrain.com
Have you signed up yet for more information on Hydraulic Brain. It is great value and you get loads of hydraulic information. You can even advertise if you are looking for a job by sending us your details and we put it up on the site.
I have just returned from France after commissioning a hydraulic system on an Open 60 racing yacht, not the most likely place you would expect to find large hydraulic rams.
Designed and built by Target Fluid Services two 100mm bore rams are connected together in a push pull arrangement moving a 3ton keel from side to side. The canting keel ensures the boat is kept upright in an optimum position for maximum speed.
The most challenging part of the design is providing the lightest system possible but strong enough to take the large dynamic loads experienced in the worlds heaviest seas.
The boat has been sponsored by a Spanish company called Acciona who specialise in renewable energy. The boat is also eco friendly with many innovations to generate green power (as well as the sail). The boat is covered with solar cells and a Hydrogen cell system to generate electricity. This power is used to drive an electric motor for emergency use and for moving in and out of the harbour.
I apologise that we cannot show the hydraulic stuff inside the boat as the client is sensitive to showing this at present time but you can see the keel when a 90 degree test is being carried out and witnessed by IMOCA who are adjudicators for this class of boat.
Anyone who is keen on sailing I would suggest that you watch out for this boat when it starts on the racing circuit as I believe that it could be a very fast contender.
Very best
Bob
www.hydraulicbrain.com
Have you signed up yet for more information on Hydraulic Brain. It is great value and you get loads of hydraulic information. You can even advertise if you are looking for a job by sending us your details and we put it up on the site.
Saturday, 17 September 2011
A New Racing Yacht
A New Racing Yacht
The Open 60 Racing enthusiasts will soon see a new radically designed boat entering this high performance class of Monohulls.
The Spanish boat Acciona has numerous cutting edge features including eco friendly power generating systems.
The canting keel hydraulic system was designed and supplied by Target Fluid Services Ltd, Southampton www.targetfluid.co.uk The right balance between lightness and strength was the greatest challenge and achieved using high grade Aerospace titanium alloy, designed using Solid Works and ANSI stress analysis software.
The hydraulics has many safety features and feedback systems that will provide valuable data for future optimisation.
Target Fluid Services and Hydraulic Brain wish the Team a safe and successful campaign.
More information contact target.fluid@btinternet.com
www.hydraulicbrain.com
The Open 60 Racing enthusiasts will soon see a new radically designed boat entering this high performance class of Monohulls.
The Spanish boat Acciona has numerous cutting edge features including eco friendly power generating systems.
The canting keel hydraulic system was designed and supplied by Target Fluid Services Ltd, Southampton www.targetfluid.co.uk The right balance between lightness and strength was the greatest challenge and achieved using high grade Aerospace titanium alloy, designed using Solid Works and ANSI stress analysis software.
The hydraulics has many safety features and feedback systems that will provide valuable data for future optimisation.
Target Fluid Services and Hydraulic Brain wish the Team a safe and successful campaign.
More information contact target.fluid@btinternet.com
www.hydraulicbrain.com
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Problem at Sawmills
Whenever my home phone rings in the early hours of the morning it usually means one thing, trouble!
It was a call from the Sawmills. There pump and servo valve had gone down.
The system drives a carriage complete with log attached, back and forth through a huge band saw. Without the pump and servo the plant comes to a standstill.
The piston pump with servo valve is part of a closed circuit and coupled to a fixed displacement piston motor.
My customer had already decided to replace the hydraulic drive with an electric motor and inverter but delivery one still some weeks away. So was there anything we could do meantime?
Repair was out of the question, the pump was obsolete and repair would take weeks.
I decided to use an 11kw power-pack in storage and couple the motor open circuit. We installed a simple hand valve for the operator and by lunchtime the next day they were cutting wood.
I hope that if they have future problems with the inverter drive they will be able to get the same response?
Very Best
Bob
Find more on
www.hydraulicbrain.com
It was a call from the Sawmills. There pump and servo valve had gone down.
The system drives a carriage complete with log attached, back and forth through a huge band saw. Without the pump and servo the plant comes to a standstill.
The piston pump with servo valve is part of a closed circuit and coupled to a fixed displacement piston motor.
My customer had already decided to replace the hydraulic drive with an electric motor and inverter but delivery one still some weeks away. So was there anything we could do meantime?
Repair was out of the question, the pump was obsolete and repair would take weeks.
I decided to use an 11kw power-pack in storage and couple the motor open circuit. We installed a simple hand valve for the operator and by lunchtime the next day they were cutting wood.
I hope that if they have future problems with the inverter drive they will be able to get the same response?
Very Best
Bob
Find more on
www.hydraulicbrain.com
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