A Few Things You Need To Know About Hydraulic Jacks

(Last Updated On: June 9, 2022)

Hydraulic jacks play a very important role in various large-scale engineering projects, such as building jacking, and it will be very effective to use together with a PLC synchronous jacking system. Therefore, TorcStark will introduce the common problems and solutions of hydraulic cylinders to you in detail to help you use it more easily.

(1) Why does the return speed of the hydraulic jack slow down?

The advantage of hydraulic jacks is that they are easy to operate, labor-saving and efficient. Its high efficiency is mainly reflected in one point, that is, the hydraulic transmission speed is fast, which ensures that the hydraulic jack has advantages unmatched by general mechanical jacks whether it is lifting or returning.

Of course, after a long period of use, the hydraulic jack is not as smooth as it used to be. With the increase of use time and frequency of use, some small problems will also occur with hydraulic jacks, such as the slow return speed of the jack, which naturally affects work efficiency.

The slow return of the hydraulic jack may be caused by the following reasons:

First, the state of hydraulic oil has changed under special circumstances. For example, extremely cold weather leads to an increase in the viscosity of hydraulic oil, which leads to a decrease in the fluidity of hydraulic oil, which naturally leads to the slow transmission of the entire hydraulic system, and the return speed of the hydraulic jack also decreases.

Second, there is a problem with the sealing ring of the hydraulic jack. Once the sealing ring is defective, it will lead to internal leakage or external leakage of the hydraulic jack, and the leakage of hydraulic oil will naturally seriously affect the transmission of the hydraulic system. When the transmission is stuck, the return speed of the jack will decrease.

Third, the return stroke of the hydraulic jack is by twisting the pressure relief valve, so that all the hydraulic oil in the main oil tank flows back to the oil storage tank. If the pressure relief valve is not fully opened, or even if there is a blockage of impurities, the hydraulic oil will not be able to flow back to the oil storage tank through the oil circuit smoothly.

Any occurrence of the above three points will seriously affect the return speed of the hydraulic jack, so everyone who uses the hydraulic jack must do maintenance work well, so that the hydraulic jack can work effectively for a long time.

(2) Is the hydraulic oil of the hydraulic jack universal?

The lifting principle of the hydraulic jack is the classic Pascal principle. By increasing the pressure and increasing the contact surface of the piston, the pressure of the large piston is doubled, and then the heavy object is lifted. In the whole hydraulic system, hydraulic oil plays a very key role, and it is the key to the transmission force. The hydraulic oil will show different states under different environments and temperatures, and the different states of the hydraulic oil will directly affect the performance of the hydraulic jack.

The lifting effect of the hydraulic jack will also be different due to the different types of hydraulic oil, so hydraulic oil is not a casual choice. When we choose a hydraulic jack, there will be a clear description of which hydraulic oil should be used for the hydraulic jack, that is, the original hydraulic oil from the original factory is more suitable. If a different type of hydraulic oil is replaced, there may be a series of poor operations such as insufficient pressure and slow lifting speed. This situation is mainly caused by differences in the pressure value, viscosity level and transferability of different hydraulic oils, which will have a huge impact on hydraulic jacks.

(3) What is the effect of damaged sealing on hydraulic jacks?

Most of the mechanical equipment containing fluids needs to be sealed by a sealing ring to ensure the normal operation of the mechanical equipment. This sealing ring type sealing design is the most typical in hydraulic equipment, especially hydraulic jacks, from which we can see the importance of sealing for hydraulic jacks.

Once the sealing ring of the hydraulic jack is damaged, its airtightness will naturally be seriously affected. Since the sealing ring is generally placed around the lifting sleeve, the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic system will no longer be 100% bound by the sealing ring. Under huge pressure, the hydraulic oil will overflow along the gap around the sleeve.

When the hydraulic oil overflows, the entire closed hydraulic oil circulation of the hydraulic jack will no longer be transmitted according to the normal route, resulting in a huge change in the internal pressure. As the number of uses increases, the amount of hydraulic oil will become less and less, which will eventually lead to the loss of the rated load of the hydraulic jack.

Therefore, in order to ensure the sealing of the hydraulic jack, we must always pay attention to whether there is hydraulic oil overflowing around the sleeve. If there is an overflow, then it must be stopped immediately and it must be inspected and repaired.

(4) Frequent use of hydraulic jacks can lead to “excessive fatigue”

Mechanical fatigue refers to the phenomenon in which materials, parts and components are locally permanently damaged at a certain point or at certain points under cyclic loading, and after a certain number of cycles, cracks are formed, or the cracks are further extended until they are completely broken. Overuse of hydraulic jacks can cause this problem.

If the hydraulic jack is used for a long time, the continuous and repeated lifting of heavy objects is prone to mechanical fatigue, resulting in the phenomenon of equipment friction and overheating, and the hydraulic oil will deteriorate after the temperature rises, and the lubrication and jacking capacity will be much worse than before. In this case, if you continue to use it, the accessories will be worn, and the gears, piston rods and sealing rings will be damaged. In severe cases, the equipment will be scrapped and cannot be used.

Therefore, after using the hydraulic cylinder for a long time, the operation should be stopped to ensure the heat dissipation and mechanical recovery of the hydraulic cylinder. The specific use time of the hydraulic jack depends on the brand and the different manufacturing materials, so you need to ask its manufacturer. Different hydraulic jacks have different limited usage times.

Summarize

The above are some common problems with hydraulic cylinders. If you have other questions about hydraulic jacks, please contact us for consultation. TorcStark will provide you with the perfect solution.