Hydraulic Fluids

* Reviews the development of modern hydraulic fluids
* Discusses the application and selection of hydraulic fluids through the investigation of their physical and chemical properties related to the operational requirements.
* Offers guidance on suitable maintenance routines

Since the first use of water as a hydraulic medium in the late 18th century, hydraulics has become an indispensable discipline of engineering science. Enormous technological advances have been made in the intervening years, but this has not been reflected in the available literature on the numerous fluids involved.

Based on 40 years of experience with Shell in Norway, this reference text brings together a comprehensive coverage of the behaviour and selection of hydraulic fluids. It includes a full analysis of recent advances in synthetic oils - media which will inevitably become more dominant as natural products become more scarce.

Hydraulic Fluids provides an overview that both students and professionals involved with hydraulics, whether concerned with the mechanical components or system design or selection and maintenance of the fluids themselves, will refer to again and again as it provides relevant information on all the major hydraulic fluids in a single volume.

Preface * Glosary * (1) Introduction * Basic principles of hydraulics * Energy considerations * (2) Types of hydraulic media * Histroical * The ideal hydraulic media * (3) Mineral base oils * Composition of mineral oils * Chemical nature * (4) Additives * (5) Synthetic oils * Types of synthetic oil * Synthetic hydrocarbons * Polyethers * Organic esters * Phosphate esters * Silicones * Fluoroethers * (6) Rheology * Viscosity * Low temperature flow properties * Temperature dependence of viscosity * Shear stability * Pressure dependence of viscosity * (7) Compressibility * Secant bulk modulus * Tangent bulk modulus * Effect of air on bulk modulus * Low bulk moduli fluids * Density * Thermal properties * (8) Anti-wear properties * (9) Oxidation stability * (10) Demulsibility * (11) Aeration problems * Diagnosis and treatment of aeration problems * (12) Filterability * Filterability test procedures * (13) Specifications * Requirements * (14) Hydraulic fluids for military and aerospace applications * Aircraft and aerospace * Combat vehicles and artillery * Naval vessels * (15) Selection of a suitable hydraulic fluid * (16) Test methods for hydraulic media * Physical-chemical properties * mechanical testing * (17) Contamination * What impurities are involved? * Where do the impurities originate? * (18) Deterioration and maintenance * Flushing * (19) Analysis of used hydraulic oil * Inerpretaion of the test results * Condition monitoring and oil change * (20) Fire-resistant fluids * Conversion of existing systems to fire-resistant fluids * Maintenance of fire-resistant fluids * (21) Hydraulic brake fluids * (22) Future perspectives * (23) Health and safety * Ingestion * Skin contact * Eye contact * Inhalation * Materials safety data sheet * (24) Hydraulic fluids and the environment * What is biodegradability * Determination of biodegradability * Biodegradable hydraulic media * Bibliography * Appendix 1 * Appendix 2 * Index.