Hydrolic Cylinders
Hydraulic cylinders are devices that convert pressured fluid into mechanical power. Hydraulic cylinders are often classified by their stroke, which represents the length the piston travels through the cylinder to reach its fully extended state. Hydraulic cylinders have a wide range of strokes, ranging anywhere from less than an inch to many feet in length.
Hydraulic cylinders have two main parts: the outer cylinder and the piston, which is connected to a piston rod. The cylinder is commonly made of steel or aluminum, while the piston is generally chrome-plated to prevent corrosion and wear. The piston is located inside the cylindrical housing and divides the cylinder into two different chambers through which hydraulic fluid is pumped. This fluid is used in automobile transmissions, brakes, power steering, aviation, and in industrial and construction machinery.
Since the motion provided by hydraulic cylinders is linear, they should not be put under indirect pressure which could bend the components. Hydraulic cylinders come in single- and double-action designs. While the single-action cylinder is configured to move in only one direction, double-action hydraulic cylinders are pressurized so that they can move in both directions.