4 Ways To Reduce The Cost Of Hydraulic Cylinder Failure And Repair!

As they are essential for any and all hydraulic systems, it isn’t really a surprised that hydraulic cylinders are also one of the most costly things to repair. In fact, if you work within a much larger business, then the chances are that you’ll spend a significant proportion of all your operating costs on these components.

According to a range of studies, as many as 25% of all mechanical equipment failures are as a result of ineffective designs; this means that a full quarter of all your hydraulic cylinders are either not adequately designed for the application your using them for or have undergone some trauma or wear which weakens their suitability and effectiveness.

Of course, even in these circumstances, that doesn’t mean that your hydraulic cylinders will simply refuse to work. Instead, they’ll suffer from a weakened effectiveness and potentially have a drastically reduced service life – either option can end up costing you more money.

4 Simple Ways To Reduce The Cost Of Hydraulic Cylinder Failure!

1. Bent Cylinder Rods – The bending of rods can be caused by an insufficient rod diameter or material strength. Another potential factor could even be improper mounting or arrangement. Once the rods within the model start to bend, then the load placed on the rod-seal is deformed. This can drastically increase the amount of leakage and, ultimately, results in the failure of the seal itself.

2. Ballooned Tubing – The ballooning of the hydraulic cylinders’ tubing is, most often, caused by insufficient wall thickness or material strength when equated to the cylinder’s overall operating pressure. Once the tube starts to balloon, then the tolerance between the piston seal and the tube wall is lost, which then allows high-pressure fluid to escape and bypass the seal.

What’s worse, this high velocity fluid can erode the seal and create localised heating as a result of the drop in pressure. This can drastically reduce the life of a seal, which can then result in premature failure of the entire cylinder – potentially accompanied by some intense leakage.

3. The Cylinder Rod’s Finish – The overall finish of the cylinder rod can have a significant effect on the life of the rod’s seal. If the surface roughness is too low, meaning that the rod is too smooth, then seal life can be destroyed as a result of too low lubrication.

Similarly, if the surface’s roughness is too high, then the amount of contaminants that get into the fluid can be drastically increased. This can also contribute to an extremely high level of leakage past the rod seal.

4. Insufficient Bearing Area – If the surface areas of the bearing bands within the hydraulic cylinder are insufficient, than that means excessive load could be placed on both the rod and the piston’s seals. This can then result in early deformation of seals, leading to their premature failure.

For High-Quality Hydraulic Cylinders, Get In Touch With Flowfit Today

Here at Flowfit, we are able to provide a diverse range of hydraulic cylinders which have been designed to meet specific levels of pressure and flow. For the very best in high-quality cylinders for your hydraulic systems, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our professional team today on 01584 876 033.

If you have any questions or specific concerns, why not email them to our team directly at sales@flowfitonline.com and we’ll do our best to answer as soon as we can!