What are some common causes of hydraulic cylinder failure?
- Side loading– Side loading is caused from the cylinder being misaligned which creates an unusual force on the piston rod. A side load of enough magnitude can result in tube scoring, piston rod and rod bearing wear, and seal failure.
- Contaminated Fluid– Contaminated fluid can cause premature rod seal failure. Abrasive particles in the fluid can damage the seal and the piston rod surface, airborne contamination can be drawn into a cylinder by a faulty wiper seal. Contamination occurs in numerous ways, the most common is drawn in from oil or from the pump.
- Rough or scored rod– Rough places on the rod damage the seals and reduce their normal life resulting in the necessity for frequent replacement.
- Internally Corroded Barrel: This type of failure is caused by contaminated fluid inside a cylinder. This can be avoided by blocking the water ingress inside the cylinder. However, it may be a sign that cylinder is being used in an environment, where it should not be used.
- Broken Eye Bearing: This is caused when the cylinder handles load above its specification. Also, it can be brought by a shock loading or a sudden impact caused due to high pressure.
- Extreme Temperatures: This factor may affect the choice of hydraulic cylinders in two ways:
- The temperature may limit the choice of seal geometries or materials. For example: polyurethane seals should be restricted to the maximum of 50°C.
- Fluids used in such cylinders may have less lubricity. The seals that are exposed to high temperatures or too low temperatures may have cracked sides, or may appear brittle.
- Chemical Attack: Many times, the hydraulic cylinder failure is brought by chemicals that may come in contact with the cylinder seal. It is commonly seen that fluid manufacturers fail to mention the compatibility of seal materials with chemicals. However, they always mention it as compatible. This can be avoided if a buyer inquires about chemical attack probabilities with the manufacturer before the purchase.
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