In this article, we would like to talk about hydraulic cylinders failure reasons. Hydraulic cylinders are essential parts of industrial machines
and overlooking them would be irresponsible. Regular maintenance is absolutely
necessary, because when hydraulic cylinders are ignored, they will ultimately
fail, and this is the last thing we want. Here are the 5 main reasons for
hydraulic cylinder failure.
Seal Damage
Seals play a very important role in hydraulic cylinders. They prevent
leakage between cylinder components. There can be many reasons for seals to
break, for example, overheating, pressure spikes, fluid contamination, etc. If
your seals are damaged, the hydraulic cylinder’s ability to maintain internal
operating pressure will reduce significantly, and the only solution will be to
replace them with new ones.
Fluid Contamination
One of the most common reasons for hydraulic cylinder failure is fluid
contamination, which can come from unexpected sources such as dirt, debris from
the internal breakdown of hoses, etc. Both liquid and airborne contaminants can
cause damage to hydraulic cylinders. Foreign particles in fluids often harm the
piston rod surface or the seal. The
contamination of the hydraulic fluid results in significant degradation of the
cylinder’s operational efficiency.
Extreme temperatures
Both cold and heat can affect the work of hydraulic cylinders by reducing
the effectiveness of their seals. If it’s too hot, the seals lose their shape.
If it’s too cold, they become inelastic. Both extremes can lead to external
leakage and system failure.
Corrosion
When your equipment stays outside for a long time with the cylinders
extended and doesn’t get used frequently, cylinder rods will be likely to get
rusted. Once it happens, the cylinder seals will start to get destroyed. The
solution will be to use the equipment daily to prevent this problem.
Chemical attacks
Do your hydraulic seals feel
gummy or sticky, or on the contrary, cracked and dry? It can be a sign of
chemical contact with some fluids. Depending on what type of seals static or
dynamic you have, you would want to consult with both a fluid manufacturer and
a seal supplier to see if fluids and seals are compatible.
In this article, we only mentioned the 5 most common
issues with hydraulic cylinders, but of course, there can be many more. If you
spot your hydraulic cylinder failure signs, contact WEITAI's professional team for
a consultation, we will do our best to help!
Alisa Sergienko
WEITAI Marketing Department