HoW HYDRAULICs WoRK
In the claw machine, you saw how you could
use the piston of one hydraulic cylinder to move
another cylinder’s piston, and thereby transfer
force, when the two of them are connected by a
tube and the system is filled with water. This is
partly due to the fact that water cannot be
compressed. It is also because the pressure
applied to a liquid like water is transmitted
through it with equal strength in all directions,
because the molecules of a liquid can be easily
moved.
The metal springs inside the cylinders apply
forces to the pistons to keep them either pushed
in or out. This sets the default state of the claw
as open and the arm as raised.
The transfer of force through cylinders and
pistons is called hydraulics (Greek for “water
tube”). Hydraulic technology is used in
industrial machines and many technical
applications. Hydraulics allow the transmission
of forces from once place to another through a
flexible tube and also the conversion of small
forces into larger forces.
Special hydraulic oils are often used as a
medium instead of water because they can be
put under higher pressures. Hydraulic systems
can be found in excavators, elevators, numerous
construction vehicles, and in the braking
systems in cars.
Force from hand
Force on
claw gears
Force on
claw gears
Force of spring
Pressure in tube
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