How Well Do Hydraulic Actuators Actuate?
By Melissa R. Weimer DATAQ Instruments, Inc. Download this application brief. It’s a critical constraint that demands a critical measurement: Your control signal says “NOW!” to a hydraulic actuator. How long does it take for the actuator first to start moving, then to fully engage? Our customer constantly asks this question during the maintenance and qualification of their hydraulically driven process used in the manufacture of cast iron pipe. Chart recorders couldn’t provide the amplitude or time resolution required for the measurement. Other data acquisition products were either too slow, or unwieldy in their implementation. Since this is a complex measurement requiring simultaneous measurements of pressure, control and distance (of actuator travel), our DI-740 was the perfect choice. The DI-740 is connected to four signals: Two 4-20mA process current output pressure transducers, one actuator control signal, and one LVDT connected to the hydraulic actuator and used to measure actuato
