The module presents and examines fluid power components and basic systems in terms of their layout, specific features, construction and operation. Non-ideal components and their characteristics and performance are introduced. Volumetric machines, in diversified architectures, are examined in terms of efficiencies and steady-state characteristics. The unit then concentrates on valves, supply systems, linear and rotating actuators, including several design examples. Students learn how to identify and interpret fluid power circuits, comprehend and explain their purpose in relation with their constitutive components. Theoretical considerations are strengthened by applications grounded on a simulation approach. Aim of the course is to acquaint students with methods for the analysis and critical evaluation of fluid power components and systems.

Foreword: aim of a fluid power system is to transfer power through a working fluid, typically oil. Fields of applications are off road vehicles (excavators, fork lifts, cranes, agricultural machines), industrial machines (machine tools, hydraulic presses), aeronautics (primary flight controls, landing gear, rudder), automotive systems (steering units, active suspensions, automatic gear shift, variable valve actuation), naval systems (variable pitch propellers, winches) and much more. Italy is the fifth producer and exporter in the world of fluid power components and systems and there is a high demand for engineers with competence in fluid power. The design, development, testing and production of fluid power components or systems require very specific competencies, but the prerequisite is a strong and solid knowledge of the basic principles governing the generation and the control of the hydraulic power and the mutual interaction among the components. In this context, the knowledge acquired by the students upon completion of this course involves: • to interpret a fluid power scheme according to the ISO standard 1219, • to identify the main fluid power components, their specific function and operation, • to understand correctly the purpose of a component within a fluid power system and to determine and contrast from a technical point of view the use of a component or of a whole system in relation to its end use, • to know the fundamental equations for the evaluation of the flow rate, pressure, speed, torque and power, • to identify and quantify the sources of power dissipation in a fluid power system and evaluate the efficiency. With the skills acquired during the course, students should be able to: • design a simple layout of a fluid power system, • select and size the correct component (pump, actuator, valve) to achieve a specified function, • analyse qualitatively and quantitatively the different working modes of a fluid power circuit, • understand the working principle of a fluid power valve starting from its drawing, • propose different solutions for controlling linear and rotary actuators, • propose solutions for reducing the power consumption.

Awareness of basic concepts covered in Physics and Fluid Mechanics.

Main topics are the following: • Fundamentals of Fluid Power (8 hours). ISO standard 1219, fluid properties, basic flow equations, functional blocks. • Positive displacement pumps (10 hours): different designs, real steady-state characteristics flow-pressure and flow-speed, instantaneous flow rate and torque, volumetric and mechanical-hydraulic efficiencies, flow and torque losses models, evaluation of the displacement. Controls for displacement variation. • Fluid Power valves (12 hours): on-off directional control valves; flow and pressure control valves (pressure relief, pressure reducing, sequence, two-port and three-port flow control), single and double stage; ideal and real performance characteristics; cartridge valves; analysis of real components. • Accumulators (2 hours): types, dimensioning criteria and examples of applications. • Flow generating units (10 hours): constant and variable flow rate (discrete and continuous), for open and closed circuits; constant pressure with absolute pressure limiters (direct acting and piloted) and with unloading valves; ideal and real flow-pressure characteristics; examples of real circuits. • Users groups (14 hours): mechanical characteristic of linear and rotary actuators. Control of overrunning loads by means of counterbalance and overcentre valves. Flow regeneration in differential actuators. Synchronous movement of two linear actuators by means of a flow divider/combiner. Orbit motors. Speed control of hydraulic motors with flow control valves (meter-in, meter-out, by-pass). Variable displacement motors. Hydraulic transformers. Analysis of real hydraulic motors. • Basics of Load Sensing systems (4 hours): working principles with fixed and variable flow generating units, local compensators, flow sharing.

The subject is made up of theoretical lectures (the attendance is highly recommended), applied lectures and laboratory sessions. In the applied lectures, some numerical exercises are solved with the assistance of the teacher and the components/circuits used in the laboratory experiences are explained. During the semester, five additional numerical exercises on simple fluid power circuits will be progressively proposed on the Didactic Web Portal of the Politecnico. This homework must be downloaded and solved individually, according to explicit rules, by all students. The purpose of the homework is twofold: a self-assessment of acquired knowledge and competence; a training route toward the final written test. When successfully registering the exam, students have to hand in the complete set of their own homework (handwritten, as long as tidy, is enough). In the laboratory sessions, students have the unique opportunity to see real components donated over the years by different manufactures and to work on their own on some test rigs. Four mandatory sessions of laboratory work (1.5 hours each) are carried out in small groups (max 12 students): • Pumps and motors: various positive displacement pumps and motors (external and internal gear, axial and radial piston and vane machines) of different manufacturers are disassembled, analysed and contrasted to understand and appraise their peculiarities and mode of operation. • Fluid Power valves: students can dismantle and analyse different types of valves such as pressure relief, pressure reducing, sequence, flow control, piloted non-return. • Didactic test rig: students can analyse different circuits and components. Interactions and characteristics of valves and actuators are appraised: the practical setting of relief, reducing and sequence valves, implications in series and parallel operation of linear actuators, velocity control of rotary motor with constant and variable load through variable restrictors and flow control valves. • Load test rig: the test rig reproduces the circuit of a hydraulic winch. It includes an orbit motor with holding brake and an overcentre valve. The steady-state characteristics of the winch with resistant and overrunning load are measured during the lab experience. The main components are also dismantled and analysed. Students will have to prepare a short report about the experience and the obtained results to be hand in along with the homework. Finally, students are invited (optional activity) to reproduce on their own some simple hydraulic circuits using the free Student Edition of Amesim; some examples of simulation are shown during the lectures.

In order to avoid students to print on their own the didactic material, the entire set of slides used during the semester in high quality B/W printed form will be available at the beginning of the didactic term: • Nervegna, Rundo: Fluid Power I, Epics Edizioni, Collana Politeko, Torino. ISBN 978-88-94802-08-5. New improved and corrected reprints are available yearly at the end of February. Moreover, blocks of slides (with possible minor updates) will be progressively made available only to enrolled students on the Didactic Web Portal in electronic and colour version at the end of the lectures. However, students are strongly invited to integrate the material with their own notes. A glossary with the main Fluid Power terms, the detailed description of the test rigs used in the laboratory experiences and the eDrawings of some components will be also uploaded on the Web Portal. For additional insight into specific topics, reference is made to the following material (in Italian): • Nervegna: Oleodinamica e pneumatica: Sistemi. Vol. 1, Politeko, Torino • Nervegna: Oleodinamica e pneumatica: Componenti. Vol. 2, Politeko, Torino • Gilardino: Esercizi di Oleodinamica, Clut, Torino (some exercises translated in English will be uploaded on the Web portal) Additional information about the Fluid Power field and the didactics (bibliography, links, animations and much more) can be found on the official web site of the Fluid Power Laboratory (http://www.fprl.polito.it).

Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Prova orale facoltativa; Prova scritta su carta con videosorveglianza dei docenti;

GENERAL RULES VALID FOR BOTH ONLINE AND ONSITE EXAMS The aim of the exam is to assess the acquired knowledge and the skills listed in the section “Expected Learning Outcomes”. It is mandatory to book the exam on the didactic web portal; the booking must be cancelled if, for any reason, the student cannot (or no longer wish to) attend the exam. The final exam is made up of a written test and an oral test (optional or mandatory). The written exam is composed by two parts (1 hour each). The first part involves 5 numerical questions on a proposed problem (max 15 points). The progressive stages of all calculations must be shown: any formula used, how the numbers are substituted into the formula and the final result in the requested unit. The answer is considered fully correct only if the formula used and the result are both correct. The second part includes 2 theoretical multiple-choice questions (max 4 points) and 2 open-ended questions (max 11 points) on all concepts and principles exposed during the lectures and laboratory sessions. In multiple-choice questions (with three answers, only one correct), student must be able to demonstrate the knowledge of the basic concepts; 2 marks are assigned if the answer is correct, 0 marks for no answer, a penalty of 1 mark for incorrect answer. In the open-ended questions, candidates must be able to explain the working principle of a component or of a system, to discuss about advantages and drawbacks of different solutions, to derive analytic governing equations, to obtain the theoretical and real steady-state characteristics and to draw the basic hydraulic circuits using the correct standard symbols. The test is a “NO BOOK EXAM”: the use of personal notes, books and manuals in any form (hard copies and electronic versions) is strictly forbidden. Candidates can have on the desk only identity document, blank sheets, writing instruments and a scientific calculator. Mobile phones and other electronic devices must remain switched off throughout the test. Some examples of written tests with solutions will be available on the didactic web portal before the end of the course. The results of the written test will be published on the didactic web portal as soon as possible. For those who reach in the written test a mark in the range: • above 20/30, the oral examination is optional, • from 15/30 to 20/30, an additional oral examination is required to pass the exam, • below 15/30, the exam is failed. In case of withdrawal from the first or second part of the written test (it is possible at any time), the exam will be recorded as failed. Students who have potentially passed the exam (mark in the written test > 20/30) can retake the exam if not satisfied with the mark (the exam will be recorded as failed). In case of oral exam, the final mark will be the average between oral (max 30 points) and written (max 30 points) part. If the combined mark is < 18/30 the exam is failed and it will be necessary to retake the written test, otherwise the exam is passed (it is not possible to reject the mark). The oral exam (typically 2 or 3 questions) will focus on lectures and laboratory topics in a similar manner as the theoretical questions in the written test. The duration of the oral exam is strictly related to the preparation of the student. The mark will consider the completeness/correctness of the answers, as well as the ability of discussing critically the topics. The students must also upload the homework/report (described in the section Course Structure) within the day scheduled for the written exam. No additional point will be awarded for the homework. On the contrary, a penalty up to 2 points can be applied on the final mark in case of incomplete homework. The mark “30 cum laude” can be obtained in case of an outstanding exam (written only or written+oral) demonstrating a very deep knowledge of the subject. RULES SPECIFIC FOR ONLINE EXAM Both the written and the oral test will be performed in front of the webcam, according to the guidelines authorized by the Vice-Rector for Teaching. Video-surveillance will be carried out via the Virtual Classroom tool of the didactic web portal. A link to the Virtual Classroom will be sent about 15 minutes before the scheduled time. Students are recommended to connect as soon as possible. No extra time will be allowed for late connections. All sessions will be recorded and the video can be used for detecting any misconduct. At the end of each part of the written test the students must show the exam text on the webcam and send a clearly readable scan within 5 minutes. The correction of the written test with the comments will be sent by email to each student as soon as possible. Students with mark > 14/30 must communicate explicitly by email the desired option (accept/oral/reject) within 3 days after the date of publication of the results of the written test on the web portal. In case of no communication: • if the mark is higher than 20, such a mark becomes the final mark and the exam is passed. • if the mark is 20 or lower the exam is failed. Depending on the number of people and on their availability, a timetable will be prepared for the oral exams. The oral exam can be required at the discretion of the Exam Board, regardless of the mark of the written test, in case of: • suspicion of student misconduct during the written test (a non-correct use of the webcam could may raise suspicion), • lack of internet connectivity for more than 10 minutes overall (also non-consecutive), • scanned copy of the written test not uploaded on the web portal in time, In case of evidence of misconduct, the exam will be recorded as failed and the student will be deferred to “Commissione disciplinare” for punishment.

Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula); Prova orale obbligatoria; Prova orale facoltativa; Prova scritta su carta con videosorveglianza dei docenti;

For the students attending the exam online, all rules reported in the section “Assessment and grading criteria for online exam” are valid. RULES SPECIFIC FOR ONSITE EXAM Both the written and the oral test will be performed in specific rooms designated for the exam. No extra time will be allowed for late arrivals. In case of withdrawal from the written test, the exam paper must be returned. The day scheduled for the oral exams will be also devoted for showing the corrected written tests and for clarifications about the corrections. The will to accept the mark, to take the oral exam or to reject the mark can be expressed in the same day. In case of absence and no communication by email: • if the mark is higher than 20, such a mark becomes the final mark and the exam is passed. • if the mark is 20 or lower the exam is failed. Appropriate actions will be taken against students who: • use any unauthorised source of information, • communicate or share written materials with other candidates, • attempt to read other candidates’ work. In case of misconduct, at discretion of the Exam Board: • the answer to some questions can be nullified (0 points will be assigned) • the student could be expelled from the exam room (the exam will be recorded as failed) and deferred to “Commissione disciplinare” for punishment.