mains very high pressures are adopted, generally 700 ℔ per
sq. in. or 1600 ft. of head or more.
In a large number of hydraulic machines worked by water at high pressure, especially lifting machines, the motor consists of a direct, single acting ram and cylinder. In a few cases double-acting pistons and cylinders are used; but they involve a water-tight packing of the piston not easily accessible. In some cases pressure engines are used to obtain rotative movement, and then two double-acting cylinders or three single-acting cylinders are used, driving a crank shaft. Some double-acting cylinders have a piston rod half the area of the piston. The pressure water acts continuously on the annular area in front of the piston. During the forward stroke the pressure on the front of the piston balances half the pressure on the back. During the return stroke the pressure on the front is unopposed. The water in front of the piston is not exhausted, but returns to the supply pipe. As the frictional losses in a fluid are independent of the pressure, and the work done increases directly as the pressure, the percentage loss decreases for given velocities of flow as the pressure increases. Hence for high-pressure machines somewhat greater velocities are permitted in the passages than for low-pressure machines. In supply mains the velocity is from 3 to 6 ft. per second, in valve passages 5 to 10 ft. per second, or in extreme cases 20 ft. per second, where there is less object in economizing energy. As the water is incompressible, slide valves must have neither lap nor lead, and piston valves are preferable to ordinary slide valves. To prevent injurious compression from exhaust valves closing too soon in rotative engines with a fixed stroke, small self-acting relief valves are fitted to the cylinder ends, opening outwards against the pressure into the valve chest. Imprisoned water can then escape without over-straining the machines.
In direct single-acting lift machines, in which the stroke is fixed, and in rotative machines at constant speed it is obvious that the cylinder must be filled at each stroke irrespective of the amount of work to be done. The same amount of water is used whether much or little work is done, or whether great or small weights are lifted. Hence while pressure engines are very efficient at full load, their efficiency decreases as the load decreases. Various arrangements have been adopted to diminish this defect in engines working with a variable load. In lifting machinery there is sometimes a double ram, a hollow ram enclosing a solid ram. By simple arrangements the solid ram only is used for small loads, but for large loads the hollow ram is locked to the solid ram, and the two act as a ram of larger area. In rotative engines the case is more difficult. In Hastie’s and Rigg’s engines the stroke is automatically varied with the load, increasing when the load is large and decreasing when it is small. But such engines are complicated and have not achieved much success. Where pressure engines are used simplicity is generally a first consideration, and economy is of less importance.
§ 175. Efficiency of Pressure Engines.—It is hardly possible to form a theoretical expression for the efficiency of pressure engines, but some general considerations are useful. Consider the case of a long stroke hydraulic ram, which has a fairly constant velocity v during the stroke, and valves which are fairly wide open during most of the stroke. Let r be the ratio of area of ram to area of valve passage, a ratio which may vary in ordinary cases from 4 to 12. Then the loss in shock of the water entering the cylinder will be (r − 1)2v2/2g in ft. of head. The friction in the supply pipe is also proportional to v2. The energy carried away in exhaust will be proportional to v2. Hence the total hydraulic losses may be taken to be approximately ζv2/2g ft., where ζ is a coefficient depending on the proportions of the machine. Let f be the friction of the ram packing and mechanism reckoned in ℔ per sq. ft. of ram area. Then if the supply-pipe pressure driving the machine is p ℔ per sq. ft., the effective working pressure will be
Let A be the area of the ram in sq. ft., v its velocity in ft. per sec. The useful work done will be
and the efficiency of the machine will be
 |
| Fig. 171. |
This shows that the efficiency increases with the pressure p, and diminishes with the speed v, other things being the same. If in regulating the engine for varying load the pressure is throttled, part of the available head is destroyed at the throttle valve, and p in the bracket above is reduced. Direct-acting hydraulic lifts, without intermediate gearing, may have an efficiency of 95% during the working stroke. If a hydraulic jigger is used with ropes and sheaves to change the speed of the ram to the speed of the lift, the efficiency may be only 50%. E. B. Ellington has given the efficiency of lifts with hydraulic balance at 85% during the working stroke. Large pressure engines have an efficiency of 85%, but small rotative engines probably not more than 50% and that only when fully loaded.
§ 176. Direct-Acting Hydraulic Lift (fig. 171).—This is the simplest of all kinds of hydraulic motor. A cage W is lifted directly by water pressure acting in a cylinder C, the length of which is a little greater than the lift. A ram or plunger R of the same length is attached to the cage. The water-pressure admitted by a cock to the cylinder forces up the ram, and when the supply valve is closed and the discharge valve opened, the ram descends. In this case the ram is 9 in. diameter, with a stroke of 49 ft. It consists of lengths of wrought-iron pipe screwed together perfectly water-tight, the lower end being closed by a cast-iron plug. The ram works in a cylinder 11 in. diameter of 9 ft. lengths of flanged cast-iron pipe. The ram passes water-tight through the cylinder cover, which is provided with double hat leathers to prevent leakage outwards or inwards. As the weight of the ram and cage is much more than sufficient to cause a descent of the cage, part of the weight is balanced. A chain attached to the cage passes over a pulley at the top of the lift, and carries at its free end a balance weight B, working in T iron guides. Water is admitted to the cylinder from a 4-in. supply pipe through a two-way slide, worked by a rack, spindle and endless rope. The lift works under 73 ft. of head, and lifts 1350 lb at 2 ft. per second. The efficiency is from 75 to 80%.
The principal prejudicial resistance to the motion of a ram of this kind is the friction of the cup leathers, which make the joint between the cylinder and ram. Some experiments by John Hick give for the friction of these leathers the following formula. Let F = the total friction in pounds;
