DIFFERENTIAL AND NONDIFFERENTIAL HYDRAULIC CYLINDERS

We were discussing hydraulic actuators and its various types in our previous post. We have also seen the fundamentals of single acting hydraulic cylinders and double acting hydraulic cylinders in our previous post.

Today we will see here the fundamentals of differential and non differential hydraulic cylinders with the help of this post.

Differential hydraulic cylinders

Differential hydraulic cylinder will have a piston within its cylindrical housing. Area of piston, where hydraulic pressure force will be applied by pressurized hydraulic fluid, will not be equal at both ends.

If we will look the internal construction of differential hydraulic cylinder, we will come to know that at cap end side there will be complete piston area where pressure force will be applied by the pressurized hydraulic fluid. While at rod end side, hydraulic pressure force will be applied over annular area of piston.

Differential hydraulic cylinder

Above picture indicates the differential hydraulic cylinder, where we may see that area of piston is not equal at its both ends.

During extension of cylinder, hydraulic pressure force will be applied over the complete area of piston from cap end side, while during retraction hydraulic pressure force will be applied over the annular area of piston. Complete face area of piston and annular area of piston are also displayed in above figure.

Non-differential hydraulic cylinders

Image displayed here indicates the non-differential hydraulic cylinder. As we can see here, there will be piston rod extended at both end in such type of hydraulic cylinder and hence speed as well as thrust will be equal in each direction.

Such type of hydraulic cylinders could be used in an application where job could be done by each end of the hydraulic cylinder.