{"id":2820,"date":"2024-03-07T12:09:54","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T11:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bf-hydraulik.com\/encyclopedia\/hydraulic-pressure\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T11:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T09:53:11","slug":"hydraulic-pressure","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.bf-hydraulik.com\/en\/hydraulic-pressure\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydraulic Pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Hydraulic Pressure Explained<\/h1>

Pressure is generally a force acting on a surface. Hydraulic pressure<\/a> is accordingly a force transmitted through a fluid that acts on the internal walls of a hydraulic system<\/a>. The special characteristic of hydraulic pressure<\/a> is that it is transmitted with virtually no compression losses and distributes evenly throughout the entire system. This makes hydraulic pressure<\/a> particularly useful. <\/p>

Generation of Hydraulic Pressure<\/h2>

Hydraulic pressure<\/a> is technically generated by a retracting piston in a hydraulic tank<\/a> or by a hydraulic pump<\/a>.<\/p>

Small, manual systems work with the piston solution. Typical examples are hydraulic jack<\/a>s, transmission jacks, hydraulic cylinders, pallet trucks, or manual hydraulic presses<\/a>. <\/p>

Motor-driven hydraulic system<\/a>s, on the other hand, generally work with hydraulic pump<\/a>s. The power of the motor, the size, and the design of the pump determine how high a hydraulic pressure<\/a> can be generated. The weakest hydraulic pump<\/a>s are vane pump<\/a>s. They consist practically only of a small impeller that circulates the hydraulic fluid. The most powerful hydraulic pump<\/a>s are radial and axial piston pumps<\/a>. They can generate hundreds of bar and are the standard components used in demanding applications, such as construction vehicles. <\/p>

Force Amplification<\/h3>

Loss-free pressure transmission is not the essential unique selling point of hydraulic system<\/a>s, but rather their ability to amplify force.<\/p>

Since pressure is defined as a force acting on a surface, remarkable effects can be achieved with this simple formula: The force with which a hydraulic cylinder extends increases exponentially with its cross-section. Since a circular area is defined as pi × radius squared, the effective area quadruples with each doubling of the diameter. <\/p>

A slave cylinder four times larger therefore has a sixteen times greater effective area than its master cylinder. Accordingly, the force with which the slave cylinder extends increases. Although the extension distance and extension speed decrease correspondingly, neither is a primary requirement for hydraulic system<\/a>s. These are exclusively concerned with the efficient generation of very high forces. <\/p>

Arbitrary Force and Pressure Distribution<\/h3>

Since hydraulic pressure<\/a> distributes evenly in the system’s piping, its configuration is virtually unlimited. Pumps, lines, and consumers can be placed at almost any location. They always function with equal reliability. This is a significant advantage of hydraulic system<\/a>s over purely mechanical systems. <\/p>

Requirements for Using Hydraulic Pressure<\/h3>

Hydraulic pressure<\/a> requires two conditions for optimal long-term performance:<\/p>