News & Updates

Baron William Armstrong

7016505308 — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 22:47:47 GMT

The inventor of the hydraulic accumulator

Baron William George Armstrong (November 26, 1810 – December 27, 1900) was an English engineer and inventor. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, he showed an early aptitude for engineering. As a young lad, William spent time in the workshop of William Ramshaw, an engineer, entrepreneur, and his future father-in-law.

William's career began not in engineering, but in law. Abiding by his father's wishes, he started working at Armorer Donkin's law firm, a family friend. He later studied law in London for five years before returning home to marry Margaret Ramshaw and begin practicing law as a partner with Mr. Donkin.

Despite his dedication to law, William never lost his interest in engineering. In his spare time, he conducted various experiments and research, focusing on hydraulics. During a fishing trip in 1835, he observed a water wheel and noted its inefficiency in converting waterpower to useful energy. Over the next decade, he worked on harnessing waterpower more efficiently.

In December 1845, he presented a model of his hydraulic crane to the Literary and Philosophical Society (Lit & Phil) in Newcastle. The following year, he convinced the local council to let him convert a quayside crane to hydraulic power, which proved successful.

In 1846, Armstrong, Donkin, and others founded the Newcastle Cranage Company. In 1847, they formed W.G. Armstrong & Co. and founded the Elswick Engine Works. In 1850, William Armstrong and John Fowler invented the hydraulic accumulator. The crane manufacturing business thrived, producing roughly one hundred cranes a year. With this success, W.G. Armstrong & Co. branched out into bridge construction.

Between 1850 and 1855, W.G. Armstrong & Co. assisted in constructing a new suspension bridge over the River Ness at Inverness, Scotland. Unfortunately, that bridge was replaced in 1961. The Newcastle Swing Bridge , designed by William G. Armstrong, was completed in 1876 and still stands today.

Oil Changes

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 17:18:48 GMT

When was the last time you changed the oil in your hydraulics system?

I recommend changing the oil in any hydraulic system at a minimum once a year. Doing so; this will help the life of any system in more ways then one. For example, it is getting close to winter and if you have any water in your oil, the water will freeze and can either slow your system down or not allow it to operate at all. Another reason to change your oil is if you have water in your system, water will rust your metal sealing surfaces and reduce the tolerance needed for seals and will wear your seals out so that they leak or not allow your system to have its full potential usage that is required. Oil is a lubricant, if your oil has contamination in it, it will destroy your system. Down time is costly, but poor maintenance of any hydraulic system is much more costly, and doing a simply oil change can save you money in the long run.

Hydraulic Floor Jack Prevenative Maintenance

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 13:40:23 GMT

Tips and tricks on how to ensure your floor jacks will keep on working

Storage: When you plan on not using a jack over an extended period of time, the first thing that you need to do is make sure that you have retracted the piston and the pump. Doing so puts less strain on the unit's system and ensures a higher possibility of the jack continuing to work correctly. Finally when storing your floor jack always make sure that it is on its wheels and not tipped over on its side. Tipping a jack over on its side or front or rear leads to an increased risk of potential leaks.

Cleanliness: A dirty floor jack will fail and break down, no if's, ands, or buts. Dirt is a common reason of why a jack might fail. If you're using a jack in an outdoor environment where snow, sand, water, grit, or other foreign matter can accumulate on the jack and if not cleaned off quickly enough can work its way into the system and contaminate the system.

Inspection: Part of your maintenance should include regular inspections. Look at the area around where the jack was stored to check for any leakage of fluid and go over the housing to see if there’s any cracking or rust;as well as inspecting the piston rod for scoring or other damage. You should also check to see if there’s too much wear in any region that could become an issue. Keep an eye out for any foreign objects (i.e. bits of metal, dirt, rocks, etc.) that may cause damage to the unit if not removed before any usage.

Cleaning: After you’ve used the hydraulic jack, clean it before you store it. If you wipe down the metal it will attract less dust.Use a mild soap solution to clean the exterior of the jack. DO NOT clean the moving hydraulic components. Make sure to lubricate periodically to help prevent premature wearing of parts. A general purpose grease should be be applied to caster wheels, front axle, elevator arm, handle base pivot bolts, release mechanism and all other bearing surfaces. Check the seals after use to check for possible oil leakage and replace the seals immediately if you notice any. Don’t use the jack again until you’ve done so.

Bleeding the system: You’ll need to change the oil in the hydraulic jack periodically. After you’ve completed that as part of your maintenance, always remember to bleed the air from the system. It’s something you should also do if the movement of the jack appears erratic rather than smooth. All you have to do is twist the pump rod in a counter clockwise direction and then pump the jack several times. Once done, twist the rod back in a clockwise direction and pump up the hydraulic jack as far as it will go before releasing it.

Check the oil: Check the oil level, but only add more when the rod doesn’t move easily. Be sure that you add oil in the correct port, usually located on the side of the power unit. It’s an easy mistake to make and one that can leave you with a jack that doesn’t work properly.Ensure that you fill all the way to the fill line but don’t go beyond that. Only use hydraulic oil that is specified by the manufacture, the use of hydraulic brake fluid, detergent motor oil, or transmission oil could damage the seals and result in jack failure.

How to gain up time for your hydraulic system

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 16:44:11 GMT

One of the major causes of hydraulic system failures iscontamination. Contamination can be from an external source such as dirt, dustor debris entering through cylinders, motors, or quick couplers causing damageto the pump and other components. It can also be caused from internalcontamination such as moisture, improper oil, or cavitation from blocked orplugged suction screens or filters. Cavitation, Aeration, Heat and Pressure arealso major factors in hydraulic system failures. Cavitation is caused when airmolecules are ingested into hydraulic oil from starvation of a pump or frommajor wear within a system. Aeration is usually caused by returning oil beingpoured directly back into the reservoir, causing disturbance, splashing, andfoaming of the oil. Heat from low oil levels, relief valve leakage, and worncomponents can also be contributing factors. One important thing in managing your hydraulic system functionality isto have oil serviced at regular intervals, such as every three months, everysix months or once a year depending on environment the hydraulic system is inand hours of operation that the hydraulic system is put through. Finally, havingoil sampled and tested for contamination and particulates of metal and otherimpurities can also help reduce and even eliminate costly system failures.

HQI Hydraulics: A History

Mon, 22 Oct 2018 18:45:41 GMT

When the old Ford tractor plant, located on 1700 East Aurora Avenue, in Des Moines, closed down, the guys from the production line, the ones building hydraulic cylinders got together and established Hydra Quip. This took place sometime during the late 1970’s, at some point during their early years, they out grew the location at 1700 East Aurora Ave and moved into a building across the street from VanderHaag, they later on relocated to North East 58th Avenue. While it was at this location the business became available for sale. In October of 1998 Hydra Quip was purchased by Roger Godron and subsequently moved the business to 1780 East Sheridan. In March of 2003 we moved into our present facility at 3400 Delaware Avenue. For nearly 40 years Hydra Quip has been providing superior hydraulic service and repair to customers in Iowa. At the beginning of 2018 we moved forward with our new name, HQI Hydraulics. So, as to continue this legacy and to be able to establish and brand ourselves in the market place as a business who is providing superior service, repair, and technical expertise. HQI Hydraulic's goal is to keep your equipment in motion. Feel free to reach out to us, if you have a piece of an equipment down, we will have you back up and running quickly because we understand that equipment downtime costs you money.

Identifying your hydraulic cylinder

Fri, 21 Sep 2018 18:02:29 GMT

How do I know what type of hydraulic cylinder I have?

Did you know that there are many different cylinders that are required to do the many different operations to make our lives easier? There are single acting, double acting, rephrasing, and telescopic to name a few. A single acting cylinder will have only one hose that will either extend or retract the cylinder. To do the opposite function, it requires another force such as gravity or a spring or another cylinder. The fluid in these cylinders only act on one side of the piston. A double acting cylinder is built similar to a single acting cylinder, but requires oil to extend and retract the piston. Double acting cylinders are required when there is no external force available. They also are used when a high force is needed in both directions. An easy way to determine if your cylinder is single acting or double acting is how many hoses are attached to the cylinder. Occasionally manufacturers will use the cylinder as part of the reservoir for their system, so you will see a second hose on the cylinder, the valve will allow the cylinder to build pressure on that end of the cylinder. A rephrasing cylinder is a form of a double acting cylinder, that has 2 or more cylinders that are plumbed in series or parallel, with the bores and rod sized such that all rods extend and/or retract equally when flow is directed and first or the last cylinder in the system. A telescopic cylinder is a form or both types of cylinders. The most common style is the single acting, they are commonly seen a lot on dump trucks, because you have the weight of the box of the dump truck as the external force to retract the cylinder when it gets extended. A telescopic cylinder is a cylinder that has consecutively small rods inside of each other to help extend the overall reach of the cylinder.

Replacement of Hydraulic Hose Assemblies

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 19:22:44 GMT

When it comes to replacing a hydraulic hose assembly how can you be certain you get the correct hose and fittings for your application?

Replacing a hydraulic hose can be simple straightforward process by using the STAMP method.

Determine the Size of the Inner Diameter of hose you need this is marked along the outside hose cover in dash numbers (1/16th inch increments), metric numbering (Typically given in millimeters), and standard inch size (Marked as a fraction or number). Secondly, verify the ends you need by measuring the thread size and confirming the type JIC, NPT, ORFS etc.

The Temperature of the media being conveyed through the hose as well as the ambient temperature of the environment around the hose affects its longevity. Extremely high or low media temperature can cause hydraulic hose to lose its flexibility and become brittle shortening the service life. Sustained extreme ambient temperatures can break down the hose cover and reinforcement causing hose failure from the outside in.

Application in which the hose is to be used must also be considered. Will your hose be subjected to abrasion, Whether or not the routing of the hose confined or restricted, Will the hose see mechanical loads or strain during operation. Another factor could be conduction of electricity and the use of non-conductive hydraulic hose for safety.

The Media, or what is being conveyed through the hose needs to be evaluated along with the environment it is exposed to. You should determine the fluid compatibility with the inner tube, the cover, fitting material, and O-rings where used. This will prevent premature failure by fluid or specific chemicals impregnating and breaking down the hose material.

The Pressure which the system produces should be considered. The maximum working pressure of the hose should exceed the maximum system pressure of the application in which it is used. Many hose manufactures design their hoses with a 4:1 burst pressure for your safety. A hose assembly’s maximum working pressure is the lesser of the rated working pressure of the hose and the end connection used.

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