Hydraulics Guru User Group

Hmm, there is merit in this.

Where I am "working" now we manufacture mining equipment. Part of my role is to be across the technical aspects of hydraulic systems even though my actual field is electronics (I'm a busted arse radio mechanic). Due to the nature of the equipment and the fact it is electronically/electically controlled/monitored the hydraulic systems fall into the realm of the Electrical section rather than the mechanical section.

Really it should have it's own seperate entity within the company but we operate "lean" and everyone is "multitasked" and I do find it challenging..

I'm for a standalone Hydrualics/Pneumatics forum, it is a valid engineering entity in it's own right. With crossovers into the other fields as you would expect.

It would certainly help the fellow after advice on modifying his forklift..

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/69268/Changing-Power-Assisted-Steering

"... Hydraulics can be EXTREMELY dangerous if mis-used, abused, or used carelessly" that applies to everything.

Surely Hydraulics is just a sub-set of normal mechanical engineering.

This is a good idea. In fact, all branches of engineering figuring on CR4 are vulnerable to misuse and abuse. People with a little knowledge will offer wrong, even dangerous advice on all the fora here. And on similar sites on the internet.....

This is actually the crux of the problem in forming an expert group. The real experts will not claim that they are experts, while the quacks will. Who will judge? CR4 admin ? Not within their ambit i would think.

Fluid power application present unique challenges in the larger field of mechanical engineering

I'm sure there are enough practitioners to justify a separate user group

Could I suggest you also include Fluidic controls in the group. It was something we learnt at college 30+ years ago ! The course [MET 084] was 'Hydraulic, Pneumatic and Fluidic Controls'.

I know nothing of the field (and am not ashamed to admit it), but I've noticed that the real meat of the "what can go wrong if you do this" answer doesn't ofter appear in fora the do NOT specialize in a given field. Possibly because we, as OP's (questers for truth?) often won't ask the really driving tech question in a generalized "Mechanical Engineering" forum, for fear that our more specialized "can I modify a ball-valve on my forklift to do this?" type question would be off-topic.

I'd like to see a specialized forum on this. And I'd like to second the suggestion made later that it include fluidic controls. If it used fluid to control or to apply pressure/move something, or if it moves fluids via hydraulic controls, I think it's a natural for its own, specialized forum.

From my experience in this field, it's quite unique, but extremely broad reaching. Hydraulics/pneumatics seem to overlap nearly every Engineering discipline on the planet, from mechanical to electrical, process, manufacturing, civil, and everything in-between. I have worked on everything from planes, to lumber mills, to shoe manufacturing, to you name it. Many people are familiar with them, but have never sat down and done any pressure drop / flow calculations, and would not know where to begin when selecting a valve.

I am a member of the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), and the NFPA (National Fluid Power Association). Am a Degreed Mechanical Engineer, with an associates in Electrical Engineering. Those two disciplines work in harmony with the types of problems I encounter in hydraulics/pneumatics/motion control.

It seems like everyone knows everyone in the hydraulics market, If you haven't worked for a competitor in the past, you surely will in the future, or at least someone will work with you from the competition. It's the strangest field I have worked in, but I sure am glad that's what I do, I love it.

-R

Hi,

As a retired Hydraulic Engineer (UK based)I am happy to go along with a dedicated user group. I normally look for hydraulic items in the general daily mail shot and try and help where I can.

Regards

Oliver Dunthorne