How do the mechanical elements of a hydraulic press (oil, pumps, valves etc) withstand pressure that can flatten a piece of metal?
In: 3
In short, they don’t. Except for the contact point itself.
The machine is designed so that the forces it experiences are spread over a large area, such as the entire inner wall of the hydraulic cylinder. This is actually what the liquid in the pump ia for. It d distributes the force over it’s entire surface.
The target only experiences the force on the end of the cylinder, a much smaller area, for a much larger pressure.
The actual contact surface of the hydraulic press is a thick hardened material, capable of withstanding forces that the target material can’t. Even so, over time it needs repair or replacement.
It’s exactly why knives cut materials, but not your hand. Your force is distributed over the entire handle. The material only gets the very narrow cutting edge.
That cutting edge also feel a lot of force bit it’s a hardened steel, capable of withstanding it for a time unlike the softer portions of the tool.
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