This document discusses best practices for maintaining hydraulic systems. It emphasizes that contamination control is the number one priority and describes methods for preventing contamination such as using external filter pumps and handling components as if performing heart surgery. The document also stresses developing an effective preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance program for hydraulic systems, collecting hydraulic fluid samples, performing vibration and ultrasound analysis, and providing training to promote a culture change around maintenance of these systems.

1. Maintenance of Hydraulic Systems
Presented by: Ricky Smith, CMRP
March 2013
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2. “Maintenance”
• To Maintain
• Preserve, and Protect from Degradation
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3. “Reliability”
To meet the functional requirements of the end user
– Pressure
– Flow
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4. Dr. Deming:
“Your system is perfectly designed to give you the
results you are getting.”
Conveyor Hydraulic System MTBF
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5. Reliability – Production and Maintenance
One Team – Same Goal
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6. Hydraulic System Failures
“It isn’t what you know that will kill you,
it is what you don’t know that will”
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7. #1 – “How Failures Occur in Hydraulics Systems”
• Introduction of Contamination into the System
– Valve stop functioning (Servo, Proportional, Direction, etc.)
– System Pressure Fluctuating (dirt, silicon, water, etc.)
– Low Pump Flow
– Others?
• Causes of Contamination
– Hydraulic Fluid Introduced to the system
– Changing Hydraulic Filters
– Cleaning the inside of a Hydraulic Reservoir
– Installation of new component (ie. Valve, Pump, etc.)
– Hydraulic fitting leak
– Heat Exchanger Replacement
– Hyr
– Others?
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8. #2 - Root Cause of Hydraulic Failures
• Lack of Knowledge
– Basic Hydraulic Knowledge
– Contamination Control
– Hydraulic Maintenance Best Practices
– Air Breather?
• Inaccurate PM Procedures
– Replace Hydraulic Filters?
– Inspect Heat Exchanger?
– Check for Leaks?
• No Repeatable, Corrective Procedures with
Specifications and Standards
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9. Eliminate the Probability of a Hydraulic Failure
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10. Known Best Maintenance Practices
“Hydraulics”
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11. Known Best Maintenance Practices/Hydraulics
• Contamination Control is #1
– 25 Microns is the size of a white blood cell
• 10 Microns?
– Filter Oil in at all times with an External Filter Pump
• Replace filter before use
– Handle all hydraulic work as if it were Heart Surgery
• Replacement of any component is Critical Work
– Servo Valve
– Directional Control Valve
– Hydraulic Pump
– Hydraulic Hoses
• Some Components must be Prepped before Installation
– Hydraulic Hoses
– New Hydraulic Fluid
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12. PM of a Hydraulic System (Best Practices)
• What is Preventive Maintenance?
– Clean (operator care)
– Inspect (sensory, quantitative) (maintenance, operator care)
– Adjust (maintenance)
– Replenish (maintenance)
– Rebuild (maintenance)
– Replace (maintenance)
• What are the expectations of Preventive Maintenance?
– Failure Mitigation or Elimination!
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13. PdM of Hydraulics Systems (Best Practices)
• Expectations of PdM for Hydraulic System?
– Early detection of a Defect
“Early Detection is Key to Success”
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14. Oil Analysis - Failure Modes Detected, (Best Practices)
• Component Failure Modes • Lubricant Failure Modes
– Compromised Seal – Oxidation
– Bearing Fault – Nitration
– Internal Pump Failure – Additive Depletion
– Seal Damage – Soot Loading
– Valve Damage – Viscosity Change
– Zinc Anodes End of Life – Poor Handling Practices
– Water
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15. Root Causes of Bearing Failure on Hydraulics
Page O - 15 Source: IDCON, Maintenance Technology, SKF, Noria
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16. Micron Comparison
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17. Vibration Analysis, (Best Practices)
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18. Ultrasound (Best Practices)
• Cylinder Bypassing
• Valve Functioning
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19. Proactive Maintenance (Best Practices)
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20. What is Required? (Best Practices)
• Culture Change (current level of thinking must change)
• Contamination Control is #1
• Develop an Effective PM/PdM Program for Hydraulic Systems
– Maintenance Strategy Adjustment – Failure Modes/Causes
– Failure Mitigation or Elimination
• Education
– Contamination Control (100%)
– Hydraulics 101 “The Fundamentals”(shift and key personnel)
– Maintaining Hydraulic Systems (shift and key personnel)
– Troubleshooting Hydraulic Systems (shift and key personnel)
• Measure Hydraulic System Reliability (MTBF)
• Hydraulic System Modification – Next slide
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21. Equipment Modification (Best Practices)
“Contamination Control”
“Hydraulic Fluid Sample Port”
Not an option
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Filter Pump

22. Questions/Comments?
www.maintenancephoenix.com
rsmith@gpallied.com
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