Going the extra mile with Telescopic cylinders
Dump trucks and other similar vehicles usually need cylinders below the trailers to elevate the load carrying structure in such a way that it deposits the loaded material on the ground. Some trailers are longer and need to be elevated well above with the angle of 60 degrees to unload properly. This type of situation calls for the use of cylinders that are capable of offering long strokes while having considerably smaller profiles. A telescopic cylinder would be perfect in such a situation, working effectively without troubling the dump truck or trailer. Telescopic cylinders are very simple devices, however, you do need to be aware of the basic know-how of these cylinders for successful application. Basic knowledge about the working of telescopic hydraulic cylinders and their applications will help you integrate such a device into the equipment in a safe and economical manner. We have gathered some really useful details about telescopic hydraulic cylinders that will help you understand their purposes and applications completely. Further details are given below:
Body Structure:
The body of a telescopic hydraulic cylinder consists of the main and stages, as the name refers, this type of cylinders has many similarities with the telescope. With similar construction like that of a telescope, metallic tubes of smaller diameters nest inside each other. The section with the largest diameter is generally called a barrel or the main. Smaller diameter sections that nest inside the main and move outside are called stages. The smallest section or stage is also called the plunger. Usually, the maximum number of stages of a telescopic hydraulic cylinder is six including the main and the plunger. It should be noted that a cylinder with a greater number of stages can be designed, however, its stability will become challenging and create problems in relation to the efficiency of working such a hygroscopic cylinder.
These cylinders are generally extendable from the main to the plunger. In simple terms, the largest stage or main will move first and complete its stroke before the next one starts moving. This process will go until the plunger or the smallest stage completes its stroke. It is totally opposite when it comes to retraction of the telescopic cylinder, at first, the plunger will start retracting and the next stage will start movement upon the end of plunger’s retraction, this process will go on until the largest stage comes back to its initial position and all the stages are nested inside it.
Types of Telescopic Cylinders:
Like the other types of cylinders, telescopic hydraulic cylinders also come in two types. The first one is double acting while the second one is single acting telescopic cylinders. Single acting cylinders make use of hydraulic pressure for the purpose of extension and rely on external force or gravity for retraction motion. These single acting telescopic hydraulic cylinders are typically used in conditions where there is always some form of load present on the cylinder. In case of double acting telescopic cylinders, extension and retraction of stages of the cylinder are performed using hydraulic pressure. These cylinders find their application in non-critical positioning structures that require extension and retraction from the cylinder. Gravity or any other external force is not used to send the stages of double acting telescopic cylinders to their initial positions during the retracting motion.
