Electro-hydraulic has two meanings: an electrical control device for hydraulic systems and a chemical reaction created by firing electrical pulses into liquid. It was first developed for weapon control systems and is now used in power steering and other applications. Electro-hydraulic blasting is an environmentally friendly alternative to explosives, used for metal forming, breaking up rock formations, and extracting crude oil.
The word electro-hydraulic has two meanings for two very different operations. It can represent an electrical control device that makes precise adjustments in a hydraulic system. Also, it can mean a chemical reaction that is created by firing short, powerful electrical pulses into or directly under the surface of a body of liquid.
Electro-hydraulic devices were first developed for weapon control systems and missile launch platforms during World War II. Because heavy weapons needed to be aimed accurately and because hydraulics are inherently unsuited for precision movement, a new type of actuator was developed to give gun operators better control over hydraulic systems. After the war, development of these hydroelectric devices continued, with a new two-stage mechanical feedback servo valve (MFB) produced in the early 1950s. The MFB valve, which first saw service in the aerospace industry before moving on to industrial sectors, offered greater control and precision in hydraulic devices and would be the industry standard for several decades.
Perhaps the best known electro-hydraulic device is an automobile power steering, also called an electro-hydraulic actuator. The unit combines high power with a high degree of accuracy to adjust the smallest steering wheel movements in a vehicle. This type of technology, in which electrical components are used to increase the precision of hydraulic movements, can be applied to almost any situation where hydraulics are used.
The second meaning of the word electro-hydraulic is very different from the first and refers to the electrical impulses that are fired into a liquid. These electrical impulses, once they hit the water, transform into powerful mechanical shock waves that radiate outward from the point of origin. The pulses are not contained by water, however, and can be compared to the shock wave created by a moderate amount of high explosive materials. In fact, electrohydraulic reactions of this type are often used instead of explosives as they are generally thought to be more environmentally friendly.
The first uses of electro-hydraulic blasting – also known as the submerged arc discharge process – can be seen as early as the mid-1940s and by the 1950s and 1960s it had established itself as a viable alternative to the use of high explosives . The electro-hydraulic metal forming process, for example, is used by engineers to shape sheet metal into the desired shape by firing an electric discharge between submerged electrodes while the metal is held in contact with the fluid. This causes the metal to form in a mold, and was originally accomplished by using explosives to accomplish the same thing. Other uses for the process include breaking up rock formations underwater and pulling crude oil out of the ground.
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