Always check your hydraulic hoses

Hydraulic hoses form an integral part of  hydraulic equipment and systems but most often these are not paid much attention until and unless a failure occurs. Hoses have a limited service life and that too goes undermined due to various reasons. The additional costs incurred on its repairs renders a lot more cost than the entire hose replacement. Problems like damage due to contaminants, ancillary damage to adjacent components, revival of hydraulic oil etc. adds to the expenses.

The main reasons of hydraulic hose failures are:

Physical damage. It’s a fact that 80% of the hose failures are the result of external physical damage. Most of the time crushing, pulling, kinking, abrasion and so on leads to hose failure. The brushing of hoses either against each other or against the adjoining surfaces (abrasion) is usually the most conventional form of damage. A simple solution to all these problems is regular checks. A routine check on a regular basis can help prevent all these problems.

Multiple Plane Bending. Generally, if a hose bends in more than one plane then it consequently twists its wire reinforcement. This twisting can be very damaging for the hoses as a five degrees of twist can deduct 70% of service life while a seven degree twist can end up reducing the service life by 90%. Inefficient hose-assembly selection and routing leads to multiple plane bending.

Maintaining Operating Conditions. The ultimate service life of hydraulic hoses depends on the operating conditions. In other words, the working conditions of the hoses actually determines their service life. Every hose’s rubber tube and cover are sensitive to the extremes of temperature, too high a temperature during the day or too cold a temperature at night can effect the hose’s performance and lifespan. Extreme pressure fluctuations too, can prove harmful for the hose service life.