Fluid Power Systems

Students design and build a hydraulically operated robot arm. Using the World Wide Web, students gain background information about fluid principles, hydraulics, pneumatics, and mechanical advantage. At the conclusion of their research, students construct a prototype that satisfies a given list of criteria. Devices are then tested and checked for range of motion and satisfaction of the given criteria.

Students will utilize the Internet as a research tool for background information and design ideas. Students should be encouraged to search beyond the suggested sites to find information on their own, further enhancing the feeling of discovery and ownership. They will visit several sites in order to gain background information about fluid power, Pascal's law, states of matter, and hydraulic/pneumatic systems. 

This lesson was developed by Phil Paspalas, wNetSchool Master Teacher, and was funded by the Louis Calder Foundation.

Answer the questions below and include diagrams where appropriate. 

Use these sites as a starting point to find information: 

Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab Links to an external site.
http://www.flash.net/~spartech/ReekoScience/ExpSinkingPenCap.htm 

Digger Jr. Explains Links to an external site.
http://www.govictory.com/hydrauli.htm 

The Internet Science Room Links to an external site.
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_states.html 

Hydraulics Project Links to an external site.
http://www.amersol.edu.pe/_@kacres/hydraulics.html 

Research Questions:

1. What are the four states of matter?






2. What are the characteristics of fluids? 






3. Define the following terms as they relate to fluid power:

Pascal's Law





Area, Pressure





Force





Mechanical Advantage





4. Explain why gases are used for some fluid systems and liquids are used in others. 





5. Use the following image to answer the questions below: 

 

What is the "PSI" of the system shown above? 



What is the output force of Piston B? 



6. Discuss the pros and cons of hydraulics and pneumatics.





7. List a minimum of 5 applications of fluid power we see in everyday life: 

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

***This link is for teacher information only.  Please hide it from your students.  It contains the answers to the questions above and has items for teaching lesson. http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/lessons/fluid/b.html Links to an external site.  ***

Answer the questions above in a Word document.  Save the file in the appropriate place on the network.  Then, upload your answers in your Word document to this assignment by clicking the Submit Assignment button in the upper right hand corner of this window.  Proofread your work before you submit it.

This lesson was copied from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/lessons/fluid/#close Links to an external site. on December 9, 2014.