What are two types of axial piston pumps?

What are axial piston pumps?

Our axial piston pumps are positive displacement pumps that use multiple cylinders grouped around a central axis. The group of cylinders, usually containing an odd number, is called a cylinder block. The pistons within each cylinder are attached to a swash plate. The swash plate is also known as a cam or wobble plate and attaches to a rotating shaft. As the shaft turns, the angle of the swash plate changes, which drives the pistons in and out of their respective cylinders; so, we also called our axial piston pump as a swash plate axial piston pump.

Since the swash plate is at an angle to the axis of rotation, the pistons must reciprocate axially as they orbit around the cylinder block axis. The axial motion of the pistons is sinusoidal. As a piston rises, it moves toward the valve plate. At this point in the rotation, the fluid trapped between the buried end of the piston and the valve plate is expelled to the axial piston pump's discharge port through one of the valve plate's semi-circular ports. As the piston moves back toward the valve plate, the fluid is pushed through the discharge port of the valve plate.

The design of an axial piston unit is based on two important principles. First, the design of the axial piston pump may be based on the swash plate principle or bent axis design. Secondly, hydraulic system parameters have to be taken into account: whether the usage is to take place in an open or closed loop circuit is of great importance.

In fixed displacement volume configuration, the axial piston unit can be used both as pump and as motor. In bent axis design, the displacement volume is dependent on the swivel angle: the pistons move within the cylinder bores when the shaft rotates. In swash plate design, the rotating pistons are supported by a swash plate; the angle of the swash plate determines the piston stroke.

What are their applications?

Axial piston pumps are suitable for both industrial and mobile industries and are ideal when applications require higher pressure and flows.

Axial piston pumps can contain most of the necessary circuit controls intrinsically by controlling the swash plate angle, to regulate flow and pressure. They are very reliable and can allow the rest of the hydraulic system to which they’re attached to be very simple and inexpensive. Pressure washers also use these axial piston pumps, and axial reciprocating motors are used to power many machines. They operate on the same principles as axial piston pumps, except that the circulating fluid is provided under substantial pressure and the piston housing rotates and provides shaft power to another machine. A typical use of an axial reciprocating motor is powering small earthmoving machines such as skid loader machines.

Types of axial piston pump

Axial piston pumps have numerous pistons that are arranged parallel to the drive shaft. They are available as either variable pumps or constant (fixed) pumps.

Variable displacement

Variable displacement axial piston pumps adjust the geometric output volume from maximum to zero. As a result, they vary the flow rate that is provided to the loads.

Fixed displacement

Fixed displacement axial piston pumps have a constant output volume and therefore deliver a constant flow rate at a specific rotation speed.

Axial piston pump fixed displacement is ideal to work in medium and high-pressure situations. The wide choice of shafts, flanges and ports allow for their use in an infinite variety of applications

Designed for applications that require high pressure, the ability to handle low-viscosity liquids, axial piston pumps from AWS-HYDRO are used in applications from civil and marine projects to industrial process. Their individual capabilities vary, but a few things stay the same across the entire line.