Pneumatic

System
 Table of Contents

Section 1: Pneumatic System

Introduction...3
- History.......5
- Characteristics of a Pneumatic System.....7
Section 2: Pneumatic Equipments........9
- Cylinders........9

- Directional Control Valves....13

- Gas Compressor........15

- Pressure Regulating Component (Service Unit)...16

Section 3: How do Pneumatics Work?......................................................17
- Common Basic Problems and
Troubleshooting.....18
Section 3: Conclusions..20
References21
Appendices......22

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 Introduction
Air is extremely compressible and elastic. It is capable of absorbing large
amounts of potential energy. These properties of compressed air make
possible smooth acceleration and deceleration and reversal of direction of
mechanical motions, with relative freedom from shock.

Pneumatics is something that you probably know very little about yet
come across every day without even realising it. Some examples of
everyday pneumatic systems are shown below. How many do you
recognize?

Figure 1: Uses of pneumatic system

Though most of us do not realize it, we are surrounded by systems based

on pneumatics. Below are some examples.

- Air brakes on buses and trucks are formally known as compressed air

brake systems. These systems use a type of friction brake in which

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 compressed air presses on a piston, and then applies the pressure to the

brake pad that stops the vehicle.

- Inflatable structures, such as balloons, bouncy castles, or blow up figures

are inflated with a gas air, helium, nitrogen, or hydrogen. The pressure

of the gaskeeps the structure inflated.

- Cable-jetting is a technique used to put cables into ducts. Compressed air

is inserted and flows through the duct and along the cable. (see FIG. 5)

- Pneumatic mail systems deliver letters through pressurized air tubes. This

wasinvented by a Scottish engineer in the 1800s.

- Gas compressors are devices that increase the pressure of a gas by

reducing itsvolume.

- A pneumatic bladder is an inflatable bag technology that can be used to

sealdrains and ducts to contain chemical gases or spills, to stabilize cargo

within a container, or to float an artificial coral reef. They can be used in

medicalresearch, and have other applications as well.

- Pneumatic cylinders use the power of compressed gas to produce a force.

- Pneumatic tires are created with compressed air to inflate and form the

body of a tire on a bike, car, or other vehicle.

- A handheld jackhammer is a tool that combines a hammer and a chisel,

and is usually powered by compressed air.(see FIG. 2)

- Even Legos can use pneumatics! There is a kind of Lego brick that uses

air pressure to perform various actions using pneumatics concepts.

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FIG. 2: Jack Hammer FIG. 3: Pneumatic Drill FIG. 4: Pneumatic Compressor

FIG. 5: Pneumatic system of an automatic

machine

History
During the 17th century, German physicist and engineer Otto von

Guericke experimented with and improved air compressors. In 1650,

Guericke inventedthe first air pump. It could produce a partial vacuum and

Guericke used it to study thephenomenon of vacuum and the role of air in

combustion and respiration.

Alfred Ely Beach was an inventor and the editor and co-owner of
"Scientific American."
In the first issue of "Scientific American," it was announced that the
magazine would help secure patents for U.S. inventors. Alfred Ely Beach
was awarded patents for an improvement he made to the typewriter
(1857), for a cable traction railway system
(1864) and for a pneumatic transit system (pneumatic tube) for mail and
passengers (1865).

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In 1870, Alfred Ely Beach, tried to construct a prototype pneumatic train

subway in New York City, this system failed to win over the municipal

authorities, who later built elevated trains instead. Alfred Beach's

pneumatic New York subway, a giant pneumatic tube ran for one block

west of City Hall and was based on his 1865 patent. It was America's first

subway.

New York Subway System Opened for Business October

27, 1904

FIG. 6: Subway train, New York subway system

On Thursday afternoon, October 27, 1904, the mayor of New York City,

George B. McClellan, officially opened the New York subway system. The

first subway train left City Hall station with the mayor at the controls, and

26 minutes later arrived at 145th

Street. The subway opened to the general public at 7 p.m. that evening,

and before the night was over, 150,000 passengers had ridden the trains

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through the underground tunnels.

Alfred Ely Beach

born Sept. 1, 1826 , Springfield, Mass., U.S.

died Jan. 1, 1896 , New York, N.Y.

Characteristics of a Pneumatic System

Pneumatic systems are clean because they use compressed air. We know

already that this is just the air we breathe forced into small spaces. If a

pneumatic system develops a leak, it will be air that escapes and not oil.

This air will not drip or cause a mess and this makes pneumatics suitable

for food production lines.

Pneumatic systems are very safe compared to other systems. We cannot,

for example, use electronics for paint spraying because many electronic

components produce sparks and this could cause the paint to catch fire.

It is important, however, that we look after and maintain the different

components. It is also important that we follow the correct safety rules.

Pneumatic systems are very reliable and can keep working for a long time.

Many companies invest in pneumatics because they know they will not

have a lot of breakdowns and that the equipment will last for a long time.

If we compare pneumatic systems to other systems, we find that they are

cheaper to run. This is because the components last for a long time and

because we are using compressed air. Many factories already have

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compressed air for other reasons.

Once you have bought the basic components, you can set them up to

carry out different tasks. Pneumatic systems are easy to install and they

do not need to be insulated or protected like electronic systems.

Compressed air should be well prepared to meet the requirements. Meet

certain criteria, such as dry, clean, and contain the necessary lubricant for

pneumatic equipment. Therefore require installation of pneumatic systems

are relatively expensive equipment, such as compressors, air filter, lube

tube, dryer, regulators, etc. One of the properties of pressurized air is like

to always occupy the empty space and the air pressure is maintained in

hard work. Therefore we need a seal so that air does not leak. Seal

leakage can cause energy loss. Pneumatic equipment should be equipped

with airtight equipment that compressed air leaks in the system can be

minimized.

Pneumatic using open system, meaning that the air that has been used

will be thrown out of the system, the air comes out pretty loud and noisy

so will cause noise, especially on the exhaust tract. The fix is to put a

silencer on each dump line.

Pressurized air is easily condensed, so before entering the system must

be processed first in order to meet certain requirements, such as dry, have

enough pressure, and contains a small amount of lubricant to reduce

friction in the valves and actuators.

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Pneumatic Equipments

Cylinders
Pneumatic equipment can be split up into two basic categories of cylinders
and valves.

Cylinders are the muscles of pneumatic systems as they are used to

move, hold and lift objects. They can even be used to operate other
pneumatic components. Cylinders are operated by compressed air and
they covert the stored energy in the compressed air into linear motion.

Linear motion is motion in a straight line: an apple falling from a tree or a

sliding door closing are examples of linear motion. We can represent
linear motion by arrows like the ones below.

Figure 7: Arrow representing the path of air

There are two types of cylinder that we will be using: single-acting

cylinders and double-acting cylinders.

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Single-acting cylinder

Figure 8: Single - Acting Cylinder

A single-acting cylinder requires only one air supply. If we supply
compressed air to a single-acting cylinder, the air pushes against the
piston inside the cylinder and causes it to outstroke. When the piston has
fully outstroked it is said to be positive.

positive

Air in

Figure 9: Symbol of extended pneumatic cylinder

If we stop the supply of air then the spring inside the cylinder causes the
piston to instroke to its starting position and the piston is said to be
negative. As this happens, the air inside the cylinder is pushed back out.

negative

Air out

Figure 10: Symbol of retracted cylinder

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The symbol for a single-acting cylinder is shown below.

Figure 11: Single-Acting Cylinder Symbol

Single-acting cylinders are easy to use and control but they do not
produce very big forces. This means that we need to be careful of what we
use them for.

Double-acting cylinder

Figure 12: Double - Acting Cylinder

A double-acting cylinder has no spring inside to return it to its original

position. It needs two air supplies, one to outstroke the piston and the
other to instroke the piston.
To outstroke a double-acting cylinder we need compressed air to push
against the piston inside the cylinder. As this happens, any air on the other
side of the piston is forced out. This causes the double-acting cylinder to
outstroke. When the piston has fully outstroked it is said to be positive.

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 positive

Air in Air out

Figure 13: Symbol of extended pneumatic cylinder

To instroke a double-acting cylinder we need to reverse this action. We

supply the compressed air to the other side of the piston. As the air
pushes the piston back to its original position, any air on the other side is
again forced out. This causes the piston to instroke and it is said to be
negative.

negative

Air out Air in

Figure 14: Symbol of retracted pneumatic cylinder

The symbol for a double-acting cylinder is shown below.

Figure 15: Pneumatic symbol of double acting cylinder

Double-acting cylinders are used more often in pneumatic systems than

single-acting cylinders. They are able to produce bigger forces and we can

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make use of the outstroke and instroke for pushing and pulling.

Directional Control Valve

Directional Control Valves control the flow of compressed air to a cylinder.
They can be used to turn the air on or off, change the direction in which
the air is flowing or even slow down the airflow. The most common type of
valve is the 3/2 valve.

3/2 valve

A 3/2 valve gets its name because it has three ports and two states. A port
is where we can connect a pipe and a state is simply a position that the
valve can be in. The ports are numbered to help us make the right
connections. The numbers will be stamped onto the casing of the valve.

Port 1 main air

This port is connected to main air. Remember that our main air is supplied
through a manifold. Main air is identified by this symbol:

Figure 16: Pneumatic symbol of source or main air

Port 2 output connection

This port lets us make connections to other components. Remember, the

purpose of valves is to control the flow of air to other components, usually
cylinders.

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Port 3 exhaust

This port allows air trapped in the circuit to escape or exhaust. Remember,
for our cylinders to instroke and outstroke, they need the air on the other
side of the piston to escape.

Figure 17: pneumatic symbol of exhaust or air out

The 3/2 valve has two states of operation. One state prevents air from
being supplied to other components and the other allows the air to flow
freely.

State 1 off/unactuated state

In this state, the main air supply through the valve is blocked and so air is
unable to reach other components, such as cylinders. However, any air
within the cylinder is able to exhaust through the valve and this will allow
the cylinder to return to its original position.

Study the symbol below and ensure that you understand how the air flows
through the valve.

1
2
3

Figure 18
State 2 on/actuated state

In this state, the main air supply is able to flow freely through the valve

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and supply components, such as cylinders, with air.
Study the symbol below and ensure that you understand how the air flows
through the valve.

1 2
3

Figure 19: source directed by a valve

The complete symbol for a 3/2 valve combines both states and is usually
drawn in the off or unactuated state. The complete symbol is shown
below.

Figure 20: air exit through the exhaust

Gas Compressor
A gas compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of
a gas by reducing its volume. An air compressor is a specific type of gas
compressor.
Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on
a fluid and both can transport the fluid through a pipe. As gases are
compressible, the compressor also
reduces the volume of a gas. Liquids are relatively incompressible; while
some can be compressed, the main action of a pump is to pressurize and
transport liquids.Can compress air to the required pressures.

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 Figure 21: Compressors

It can convert the mechanical energy from motors and engines into the
potential energy in compressed air. A single central compressor can
supply various pneumatic components with compressed air, which is
transported through pipes from the cylinder to the pneumatic components.
Compressors can be divided into two classes: reciprocatory and rotary.

Pressure regulating component (Service Unit)

Pressure regulating components are formed by various components, each
of which has its own pneumatic symbol:
(i) Filter can remove impurities from compressed air before it is fed to the

pneumatic components.

(ii) Pressure regulator to stabilise the pressure and regulate the operation of

pneumatic components

(iii) Lubricator To provide lubrication for pneumatic components

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Figure 23: Pressure regulating component (Service Unit)

How do Pneumatics Work?

a fluid power system is one that transmits and controls energy through the
use of pressurized liquid or gas.In pneumatics, this power is air. This of
course comes from the atmosphere and is reduced in volume by
compression thus increasing its pressure.Compressed air is mainly used
to do work by acting on a piston or vane.

This is how pneumatic system work by process:

To understand how Pneumatics Work, start at the COMPRESSOR(i), the
air will flow through the connecting pipes into the PRESSURE
REGULATING COMPONENT (SERVICE UNIT) (ii) please note the the
service unit can be disregard to this process, after compression the air will

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 go into the DIRECTIONAL CONTROL VALVES(iii) to control the path of
air flow, once the air passes through the valves the air will now go into the
CYLINDER(iv) to do the job.

(iii)

(iv)

FIG. 19

(i)

(ii)
Figure 24: Schematic Diagram

Common Basic Problems and Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting a pneumatic system has been considered an art, a
science, or just hit-or-miss luck. In the minds of maintenance personnel,
production managers, and plant managers, the word troubleshooting
conjures up images of hours of downtime and lost production.

However, when reduced to its basic elements, troubleshooting a

pneumatic system is a step-by-step procedure. Using this process can
speed up the ability to determine what the problem is, the probable cause
of the malfunction or failure, and a solution. Every pneumatic circuit has a

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logical sequence of operation that can involve timing logic, pressure
sensing, position sensing, and speed regulation.Troubleshooting is
initiated when the circuit does not operate properly.
Certain general diagnostic and testing steps can be applied to any
troubleshooting problem, whether the problem occurred at startup of a
new system or at a breakdown of an existing system.

In pneumatic system there will be a time that problems occur specially on

work industry, in this report here are the problems may encounter and
here are the basic troubleshooting operations.
Symptoms Possible Causes Remedy
Hizzing Sound Loose Check the connecting
tightening/defective lines
connection of
connecting lines
Lack of Force Pressure Regulator See Regulator
Pressure Setting
Slow Movement of Dirt, dust etc. Replace Cylinders
Cylinders
No Compression Power Failure Check Power Supply
Mulfunctioned and Compressor
Compressor

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 Conclusion
In this report, a pneumatic system has been presented and analyzed. It
was found that the pneumatic system are safe, flexible, efficient, reliable,
clean, and economical to use. But in this report it also show the
disadvantages of the pneumatic system, it was also found that air has the
characteristic of easy to leak because of its compound, also potential to
noise and easy condenses. However Pneumatics considered as the
powerful air device in our generation. In addition the best advantage of
this system is it is overload safe and it is also free from frequent
maintenance operation.

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References
Directional Control Valve, control the flow of compressed air to a
cylinder.
(Compressors, pg. 24) are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure
on a fluid and both can transport the fluid through a pipe. As gases are
compressible, the compressor also reduces the volume of a gas.

(FIG. 19, pg. 33) pneumatic system work by process.

Directional Control Valve Wright, Stephen. "Norval valve performance".
Korting. Retrieved 2009-05-19, pg. 34.
Compressors; Ergo-Help Pneumatics, EHTC Telescoping Cylinders 1873,
pg. 24

Fig. 19, pg.33; Pneumatic Drives and System Design; Modelling and
Control, pg. 57.
Pneumatic System: Pressure Regulator system principles and
maintenance, by: S.R Majumdar. Pg. 43.

Pneumatic Cylinder; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatic_cylinder

Pneumatic Valve, Directional Control Valves;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatic_valve_springs
Gas Compressor; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_compressor

Characteristics of Pneumatics system; Pneumatics Extreme, pg. 12.

Table and Data; Pneumatics (Power Transmission Maintenance)(Brief
Article) Source: Plant Engineering. Publication Date: 01-MAR-04, pg 13.
Other pneumatics image and description; Technological Studies
Pneumatics System. History of Pneumatics; Frederick University
HYDRAULICS AND PNEUMATICS LAB: AMEE 310.docx, pg. 2.

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Appendix: Pneumatic System

There may exist differences in appearance and sizes of pneumatic

components produced by different manufacturers. However, the functions
and operating methods among these components are similar. The
following are the pictures and cross section diagrams of the pneumatic
components made by another manufacturer for your reference.

1. Pneumatic components for the production and transportation of

compressed air
(a) Compressor

FIG. 25

(b) Pressure regulating component

FIG. 26

FIG. 27

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2. Pneumatic components for consumption of compressed air
(a) Single acting cylinder

FIG. 28

(b) Double acting cylinder

FIG. 29

(c) 3/2 Directional control valve

FIG. 30

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(d) 5/2 Directional control valve

FIG. 31

3. Other component
(a) Connecting pipe

FIG. 32

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