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Hydraulics

Hydraulics is a branch of both science and engineering that deals with fluids in motion as well as with the use of fluids for the execution of mechanical tasks. The theoretical groundwork of hydraulics lies in fluid mechanics, the engineering aspect focuses on the practical applications of fluid properties (such as turbines, fluid control circuitry, dam design, pipe flow, even river behavior and erosion). The fluids that are utilized in hydraulic systems are usually water, oil, or other such incompressible liquids. But the fluids used can sometimes be gases, provided that the effects of their compressibility are small enough.

Hydraulic systems function on the basis of pistons that apply pressure to fluid contained in cylinders, which in turn apply pressure to other pistons that give energy to a load. The areas of two pistons can be distinct, and, in such cases, produce varying degrees of applied force (known as mechanical advantage.)

Hydraulics can be divided into two main categories: hydrostatics (which handles issues related to fluids at rest, such as water pressure on dams) and hydrokinetics (which handles issues relayed to fluids in motion, such as water flow through pipes.)

Web Resources On Hydraulics

How Hydraulic Machines Work
Wikipedia: Hydraulics

Book Resources On Hydraulics

Schaum's Outline of Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics by Ranald V. Giles, et al
Hydrology and Hydraulic Systems by Ram S. Gupta

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