The calibration was attempted again, but this time only 20kN of applied force could be reached. The engineers checked the pressure, but it was not able to perform the required pressures, reaching only 50-60bar.
We believed there could be two possible reasons; there could be an issue causing the pump to dump the oil in the system, therefore reverting the pressure back to the tank instead of the actuator, or an issue may have arisen in the pump due to it running dry when both HPUs were connected to the manifold.
In addition to this, it was found that there was a slow leak within the actuator from the connection points between some of the hoses and the actuator. The hoses had noticeable damage on the outer layer from constant use over time.
"We made several recommendations to our customer to help them maintain their machines more efficiently. The hydraulic power pack would require further investigation, as the lack of pressure could cause further damage to the system."
Following the calibration, the Phoenix engineers made several recommendations, including:
- Further investigation is needed to examine the smaller HPU to find out why the pressure reading is so low when the pump is engaged
- New hoses are required on the small HPU to avoid any further leaking or damage
- Over the next six months, the load cell needs to be observed carefully to ensure that it continues to operate as expected. The Phoenix service and calibration engineers will return in six months to conduct a calibration check to see if any further drifting has occurred and replace if required.
It is important to carry out preventative maintenance checks during calibration visits so that any issues can be identified and rectified. Poor machine performance can lead to complete failure and a loss of function, resulting in machine downtime and costly repairs.
If you would like to find out more about our service and calibration plans, and how we can help provide a full maintenance programme for your test machines, contact us on 01384 382 253 or contact us online.