MACHINERY LUBRICATION- INDIA NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2019 | Page 22

Jack Weeks | GPM Hydraulic Consulting
HYDRAULICS
What You Should
Know About Hydraulic
Flow Dividers
“The
problem with
flow dividers
is that
even new
actuators
will bypass
different
amounts of
flow.”
Flow d iv iders a re
common components in
hydraulic systems. They
are used whenever it is
important to deliver equal flow
to two or more actuators or sets
of actuators in a series. There are
two types of flow dividers: the
motor type and the orifice type.
This article will focus on the motor
type, as shown on the right.
Motor Type
The motor type is comprised of
two or more motors (usually gear
motors) sharing a shaft. There is a
single input shared by the motors
and an output for each. The
hydraulic symbol can be seen in
the illustration below.
If a flow divider has two motors,
Crossport Relief
Valves
Flow Divider Outlets
(Inlet on Opposite Side)
An example of a flow divider
each of the same displacement,
it is called a 50-50 flow divider,
as it delivers half the flow that is
input out of each motor. However,
this type of flow divider can be
configured with as many motors
as needed, and the displacement
of each motor can be different.
For example, if one motor has a
A flow divider schematic symbol
20 | November - December 2019 |
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displacement that is three times
that of the second motor, it would
be called a 75-25 flow divider. Any
combination may be designed, but
the most common are those with
motors of equal displacement so
the input flow is divided equally
between each outlet to the actu-
ators. If the actuators are also of
A flow divider symbol with crossport relief valves