Hydraulic cushioning system design
Linear cushioning by AHP Merkle
Linear cushioning may be AHP Merkle's most underrated development. Hydraulic cushioning has been available for many years and is probably available from every manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders. However, the solutions of different manufacturers very greatly in quality.
The solution previously offered by AHP Merkle had a good position in the middle ranks, but it certainly was not the best on the market. And we wanted to change that. To achieve this, we wanted to understand every detail of what exactly happens in such cushionings. In the end, this undertaking resulted in a huge investment. A large part of the investments for the AHP Merkle Technical Center at the time went into the mass test bench and the associated hydraulic equipment / sensor technology.
This investment enabled us to answer the last remaining questions on cushioning and to harmonize the mathematical model with reality.
We adapted and further developed some of our products as a result, and have now expanded our portfolio with customized cushioning design for customer applications in cases where off-the-shelf linear cushioning is not sufficient.
More about linear cushioning
Cushioning design requires accurate information on the moving mass and its orientation (horizontal or vertical), specifications of when the cylinder needs to cushion (when retracting or extending or both), and information on the desired speed.
We can make initial calculations based on this data. This if often a fairly quick and straightforward process. In some cases it can be a lot of work, too, but we have always found a solution so far. We do not shy away from challenges here.
The largest linear cushioning we have designed so far is a passenger transport application with a maximum mass of 24 tons moving vertically at 1 m/s. This application was successfully implemented upon completion of the very extensive engineering services provided for this design.