One of the most important laboratories on the national territory rely on FPT for the construction of a very special hydraulic actuator. State-of-the-art tests and studies play a key role in structural engineering, and in particular in the seismic field, in fact, by exploiting the most innovative technologies, they allow testing structures and materials in conditions very close to those of real use. The performance of the experimental equipment allows to carry out research on large-scale prototypes, in both static and dynamic conditions, thus reducing the uncertainties of interpretation and correlation with real conditions.

The hydraulic actuator in question was developed at the specific request of the customer, and then used to test the anti seismic devices. The number of cycles expected for each test is 2.000.000 which imposes a working frequency of 1 Hz, that is, a complete cycle per second. The developed force is 4000 kN. The complete cycle involved 2 tests of 2 million cycles each for a total of 4 million cycles on the piston.

To give high working frequency and to maintain maximum reliability, FPT – Fluid Power Technology has developed a special pack of gaskets capable of sustaining such a demanding work rhythm. Furthermore, to avoid local overheating, it was decided to equip with cooling liquid the cylinder. The double walled cylinder body allows the coolant that arrive from a chiller unit in the customer’s testing laboratory to keep the heat under control.

The customer was thus able to conclude the tests within the scheduled time using the FPT hydraulic actuator.