The first uses of hydraulics can be traced back to the 6000's B.C. when water was used to power irrigation systems by the ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians. Several centuries later in 1647, Pascal's Law was discoverd.
The industrial revolution helped expand its use cases even further and in the late 1800s some of the first pieces of construction equipment and other heavy machinery started using hydraulics. Use of hydraulics only grew from there. When Power & Motion, originally called Applied Hydraulics, was started in 1948, it was stated in the editor's letter that after utilizing hydraulics in the majority of planes built for World War II that much was learned about the technology and how it could be applied in a range of other industries.
Visit the historical equipment page of Construction Equipment, an Endeavor Business Media partner site, to learn more about the use of fluid power and other technologies in construction and mining equipment over the centuries.
This media gallery is part of our coverage honoring Power & Motion's 75th anniversary and the many innovations which have taken place in hydraulics and pneumatics during that time.
Visit our State of the Industry hub for more coverage related to our 75th anniversary as well as other insights from members of the industry on the current and future state of fluid power.
Since the earliest uses of hydraulics — the transmission of power via pressurized fluid, typically oil but sometimes water — the technology has continued to advance and evolve. Today there is ever greater integration of electronics and communication protocols to help improve hydraulic system performance.
HAWE Hydraulik said it expects this trend to continue in the coming decades as well as efforts to enable higher operating pressures and increased focus on improving the energy efficiency of hydraulic systems.
As Moog Inc. stated to Power & Motion, the hydraulics industry has evolved from simple mechanical feedback servo valves to electro-hydraulic solutions to fully electric power and motion control applications as the market and customer requirements have changed.
Within this media gallery you'll see how hydraulic components and systems have evolved over the past 75 years, helping shine a light on where it has come from and where it could be headed in the decades to come.
About the Author
Sara Jensen
Executive Editor, Power & Motion
Sara Jensen is executive editor of Power & Motion, directing expanded coverage into the modern fluid power space, as well as mechatronic and smart technologies. She has over 15 years of publishing experience. Prior to Power & Motion she spent 11 years with a trade publication for engineers of heavy-duty equipment, the last 3 of which were as the editor and brand lead. Over the course of her time in the B2B industry, Sara has gained an extensive knowledge of various heavy-duty equipment industries — including construction, agriculture, mining and on-road trucks —along with the systems and market trends which impact them such as fluid power and electronic motion control technologies.
You can follow Sara and Power & Motion via the following social media handles:
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