Separator keeps air out of braking systems

Air or other gases entrapped in hydraulic circuits can cause erratic operation and lead to the formation of foam — which can be especially dangerous in braking systems. In a search for a reliable method to ensure that air would not get into the energy-assisted braking system of its machines, a manufacturer of mobile agricultural equipment found just that.

Designers at the OEM discovered that Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, Weinheim, Germany, developed a new gas/air separator specially for this application. The separator, removes proportions of dissolved gasses from the volume required for the application of the brakes in a small hydraulic container. With a specially shaped inlet, partitions, and a “calming channel”, the device can separate even the smallest gas bubbles from the hydraulic fluid safely and efficiently. The completely bubble-free fluid is then available for the safe application of the brakes; the separated entrapped gas is returned to the hydraulic reservoir.

Freudenberg developed the separator, and the machinery was fitted with function specimens from the preliminary development department. At the end of the testing and simulation phase on the agricultural machinery manufacturer’s test bench, minor improvements were made to the inside of the separator. Once these improvements were made, the all-new product was ready for series production.