Title:A Linear Digital Hydraulic AmplifierAuthor(s):Ingo Biedermann, Rudolf Scheidl, Andreas PlöckingerAbstract:A digital modification of the classical linear hydraulic amplifier is presented. Instead of one cylinder several cylinders are employed which are switched to pressure or tank line depending on the current force requirement. Control is not based on throttling but on the activation of the appropriate number of cylinders by switching valves. Different stepping of cylinders, depending on the required force characteristics, may be employed. In this paper uniform and binary stepping are investigated. Control is based on a common pilot line for the switching valves which switch at different threshold values of the pilot pressure. Position control is achieved by transferring the control error and its time derivative in a flow signal to the hydraulic pilot line by means of a proportional valve and a hydraulic cylinder. A numerical study of the performance with a uniform and a binary cylinder stepping is presented.Booktitle:Proceedings of the Fourth Workshop on Digital Fluid Power, 21-22 September, 2011, Linz, AustriaISBN:978-3-200-02377-2Page Reference:page 75-89, 16 page(s)Publishing:9/2011