Noise Control in Hydraulic Systems

Most modern equipment uses hydraulics to supply necessary power and motion around the circuit. This means that the fluid power designer has a responsible role to play in controlling the level of radiated noise. He should be thinking about noise control while developing the overall design. He should be aware of the steps that can he introduced to meet legislative requirements and not rely on ‘after the fact’ boxes and wrappings. In other words he must ‘design in’ noise and vibration control at the design stage.

This paper attempts to review some of the principles behind noise control design. Unfortunately it may only serve to highlight how much we have yet to learn about the topic.