Pressure waves in hydraulic systems can cause control valves to become un-stable during operation and also contribute to vibration and noise. These undesirable pulses must be filter-filtered out or at least reduced in magnitude, in order to optimize the performance of fluid power systems and their controls. Reduction in pressure wave amplitude also reduces wear and damage to system parts [13].*
The fluid pump is usually the primary source of pressure pulsations. These waves travel throughout the fluid system. Therefore, it becomes advantageous to reduce the amplitude of the pressure waves as close to the source as possible [16].
A method of reducing the pressure waves by use of a carefully selected volume in the flow line is described. A successful mathematical means of sizing the desired attenuator volume is outlined. The mathematical model can be used with any computer simulation program. Some of these are mentioned by Bowns and others [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,18,19]. A properly sized attenuator volume is useful over a range of frequencies and pressure amplitudes, which makes it desireable for many systems. The method was developed in the agricultural tractor manufacturing industry and has proven to be successful in application.