Fluid Power Lab Improvements for Electrical Control

The University of Kentucky currently has one Fluid Power course, and it is offered in the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department (BAE 515). This course is an Introduction to Fluid Power Systems and includes both a lecture and a weekly laboratory exercise. The laboratory exercises are performed on training benches and focus on the fundamentals of circuit construction and operation. They use manually operated valves (flow control, directional control, pressure relief, etc.) Mechanical Engineering is going to add the class as an option for students in their major. This should hopefully significantly increase the number of students in the course from 3 or 4 to 15 or even more. Some course changes (especially equipment in the laboratory) are necessary to support this increase in student numbers but another critical need is to update the laboratory exercises and equipment to align with current practices in machinery design and the fluid power industry where electrical control has become more common. Manual control valves are excellent for providing students with a concrete, physical understanding of the operation of fluid power circuits, but an Introduction to Fluid Power course needs to include electrical control as it is one of the most common control techniques. Danfoss has provided their Plus+1 controllers, Plus+1 Joysticks, and Plus+1 programming environment for the laboratory. In this proposal, I am requesting support to purchase the electric solenoid-controlled valves that will let me integrate these controllers with my current laboratory exercises. This will let students develop a solid foundation using manual control, and then gain experience with the same systems using electrical control. Finally, they will get to explore the unique circuit options that are provided using electronic feedback and control.