Energy efficient drive system with digital hydraulic cylinder for construction and agricultural machinery

Given the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, new energy-efficient solutions can be adopted for construction and agricultural machinery. Such a solution is a digital hydraulic cylinder that uses several active areas and a constant pressure supply with which a gradual variation of the driving force can be obtained. Traditional hydraulic systems have high energy losses due to the need to direct and throttle the flow through different valves. The article presents simulations in the AMESim environment and laboratory experiments of a digital hydraulic cylinder with three active areas. Through numerical simulations, the authors aim to highlight the energy efficiency of a digital hydraulic cylinder compared to a hydraulic cylinder in a conventional drive.