Hydraulic Test Bench

While interning at Level Engineering, I also designed a hydraulic test bench for calibrating two types of load sensors. The test bench consists of a metal frame to stabilize the 6' probe stick, a load cell to measure against, a hydraulic pump, and a piston to actuate a given load on the sensors. The cylinder in which the probe sits has a metal collar to test the friction sensor as well as the point load sensor.

One of the difficulties I encountered was fitting the outer frame to the hydraulic pump, as the frame was manufactured with BSPT and the pump with NPT threads. The stackup of adapters I designed is shown in the sketch below. To convert from NPT to BSPT in a minimal amount of components I manufactured a custom adapter from a large bolt. Reducing the number of connection greatly simplifies the assembly and maintenance of the test bench in the field, and minimizes failure points. My design also features a bleeding port, an essential component in any hydraulic compressive system.