Michał Stosiak, Marek Lubecki, Mykola Karpenko
Due to a number of advantages, such as the high power-to-weight ratio of the system, the possibility of easy control and the freedom of arrangement of the system components on the machine, hydrostatic drive is one of the most popular methods of machine drive. The actuators in such a system are hydraulic cylinders that convert fluid pressure energy into mechanical energy for reciprocating motion. One disadvantage of conventional actuators is their weight, so research is being conducted to make them as light as possible. Directions for this research include the use of modern engineering materials such as composites and plastics. This paper presents the possibility of using new lightweight yet strong materials for the design of a hydraulic cylinder. The base of the hydraulic cylinder were designed and subjected to FEM numerical analyses. The base was made of PET. In addition, a composite cylinder made of wound carbon fibre was subjected to numerical analyses and experimental validation. The numerical calculations were verified in experimental studies. To improve the reliability of the numerical calculations, the material parameters of the composite materials were determined experimentally instead of being taken from the manufacturer’s data sheets. The composite cylinder achieved a weight reduction of approximately 94.4% compared to a steel cylinder (95.5 g vs. 1704 g). Under an internal pressure of 20 MPa, the composite cylinder exhibited markedly higher circumferential strain (4329 μm/m) than the steel cylinder (339.6 μm/m), and axial strain was also greater (−1237 μm/m vs. −96.4 μm/m).