In this Fluid Power Forum episode, host Eric Lanke interviews Trevor Combs, global technical manager for off-highway at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, about preventing external hydraulic leakage in linear rod applications using a system-level approach emphasized in NFPA’s whitepaper “Preventing Leaks in Fluid Power Systems.”

Combs explains how leakage is driven by interactions among the counter surface (rod substrate, coating, and surface finish), the hydraulic fluid (viscosity index, temperature range, cleanliness/contamination control, lubrication), and the seal system (geometry, materials, and multiple components like primary/secondary seals, wear rings, and wipers). He discusses balancing lubrication film versus leak prevention across extension and retraction strokes, key variables such as pressure, speed, duty cycle, and surface roughness beyond Ra, and innovations including back-pumping seals, pressure-relief buffer seals with integrated check valves, and venting wipers.

Future focus areas include surface treatments, moving away from chrome, PFAS-free materials, compatibility with sustainable fluids, and predictive maintenance using customer data.

Host Eric Lanke commemorates the 10-year anniversary of NFPA’s Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge, where university teams simulate, design, build, test, and race hydraulics- and pneumatics-powered vehicles, judged on efficiency, speed/acceleration, regenerative braking, and sustained performance; the program hit a record 32 participating universities.

Guests Dr. Jake Swanson (Minnesota State University, Mankato), Dr. Brian Steward (Iowa State University), and longtime technical liaison Ernie Parker (recently retired from Hennepin Technical College) discuss how the competition’s resources and industry mentoring support student learning, how the challenge has scaled to multiple sites and improved rules over time, and common hurdles such as design, component sizing, ordering and time management, and limited hands-on shop skills. They share memorable competition moments and advise new teams to start early, ask mentors for help, and plan extra time for debugging, emphasizing workforce development and pathways into the fluid power industry.

Fluid Power Forum host Eric Lanke interviews Paul Michael, director of the Fluid Power Institute at Milwaukee School of Engineering, about NFPA’s whitepaper “Preventing Leaks in Fluid Power Systems.” Michael shares his background in lubricant formulation and hydraulic testing and describes MSOE’s hands-on fluid power education. The discussion explains why leak prevention is critical to hydraulics because pressurized fluid stresses connectors, hoses, tubes, and seals, affecting reputation and sustainability.

A committee of about 25 contributors developed the report and conducted a voice-of-the-customer survey, with 75% reporting leakage problems tied to customer satisfaction, downtime, and warranty costs. Adapters and connectors were cited as the largest component-related leakage source, with 31 causes identified across design, installation, mounting, selection, and material compatibility. Michael emphasizes application-driven design to minimize maintenance, the importance of standards (including SAE hose and performance tests), and avoiding tapered pipe threads in favor of modern straight-thread and O-ring sealing approaches.

Host Eric Lanke welcomes Ehren Polheber, corporate fluid power engineer at Scot Forge, to discuss how material science and selection affect hydraulic systems and fluid power component manufacturing. Polheber shares his 22-year fluid power background and 14-year tenure designing and troubleshooting large forging equipment, and explains that correct material grades and heat treatments are critical to avoid catastrophic failures under high loads while enabling lightweight designs in mobile equipment.

He outlines a selection process based on applied loads, operating conditions (fatigue, temperature, corrosion), trade-offs (strength, machinability), and cost of ownership, noting that supplier-customer collaboration is essential. The episode compares casting and forging: castings offer near-net complex shapes at lower cost, while forgings reduce porosity and align grain flow for high-stress, mission-critical hydraulic applications.

Host Eric Lanke interviews Barun Acharya, system engineering manager for electrification at Parker Hannifin, about energy efficiency gains from electrified hydraulics and insights tied to NFPA’s white paper and a CONEXPO technology conference. Acharya describes how emissions rules, noise limits, and ESG mandates are driving electrification, and outlines key challenges including unclear duty cycles (addressed via energy mapping), power-density mismatch between hydraulic and electric actuators, complex system integration (CAN, software, EMC, operator feel), and revealed hydraulic noise once diesel is removed.

He explains that traditional inefficiency is largely the engine–pump coupling, while smart hybrid architectures use batteries to buffer transients and run engines near optimal BSFC. He details a hybrid backhoe case with engine downsizing and indoor electric operation, enabled by sensors, data, and machine-learning use for duty-cycle classification, predictive maintenance, and operator coaching.