Educational Webinars
Below is a series of videos that are available for student teams to download and review to learn more about fluid power as it relates to the Vehicle Challenge program, including the required safety video and PowerPoint.
Download & Review Educational Materials
The materials below give a solid foundation of fluid power knowledge as it relates to the Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge.
Questions about any of the content shown here? Contact us at workforce@nfpa.com.
Educational Webinar Library
Safety PowerPoint (Mandatory)
Fluid power safety is of the utmost importance. All program participants are required to review this presentation on fluid power safety.
Objectives:
- Personal Safety
- Lab Safety
- Equipment Safety
- Chemical Safety
- Design Safety
Safety PowerPoint
Safety Video (Mandatory)
Fluid power safety is of the utmost importance. All program participants are required to review this presentation on fluid power safety. NOTE: This video contains graphic images of actual injection injuries and what was required to properly treat them to underline the importance of safety.
Duration: 33 minutes
Objectives:
- Dangers of suddenly released stored energy
- How to keep people out of harms way
- Dangers of high-pressure fluid injection and what to do if that happens
- Creating a culture that recognizes and protects again fluid power injuries
Safety Video
Sizing Components Webinar (Mandatory)
Duration: 60 minutes
Objectives:
- Calculate the pull of the vehicle
- Calculate the torque of the drive wheel
- Determine your system pressure (PSI)
- Size the drive motor for cubic inches per revolution (CIR)
- Calculate wheel RPM
- Calculate GPM (gallons per minute)
- Calculate HP (Horsepower)
- Size the hydraulic lines
- Size the pump
Sizing Components Webinar
Testing Efficiency Webinar (Mandatory)
Duration: 25 minutes
Objectives:
- List of necessary equipment needed for testing
- Schematics and formulas for calculating:
- Volumetric, Mechanical, and overall efficiency
- Show pictures of setups and testing
Testing Efficiency Webinar
Mounts & Case Drains Webinar (Mandatory)
Duration: 25 minutes
Objectives:
- Identify different pump mounts
- Understand when to use case drains
*Note: Refer to the Lightening Reference Handbook
Mounts & Case Drains Video
Determining the Accumulator Pre-Charge for the Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge Competition
Duration: 30 minutes
Objectives:
- Understand metric and standard equations to determine optimal charge
- Understand how to use gauges with different types of accumulators
Ernie Parker's PowerPoint
Accumulator Pre-Charge
Fundamentals of Fluid Power
Duration: Varies
Objectives:
- Benefits and limitations of fluid power compared with other power transmission technologies
- Operation, use and symbols of common hydraulic components
- How to formulate and analyze models of hydraulic components and circuits
- How to design and predict the performance of fluid power circuits
Fundamentals of Fluid Power Webinar
Choosing the Right Cylinders and Pumps with Dan Turner
Duration: 1 hour
Objectives:
- Identify a variety of cylinders and pumps
- Learn the features of different cylinders and pumps
- Discuss how to select the right cylinder or pump for your application
Choosing the Right Cylinders and Pumps
Components of a Hydraulic System
- Identify the major components commonly found in hydraulic systems
- Learn about the selection properties of cylinders
- Discuss types of pumps
- Learn about types of valves and reservoirs
- Discuss types of accumulators and their applications
Components of a Hydraulic System
Dan Turner, president of GPM provides this overview of fluid power. His webinar includes:
- Why use hydraulics as a power source
- Where hydraulics is used
- Basic principles of fluid power
- Real-world application of math & physics
- Basic flow dynamics
Overview of Fluid Power
Dan Turner, GPM Controls, presents an overview of fluid power.
GPM Controls, Accumulator Use and Safety
Objectives:
- Accumulator description
- 3 types of accumulators
- Applications for accumulators
- Safety tips
Accumulator Use and Safety
Dan Turner of GPM Controls offers this explanation of how to understand schematics.
Duration: 60 minutes
Objectives:
- Learn how a fluid power system can be represented by a schematic and its symbols
- Learn how to read a schematic and follow the flow path of the fluid
- Discuss why a schematic is helpful for troubleshooting and design
Understanding Schematics
Iowa Fluid Power, Use of Electronics
Objectives:
- Why Electronics
- Displays
- Logic and Valve Drivers
- Control “Kits”
- Electro-Hydraulic Valves
- Pressure Reducing Application
IFP Motion Solutions, Inc., Use of Electronics
How and Why to Get Certified in Fluid Power
Duration: 30 minutes
Objectives:
- Background of the International Fluid Power Society (IFPS)
- Hydraulic Specialist Certification
- Pneumatic Specialist Certification
- Master Certification Pathways
- How certifications enhance your career
- How to Get Certified
- The Cost of Certification
IFPS Certification Presentation
IFPS Webinar with Ernie Parker: How to Size an Accumulator
Duration: 40 minutes
Objectives:
- Basic calculations for pressure and volume when using all of the oil
- Basic calculations when using part of the accumulator volume
- Sizing an accumulator for a change in temperature
- Sizing an accumulator with an isothermal condition
- Sizing an accumulator with an adiabatic condition
- Setting a pre-charge pressure
- Charging accumulator
For more webinars like this one, please consider joining the International Fluid Power Society.
PowerPoint: IFPS Accumulator Sizing Webinar Nov. 2023 #2
IFPS Webinar with Ernie Parker: How to Size an Accumulator
Introduction to Fluid Power
Duration: 45 minutes
Objectives:
- Define fluid power systems
- Compare hydraulic and pneumatic systems
- Basic fluid power devices and their associated schematics
- Identify critical fluid power properties, pressure, flow rate, and valve position
- Discuss how these properties must be controlled and measured by a fluid power system to control the strength, speed, and direction of resultant mechanical output.
Introduction to Fluid Power Systems Video
VEST Inc., Manifold Design Basics (Optional)
Duration: 30 minutes
Objectives:
- Custom manifold context, advantages, and drawbacks
- Custom manifold design – options available to student teams
- Introduction to manifold concepts and design considerations
Manifold Design Basics
Norgren, Use of Pneumatics and Applications
Duration: 32 minutes
- Review of Competition Rules
- Why Pneumatics
- Suggested applications to Consider
- Suggested products you will need
- Safety
- Circuits and products
Norgren, the Use of Pneumatics and Applications
Tube Flaring, Bending and Assembly
Duration: 50 minutes
Objectives:
- Comparison of tubing and hoses
- Necessary equipment
- Flaring Procedures
- Tube Bending
- Relevant Calculation
Tube Flaring, Bending and Assembly
VEST Inc., Hydraulic Circuit Design using NetSkeme Hydraulics
Duration: 30 minutes
Objectives:
- Create a hydraulic schematic from scratch
- Create a Parts List utilizing the components within a schematic
- Save a DWG or PDF of a hydraulic schematic
- Build custom hydraulic and pneumatic symbols
- Access the NetSkeme Help section for further clarification
Hydraulic Circuit Design using NetSkeme Hydraulics - Overview
Twenty-three short tutorials provided by VEST, Inc. on using NetSkeme.
NetSkeme Tutorials
Playlist of short videos provided by VEST