International Fluid Power Experts Meet Virtually to Continue ISO Standards Development

October was a busy month for ISO/TC 131, Fluid power systems. A total of 16 subcommittees and working groups met throughout the month. Over 100 fluid power engineers from Italy, Sweden, France, Germany, Turkey, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Japan, Sweden, China, Portugal and the United States came together to further the advancement of ISO standards. The Working Groups focused on terms and symbols, product testing, hydraulic installations and systems, cylinders, sealing devices, treatment of air and pneumatic component reliability.

TC 131 is responsible for 237 published standards, with 33 currently under development. The technical committee also reviewed and updated its Strategic Business Plan with no change in the scope:

Standardization in the field of fluid power systems and components, comprising terminology, construction, principal dimensions, safety requirements and testing and inspection methods.

To include such components as: accumulators, compressed air dryers, conductors (rigid and flexible), cylinders, electro-hydraulic and electro-pneumatic components and systems, fittings, fluidic devices, hose fittings and assemblies, filters and separators, fluids, hydraulic pumps, motors, moving-part fluid controls, pneumatic lubricators, regulators, quick-action couplings, reservoirs, sealing devices, valves.

Work continues to ballot, publish, reaffirm, update/revise, or withdraw fluid power standards. Recently published standards included:

• ISO/TS 13725:2021, Hydraulic fluid power — Method for evaluating the buckling load of a hydraulic cylinder
• ISO 6195, Fluid power systems and components — Cylinder-rod wiper-ring housings in reciprocating applications — Dimensions and tolerances
• ISO 11943, Hydraulic fluid power — Online automatic particle-counting systems for liquids — Methods of calibration and validation
• ISO 23369, Hydraulic fluid power — Multi-pass method of evaluating filtration performance of a filter element under cyclic flow conditions

The virtual setting has enabled a number of experts in the U.S. technical advisory groups to join international experts at the standards development table. NFPA thanks all the U.S. participants for their support and welcomes NFPA members to be active participants in the ISO standards community.

Individual U.S. technical advisory group and ISO working group project meetings are being scheduled in the spring to continue to progress the standards development work. A decision will be made by the end of the year as to whether the TC 131, fluid power systems 2022 spring meetings will be held in-person or virtually the week of May 16 – 20, 2022.

If you would like to join one of the working groups here in the U.S., attend a meeting, and/or learn more about the development of fluid power ISO standards, contact Denise Husenica at (414) 778-3354 or email dhusenica@nfpa.com.