WDK highlights crucial role of rubber in hydraulic hoses

Frankfurt, Germany - German rubber industry association the WDK has highlighted the critical role of elastomer materials in hydraulic systems.

In particular, the manufacturers' group described rubber-based hydraulic hoses as "indispensable components in modern construction machinery."

The focus forms part of WDK’s ongoing series “Rubber – We save the world,” which aims to demonstrate how rubber underpins everyday industrial applications.

In its latest release, WDK said hydraulic hoses are used wherever rigid pipes are unsuitable for fluid transfer, particularly in machines with hydraulic assemblies such as excavators.

In these applications, hydraulic hoses transfer power from the machine to moving components like excavator buckets, enabling construction work to take place in the first place.

“A hydraulic hose is a flexible connecting element consisting of three components: an outer cover, an inner lining and steel wire reinforcements,” said Volker Krings, chief chemist at WDK.

For the hydraulics to function properly, the rubber hose material is "crucial," he added.

The rubber material, Krings explained, combines flexibility with the ability to withstand high pressures.

According to WDK, suitable synthetic rubbers are used to ensure resistance to the pressure medium and to protect hoses from external damage caused by weathering, ozone, abrasion, temperature extremes and chemicals.

The requirements are particularly demanding for so-called high-pressure hydraulic hoses, which can consist of up to nine alternating layers of rubber and steel wire windings.

"To achieve this, such hydraulic hoses work reliably in extreme temperature ranges from -40 to +120 degrees to 420 bar operating pressure," Krings added.

“In this way, hydraulic hoses ensure optimal power transmission,” Krings said. “Without excavators, no construction sites; and without hydraulic hoses, no excavators.”