A hydraulic cylinder is a linear actuator used to push or pull a load, or to selectively resist motion under load, by means of fluid pressure. Double-acting cylinders, the most common type, are able to push and pull (fig. 1). High pressure fluid pumped into the extend chamber (port “A”) acts on the piston to push the piston rod out, thereby extending the length of the cylinder. Inversely, to retract the piston rod and reduce the length of the assembly, high pressure fluid is pumped into the retract chamber (port “B”) and acts on the opposite side of the piston.
Other cylinder types are shown in table 1. A cylinder which can only push but not pull is referred to as a single-acting cylinder. High pressure fluid is pumped into the extend chamber (port “A”) and acts on the piston to push the piston rod out. An external force is required to return the cylinder to the retracted position. A typical application for a single-acting cylinder is a lift truck, where the load of the fork pushes the cylinder back. Multi-stage cylinders (also referred to as telescoping cylinders) have two or more piston rods in a coaxial arrangement to achieve greater extended length compared to the retracted length.