Hydraulic Hoses Reinforcement - Braided vs Spiral

 

As construction machinery equipment evolves with our ever-expanding project requirements to be bigger, better, faster – it is imperative that its associated parts can keep up with demanding workloads. That’s why the hydraulic hose has matured from being just a heavy-duty rubber pipe.

 

These days, a hydraulic hose is constructed by an inner and outer rubber sheath, containing a reinforcing metal wire layer between the two. The construction of this middle wire component falls into two categories – braided & spiral.

 

The structure of the braided hose is assembled by interlocking steel in a criss-cross formation, like a metal cloth. The best feature of the braided hose is that it offers greater flexibility due to its lower bend radius (the degree at which a hose can bend back on itself). This presents better practicality when the hose must operate in a tight spaced hydraulic system. The wire braided hose are manufactured for medium & high pressures, and can be made stronger with additional bands, referred to as one-wire hoses, two-wire hoses etc. 

The downside to the wire braided hose it that it does not cope with high-impulse applications – rapid pulses in the systems’ pressure over a short period of time, like in a jackhammer. This expansion & contraction separates the braids over time. This process can also cause the braids to become hot as the overlapping wires create friction, thus putting the hose in risk of failure and a shorter life span.

 

The reinforcement wires in a spiral constructed hydraulic hose remain parallel as they perpendicularly wrap around the hose in layers. You will find spiral wire hoses in heavy duty construction equipment and are designed for its strength and high-impulse applications. 

This hose does not offer great flexibility like its braided counterpart but does offer maximum pressure capacity for heavy duty hydraulic projects. 

 

While both types of hoses are manufactured for their specific function in construction machinery, choosing the right hydraulic hose can be a difficult task, since a variety of factors must be taken into consideration.