Jean Mercier (engineer)
Jean Mercier (1901–1971), a Frenchman, was known as the father of the bladder-type hydraulic accumulator. Mercier fled France for the United States during the Nazi invasion, eventually settling in New York City. After meeting Edward M. Greer in 1940, the two founded Greer Hydraulics (in 1942) to produce aircraft hydraulic components. In 1943, Jean Mercier recognized an opportunity for his bladder type accumulators in Hamilton Standard's hydromatic propellers. They needed a device that would fit inside the dome of their propeller, and have the ability to store sufficient hydraulic fluid to "wikt:feather, feather" the propeller on an engine failure that might be experienced in combat. It also had to be able to function at temperatures from −40 °F to +180 °F. There was a single insurmountable problem—weight, which was a problem since World War II aircraft were quite small. The use of a gas/oil separator, today called a bladder, solved the problem. Greer and Mercier ...
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Hydraulic Accumulator
A hydraulic accumulator is a pressure storage reservoir in which an incompressible hydraulic fluid is held under pressure that is applied by an external source of mechanical energy. The external source can be an engine, a spring, a raised weight, or a compressed gas.Although liquids are generally considered to be practically incompressible, gases may be compressed and this compressed gas is a convenient energy store. An accumulator enables a hydraulic system to cope with extremes of demand using a less powerful pump, to respond more quickly to a temporary demand, and to smooth out pulsations. It is a type of energy storage device. Compressed gas accumulators, also called hydro-pneumatic accumulators, are by far the most common type. Types of accumulators Towers The first accumulators for William Armstrong's hydraulic dock machinery were simple raised water towers. Water was pumped to a tank at the top of these towers by steam pumps. When dock machinery required hydraulic po ...
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