Steelhead’s engineers harnessed the advanced material benefits of carbonfiber and introduced them to the traditionally heavy field of hydraulics. Lighter, stronger, simpler (and much more attractive), Steelhead has removed 86% of the mass from a traditional diaphragm accumulator with a patented thin-walled shell reinforced with composites. At Steelhead Composites, we have reinforced all types of products with composites to decrease weight and enhance performance, such as fluid power. We decided to do a side-by-side comparison of a legacy steel accumulator with identical volume (2L) and pressure rating (200 bar/3,000psi): not only is Steelhead’s novel offering a mere 14% of the weight but has a much simpler design with no welds, fewer components and therefore less points of potential failure. Overall Mass: 1.4kg vs 10.0 kg Wall thickness: 6.8mm vs 13.1mm Part count: 4 vs. 7 Welds: 0 vs. 3 Steelhead’s diaphragm accumulators are used in performance automotive, suspension, robotics, aerospace, maritime and industrial applications and are available from 0.5L to 2L of internal volume.
