Power Steering
Hose
The power steering
hose connects the power steering pump to the cylinders that enables
a vehicle to turn left and right easily. Also known as the power steering
pump or PS pump, it takes a pressurized power steering fluid right into
the steering rack and uses it to control a steering wheel's rate of
turn.
Aside from its use
in power steering lines, it is also being utilized in hydraulics, air,
fuel and lubricating oil applications. It contains resistant fabric
cover and a patented synthetic rubber tube and is outfitted with standard
steel reusable fittings.
A hydraulic pump
driven by a belt from a crankshaft pulley to provide up to 1,300 psi
(8,964kPa) of "boost" pressure needed to operate the power-steering
system. The power steering systems are made up of two hoses – a high-pressure
hose and a low-pressure hose.
Made up of a reinforced
synthetic compound, the high-pressure hose have hose fittings that are
usually double-flared compression fittings while the low-pressure hose
may not use compression fittings due to the lesser amount of pressure
that passes through it.
Additionally, the
high-pressure (supply) hose carries high-pressure oil from the power
steering pump to the steering gear and the low-pressure (return) hose
brings oil from the steering gear back to the pump or its reservoir.
To perform these
heavy-duty requirements, a high-pressure power steering hose must be
able to handle fluid at peak temperatures as high as 150 degrees Celsius
and pulsed pressures from 0 to 115 bar at 30 to 40 cycles per minute
for up to 500,000 cycles without leakage.
These stringent
auto-industry specifications also require that such hoses must remain
leak-free following a 20 cycle cold start test run at -40 degree Celsius.
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