Hydraulics shop touches most vehicles on depot

By Mrs. Jennifer Bacchus (AMC)September 26, 2013

Hydraulics shop touches most vehicles on depot
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Hydraulics shop touches most vehicles on depot
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Eddie Woodruff, a quality inspector with the Directorate of Engineering and Quality visually inspects a part ready for kitting in the depot's Hydraulic Systems Branch. The components are separated into kits based on the vehicle or artillery program t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- Tommy Dulaney, supervisor for Anniston Army Depot's Hydraulics Systems Branch, said many people think his shop only works with cylinders, but, in fact the employees overhaul and rebuild much more.

"A lot of times when you think of the hydraulics shop, you think of cylinders," said Dulaney "We are a lot more than cylinders."

In addition to hydraulic equipment, the branch's workforce handles pneudraulic parts and some electronics, particularly when the components are needed to control the various hydraulic and pneudraulic systems.

"We have a part in every vehicle repaired or overhauled on the depot except the Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicle and the M113," said Dulaney.

Some of the parts overhauled or repaired in the shop include: the vicker's pump for the M1 Abrams tank, which pushes fluids throughout the tank; the large cylinders used to lift bridge panels for bridge launching vehicles; winches for various vehicles and the M9ACE actuators, which control side-to-side and up-and-down movements of the vehicle.

Unlike many shops in the installation's industrial area, for most components, the same hydraulic shop employee is responsible for a part from disassembly through cleaning, reassembly and testing.

During disassembly, each component is separated into its various parts, which are then checked against their specifications.

If tolerances are met, the pieces are cleaned and reclaimed. If not, new parts will replace the worn ones during assembly.

Following the cleaning and reclamation processes, parts requiring paint are sent to the in-shop paint booth. This is an almost completely automated process. Within four hours, parts are primed, finish coated, dried and ready for the assembly area.

After each vehicle component is cleaned, painted and assembled, it is tested to ensure quality.

"We put a lot more pressure on each part than the vehicle does," said Dough Waugh, a pneudralic mechanic. "If it is going to tear up, you want it to tear up here."

The final stop is kitting. There, a quality inspector ensures each part meets specifications and groups them together in kits based on the program for which it was overhauled or repaired.