Motion Control in Offshore and Dredging

High loads with high dynamics in severe conditions can only be driven by fluid power mechanisms. Motion Control is often used as a description in various engineering disciplines to refer to a technological solution that is able to control motion, e.g. the movement of at least one part relative to another. This volume describes how drives, sometimes very large, are designed and realised.

The book gives a practical explanation of the way in which the different mechanisms described work. A distinction is made between rotating and linear drives. In the case of rotating drives, the choice for an electrical drive is becoming more and more prevalent. Linear drives remain important, because of the large forces and highly dynamic behaviour in the domain of hydraulic drive technology. Both these important technologies are extensively discussed in this book, together with design rules and the many installation requirements for applications in the offshore and dredging industry.

Peter Albers was born on 23rd July 1952. After completing his secondary education in Amsterdam he went on to study mechanical engineering at  the technical University Delft, The Netherlands. The author completed his masters studies in the Department for the study of Measurement and Control Technology of the Faculty of mechanical Engineering in 1975. During these studies the emphasis already fell on Hydraulics. In 1985, after working for a number of manufacturers and suppliers of both components and complete hydraulic systems, he set up "Ingenieursbureau Albers BC", an independent consultancy service for the hydraulics industry. In 1996, the author was one of  the co-founders of the "Vereniging Platfrom Hydrauliek" (Society for Platfrom Hydraulics). This is a group of Dutch experts in  the field of hydraulic control technology. Since 2008, the author has also been a staff member of the Department for Offshore Engineering at the Technical University Delft, The Netherlands.