The World of Standards
25 Nov 2021
Some BFPA members probably don’t associate with the fact that their everyday business involves the use of technical standards. Everything from ensuring that the thread in a valve block matches the thread of the adapter they are screwing it into is meeting the requirements of the Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU. Most fluid power product crosses country boundaries whether it be product imported from another country or equipment built into a system being exported.
In order to ensure compatibility and assist in ensuring a level playing field commercially, technical standards are required. Wherever possible standards try to be performance driven so that innovation is not discouraged but provides the necessary safety when assessing a product being taken to market.
A standard is a collective work. Representatives of organisations having an interest and expertise in the subject matter are brought together by National Standards Bodies (NSBs), and in the case of the UK, the British Standards Institution (BSI), form a technical committee to draw up the standards. Each standard has a regular review, what is known as a systematic review, generally every three or five years. Regular updates are required as the products and markets they are used in evolve. At the last count there were circa 500 standards that we have responsibility for.
Most British standards are developed at an International or European level, through organisations such as the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and European Committee for Standardisation (CEN).
The benefits to our members of participating:
- ensures the UK remains a world player in fluid power standardisation
- ensures UK industry is truly represented
- enables the sharing of best practice
- provides advance warning of forthcoming changes before their implementation
- Influencing the content of standards that will support economic growth, innovation, consumer protection and safety, both nationally and internationally
- networking with peers in the industry and expanding your circle of contacts
The British Fluid Power Association (BFPA) acts as External Secretariat on behalf of the BSI and we have two contracts:
- MCE 18 Fluid power systems and components
- MCE 11 Fluids seals and their housing
These cover ten UK technical committees, each with its own chairman, who are appointed by the BSI. All the chairmen come under the Technical and Standards Policy Committee, who meet once a year. The Education and Training Committee chairman also reports to this group, the subject experts provide a valued input into the training material developed by the BFPA.
- MCE 18 Technical and standards policy committee (T and SPC)
- MCE 18/1 Accumulators
- MCE 18/3 Cylinders
- MCE 18/4 Connectors and associated components
- MCE 18/5 Control components
- MCE 18/6 Contamination control
- MCE 18/8 Product testing
- MCE 18/9 Systems
- MCE 11 Fluid seals and their housings
- MCE 18/16 Hydraulic fluids
Typically, our technical committees comprise representatives of industry bodies, research and testing organisations as well as nationalised bodies such as MoD.
Some new initiatives:
Energy efficient standards are being developed under MCE 18/9.
Project H2REF: process of incorporating composite shells into bladder accumulators for the purpose of compression of hydrogen for vehicle fuel cells is being developed under MCE 18/1
MCE 18/8 developed ISO 23840 Water hydraulics – Water hydraulic pumps – Methods of testing and representing basic steady-state performance: the Chinese as well as the Japanese are very keen on water hydraulics and given the environmental issue, it was one of the solutions.
If you would like to discuss joining one, or more, of these committees please feel free to contact either Yvonne or myself and we would be pleased to provide you with further information. We are particularly anxious to encourage younger engineers to become involved. The benefit to their employer is that they have the opportunity to listen and learn to experienced engineers who will mentor them and assist in the career development which can only result in a positive outcome for their employer.
| Jerry Hughes Chairman MCE 18 and MCE 18/4 jemlynltd@btinternet.com |
Yvonne Pearman Standards project manager BFPA yvonne@bfpa.co.uk |