Author: D Edwards Staff 8922005

What is a Pneumatic System?

A pneumatic system is a mechanism or series of mechanisms that use compressed air to create a desired movement.

Y3/4
Mechanical Systems
Pneumatic Toys

What are exploded diagrams and how are they used by inventors?

These are examples of pneumatic systems that are used everyday.
Tyre pumps for bikes, drills for breaking up concrete and brake systems on many buses and lorries all use compressed air. You can often hear the air being released when a bus stops.

How do pneumatic systems work?

Compressed air

When air is compressed, this means a lot of it is squashed into a smaller space, like when you blow up a balloon.
This creates a lot of air pressure, as the squashed air wants to escape.
The force of the air being decompressed can be used to make things move. It’s a bit like powerful wind in a storm.

Process

How some pneumatic systems work:

Like buses and trains, rollercoasters also use pneumatic systems to brake and control the speed.

What happens when the balloon is released? Where does the air go? How does the balloon move?

When the operator presses the button, a valve opens and air rushes in. This air is forced around a circuit inside the drill, forcing the drill bit down into the ground. The air then escapes and the drill bit comes up. This is repeated over and over.

Exploded diagrams can take the place of detailed written instructions, meaning they can explain the construction of something without the barrier of different languages. They are widely used as instructions for self-assembly furniture to show how the parts should be assembled and in what order.

Key Designer

George Westinghouse

George was born in America and was the inventor of the first pneumatic system used to stop trains (brakes). He was only 23 years old when he demonstrated this for the first time in 1869.