Why is the bend radius of a hydraulic hose so important to its performance?

In the complex world of hydraulic systems, hydraulic hoses play a critical role, and their bend radius is an important parameter that cannot be ignored, which profoundly affects the performance of the hose.
First, from the perspective of the structural integrity of the hose, when the bend radius of a hydraulic hose is less than the specified value, it will cause serious damage to its internal reinforcement layer. Hydraulic hoses are usually made of rubber or other elastomers as the inner tube, with one or more layers of high-strength reinforcement materials such as steel wire braid or steel wire winding in the middle, and the outermost layer is a protective outer skin. If the bend radius is too small, the reinforcement layer at the bend will be subjected to excessive tensile and extrusion stress. For example, the steel wire braid may break, loosen or deform, which is like the damage to the human body's bone structure, greatly weakening the overall load-bearing capacity and pressure resistance of the hose, making the hose more likely to break or leak under the action of high-pressure hydraulic fluid, causing hydraulic system failures and even dangerous work accidents.
Second, the bend radius has a direct impact on the fluid transmission performance of the hydraulic hose. In a hydraulic system, the fluid needs to flow smoothly in the hose to ensure that all parts of the system can work properly. When the bending radius becomes unreasonably small, the channel inside the hose will deform and twist. This is like a narrow bend and twisted section suddenly appearing on a wide and straight highway, and the fluid will encounter greater resistance when passing through these parts. This increase in resistance will lead to increased pressure loss, which greatly reduces the efficiency of the hydraulic system. Moreover, the fluid may also produce turbulence when it is blocked, further affecting the stability and accuracy of the system. For some industrial equipment that requires extremely high hydraulic control accuracy, such as CNC machine tools, aerospace hydraulic systems, etc., this effect may lead to a decline in product quality or abnormal operation of the equipment.
Furthermore, from the perspective of the service life of the hose, an inappropriate bending radius will accelerate the aging and fatigue process of the hose. Every time the hose is bent at a too small bending radius, its material will undergo repeated stress-strain cycles. The rubber inner tube may crack and harden, and the outer skin will wear and peel off faster. This is just like a person who is overworked for a long time and his physical function will decline rapidly. As aging and fatigue increase, the reliability of hoses gradually decreases and they need to be replaced more frequently, which not only increases equipment maintenance costs and downtime, but may also cause huge economic losses to some industrial scenarios with continuous production operations, such as large-scale chemical production lines and mining equipment.