MTS Criterion Series 60 - Manual (Page 25)

Remove flammable fluids
Remove flammable fluids from their containers or from components before you install the container or
component. If desired, you can replace the flammable fluid with a non-flammable fluid to maintain the
proper proportion of weight and balance.
Know compressed gas hazards
Your system may contain accumulators that require a high-pressure gas precharge (pressures that exceed
138 bar [2000 psi]). High-pressure devices are potentially dangerous because a great amount of energy
is available in the event of an uncontrolled expansion or rupture.
Observe the following safety practices when you work with high-pressure air or gases:
• When you charge an accumulator, follow all the charging instructions provided in the appropriate product
information manuals. When precharging accumulators, properly identify the type of gas to be used and
the type of accumulator to be precharged.
• Use only dry-pumped nitrogen to precharge nitrogen-charged accumulators. (Dry-pumped nitrogen
can also be labeled “oil pumped” or “dry water pumped.”) Do not use compressed air or oxygen for
precharging: the temperature increase caused by rapid gas compression can result in highly explosive
conditions when hydraulic fluid is in the presence of oxygen or compressed air.
• Always follow the recommended bleeding procedures before you remove or disassemble components
that contain pressurized gas. When you bleed a gas or remove a fitting, hose, or component that
contains a gas, remember that many gases cannot support life. Therefore, as the ratio of released gas
to oxygen increases, so does the potential for suffocation.
• Wear appropriate safety devices to protect your hearing. Escaping air or gas can create a noise level
that can damage your hearing.
• Ensure that all pressurized air or gas is bled out of a pneumatic or gas-charged device before you start
to disassemble it. A thorough understanding of the assembly and its pressurized areas is necessary
before you undertake any maintenance. Refer to the appropriate product information for the correct
bleeding procedure.
It may not be obvious or intuitive which bolts or fittings are used to restrain a pressurized area. On
some assemblies, you must remove a cover plate to gain access to the structural bolts. Sometimes, to
protect you from a rapid release of trapped gases, a small port is exposed when you remove this cover
plate. Exposing this port ensures that the gas precharge is fully bled before disassembly. However,
this is not the recommended procedure for bleeding a pneumatic or gas-charged device, because it
can expose you to the dangers of escaping compressed gas and particulates that are expelled from
the chamber or around the seals. Do not assume that cover plates and ports are installed in all the
critical locations.
Consult MTS when in doubt about the safety or reliability of any system-related procedure or modification
that involves devices that contain any type of compressed gas.
Check bolt ratings and torques
To ensure a reliable product, fasteners (such as bolts and tie rods) used in MTS-manufactured systems
are torqued to specific requirements. If a fastener is loosened or the configuration of a component within
the system is modified, see the system and component assembly drawings (located on the System
Documentation CD) to determine the correct fastener, fastener rating, and torque. Over torquing or under
torquing a fastener can create a hazardous situation due to the high forces and pressures present in MTS
test systems.
MTS Criterion ™ Series 60 | 25
Safety