Abstract
Severe winters and sweltering summers which more and more often occur nowadays are the reason why machinery designers face many difficulties when designing devices which will be serviceable in extreme ambient conditions. Hence, defining the principles and conditions of safe operation of hydraulically driven machines and devices is essential for their designers and operators. For this reasons the author did a series of tests of hydraulic component and systems in thermal shock conditions (cooled-down component were supplied with hot working medium). In such conditions, starting parameters of the selected hydraulic component and systems which secured safety of their operation were determined. The experimental tests were carried out in the laboratory of the Chair of Hydraulics and Pneumatics, Gdańsk University of Technology.