John Foster

About John Foster

Passionate about boats, cars, art, architecture and of course, hydraulics. After 40 years as Director of Sarum Hydraulics, every day still brings new challenges and inspiring engineering in the bigger world. If you want to talk hydraulics, engineering or even boats, reach out to me on LinkedIn at https://uk.linkedin.com/in/johngfoster or contact me direct at john@sarum-hydraulics.co.uk

Transforming life for millions – is seawater desalination and water treatment using renewable energy sources the next Holy Grail?

By |2018-03-02T16:04:55+00:00August 21st, 2017|Blog|

  How adding smart hydraulic design to seawater desalination and water treatment plant could just carry through a renewables revolution for fresh water from the sea. The United Nations (UN) is very worried about fresh water in its World Water Development report of 2016. There are too many people on this planet and there is [...]

Will pedal power hydraulics triumph in the America’s Cup?

By |2018-03-02T16:36:18+00:00June 19th, 2017|Blog|

SoftBank Team Japan foiling at high speed. Photograph Matt Knighton How those pedalling Kiwis aren’t the only show in town for innovative pedal power hydraulics. 55mph composite America’s Cup catamarans take hi-tech sailing to the limit The foiling catamarans developed for the America’s Cup are serious engineering in Sarums' eyes. Lightweight composite structures [...]

6 hydraulic highlights that keep London running.

By |2018-03-02T16:34:15+00:00May 21st, 2017|Blog|

How Big Hydraulics keeps London running smoothly. What caught our eye from The Shard? The Shard, next door to London Bridge Station, is the UK’s tallest building at 306m and one of the iconic landmarks of London. Opened in February 2013 after four years of construction, its 95 floors house hotels, apartments, restaurants and offices [...]

Double ferrule or Single ferrule hydraulic compression fittings?

By |2018-03-02T16:17:04+00:00March 27th, 2017|Blog|

Hydraulic compression fittings explained. Read our take after 30 years of using single and double ferrule fittings. Before you start. Rigid pipe or hoses? If you want a permanent installation and a neat job, piping it up with tube and compression fittings will give you a “better job.” Debatable? Yes, hoses have a big place [...]

The Hydraulics to Craft the Perfect Espresso Coffee

By |2018-03-02T16:31:04+00:00January 30th, 2017|Blog|

Clever water hydraulics crafts the perfect Espresso. Can a hydraulic process really capture the craft of the barista maestro and produce the perfect espresso? The world loves espresso. The world loves espresso coffee. There are 21,000 coffee shops in the UK alone, so the Allegra Coffee Portal tells us. This article tries to [...]

Car Hydraulics Battles The March Of All-Electric

By |2022-05-13T08:20:16+01:00December 16th, 2016|Blog|

How soon will car hydraulics be heading to Beaulieu Motor Museum? Why do designers love electric? Electrics has big attractions for designers. Electric actuation has made big inroads towards replacing hydraulics in systems everywhere. We have discussed before about the enormous growth in pure electric actuation on aircraft. Out go those hoses, pumps, control valves [...]

Six Types of Hydraulics Contamination to Hunt Down

By |2018-03-07T18:04:32+00:00November 1st, 2016|Hydraulic Cleanliness and Flushing, Hydraulic Fluids, White Paper|

Tech helps in fighting the hydraulic contamination battle. If anybody tells Sarum Hydraulics that there is a “contamination issue”, we insist on digging deeper. Maybe that was an acceptable blanket excuse in 1986, but not today. We just need to know what it is.  We had an “old school” optical microscope for years, a cheap [...]

Hybrid Marine Power on Boats

By |2018-03-02T16:26:25+00:00September 13th, 2016|Blog|

Setting the pace – and pulse in hybrid marine power technology: leading the fleet is the USS Zumwalt Class destroyer. But Sarum Hydraulics asks how realistic is hybrid marine power technology on smaller vessels? Hybrid marine power on boats – the buzzword in 2016 is hybrid. There’s good reason that the one word that keeps popping up [...]

Low Pressure Hydraulics: 7 Questions Answered

By |2018-03-02T16:16:06+00:00August 9th, 2016|Blog|

Why wouldn’t you look at low pressure hydraulics first? We wrote a thoughtful blog on low pressure hydraulics last year and asked the question "why wouldn’t you look at low pressure hydraulics first?”. The article generated a lot of interest and we have had endless discussion over it. Designers love a chat! Our premise was [...]

Underground farming: a revolution in food production or a hole in the ground?

By |2018-03-02T16:34:30+00:00July 13th, 2016|Blog|

How innovative hydraulics, advanced optoelectronics and clever control could just be the dream ticket for a hydroponic future. Farming underground, in your attic and in a factory unit using high tech lighting and hydroponics is a great tech story for the press. But is it the start of what will become a massive [...]

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