Zhang (agricultural and biological engineering, U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) presents an instructional text intended to introduce intermediate college students in engineering and technical management, as well as engineers and service representatives unfamiliar with the topic, to the operating principles, configuration features, functionalities, and applications of core composing elements in typical hydraulic power transmission systems. Seven chapters discus basic concepts and the theoretical basis; basic principles and configuration features of hydraulic pumps; the use of different types of hydraulic control valves to regulate the power distribution process; hydraulic manifolds and the application of different types of conductors; power deployment using linear or rotary actuators and its application to hydrostatic transmissions; power storage and regeneration components and applications; auxiliary components such as reservoirs, filters, seals, and heat exchangers; commonly used hydraulic fluids; and the configuration of individual components to form hydraulic circuits of different functionalities. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)