To improve its working performance, the flow ripple characteristics of an axial piston pump were investigated with software which uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology. The simulation accuracy was significantly optimized through the use of the improved compressible fluid model. Flow conditions of the pump were tested using a pump flow ripple test rig, and the simulation results of the CFD model showed good agreement with the experimental data. Additionally, the composition of the flow ripple was analyzed using the improved CFD model, and the results showed that the compression ripple makes up 88% of the flow ripple. The flow dynamics of the piston pump is mainly caused by the pressure difference between the intake and discharge ports of the valve plates and the fluid oil compressibility.

In hydraulic area, independent metering control (IMC) technology is an effective approach to improve system efficiency and control flexibility. In addition, digital hydraulic technology (DHT) has been verified as a reasonable method to optimize system dynamic performance. Integrating these two technologies into one component can combine their advantages together. However, few works focused on it. In this paper, a twin spools valve with switching technology-controlled pilot stage (TSVSP) is presented, which applied DHT into its pilot stage while appending IMC into its main stage. Based on this prototype valve, a series of numerical and experiment analysis of its IMC performance with both simulated load and excavator boom cylinder are carried out. Results showed fast and robust performance of pressure and flow compound control with acceptable fluctuation phenomenon caused by switching technology. Rising time of flow response in excavator cylinder can be controlled within 200 ms, meanwhile, the recovery time of rod chamber pressure under suddenly changed condition is optimized within 250 ms. IMC system based on TSVSP can improve both dynamic performance and robust characteristics of the target actuator so it is practical in valve-cylinder system and can be applied in mobile machineries.

The triangular damping groove on the valve plate can effectively reduce the discharge flow ripple of an axial piston pump, which structural parameters will directly affect the pump’s dynamic characteristics. Herein, a multi-parameter data-based structure optimizing method of the triangular damping groove is investigated using numerical models and simulation results. The mathematical models of a nine-piston pump are proposed and developed by MATLAB/Simulink, and the simulation results are verified by experimental results. Then, the effects of width angle and depth angle on discharge flow are analyzed. Based on the analysis of groove parameters, an optimizing index, which considering the time domain characteristics of discharge flow, is proposed. As results show, comparing with the initial specific groove structure, the amplitude of flow ripple is reduced from 14.6% to 9.8% with the optimized structure. The results demonstrate that the outlet flow ripple can be significantly reduced by the optimized structure, and the proposed multi-parameter optimizing method can play a guiding significance in the design of low-ripple axial piston pumps.

目 的 常规负载口独立控制研究多采用商业阀进行, 因 其阀芯位移控制器为封闭式结构, 所以阀芯位移 的动态特性难以调整, 进而影响了系统的压力和 流量控制性能。本文旨在探讨负载口独立控制系 统中阀芯位移特性对系统压力和流量控制的影 响, 并研究提高系统压力和流量控制性能的方 法。

Raising the pressure rank of axial piston pumps is an effective way to enhance the power density. However, when hydraulic fluid switches between the suction and discharge areas in the valve plate at a high level of pressure, the effective delivery flow rates of pumps decrease and may cause vibrations, noise and gaseous cavitation. Increasing the inlet pressure is a common method used to reduce gaseous cavitation; however, this requires additional equipment to pressurize the inlet line, which reduces the power density of the pump. This study proposed a new approach to reduce gaseous cavitation by modifying the shape of the unloading holes for pumps. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was established to examine the influences of the unloading holes of the valve plate on gaseous cavitation. The simulation results revealed that a crescent-shaped unloading hole in the valve plate can effectively decrease the gaseous cavitation by redistributing the damage power of cavitation. Moreover, the crescent-shaped design of the unloading hole can increase the unloading rate by 64.39% at an inlet pressure of 1.1 MPa and rotational speed of 1600 r/min compared to that of traditional unloading holes. As a result, cavitation in the pump can be reduced effectively by an improved unloading rate, which has great practical significance for suppressing the cavitation phenomenon and decreasing vibration and noise in the pump.