The article concentrates on the research of the pressure peaks in a working chamber of an axial piston pump. The main focus of the article is the influence of fluid properties on the pressure peaks value. Experimental and analytical methods were used to determine the impact of the fluid density, viscosity, compressibility and aeration. The article describes the pressure peak generation process and explains the theoretical basis of this phenomenon. A model of aerated fluid compression and models of leakage were created using CFD analysis and mathematical equations. These partial models were then merged into one consistent model in Matlab Simulink. The final result was verified by comparing the results obtained from the mathematical model with the results of the experiment. After validation, the model was used to present explicitly how each of the mentioned fluid properties affects the pressure peak value. Additionally, the test stand and measurement equipment used in the experiment were presented along with a short description of the laboratory research and sample results.

With the help of numerical simulation a new high-pressure hydraulic axial pump has been developed at Gdansk University. Its unique feature is the total independence of a pressure switching mechanism, which saves weight and provides the possibility to control the pump by computer. To avoid noise and possible damage of the pump through harmful pressure peaks an additional chamber equipped with an elastic wall was introduced. Numerical simulation of the fluid-structure interaction occurring at the elastic wall proved to be very insightful for the development of the new pump. Results of the coupled simulation - using Fluent, Abaqus and Fraunhofer SCAI's multiphysics software MpCCI - are presented in this paper.