scholarly journals Experimental investigation of the dynamic load sharing of planetary gearboxes

Author(s):  
J. Götz ◽  
F. Siglmüller ◽  
M. Fürst ◽  
M. Otto ◽  
K. Stahl

AbstractDue to their compactness and power density, planetary gearboxes are used for a wide range of high-performance applications in the automotive, aviation and marine sector. Aerospace applications in particular benefit from a full use of the load capacity potential to meet the requirements for lightweight construction and efficiency. Against this background, the load sharing between the individual planetary gears plays a decisive role. A uniform load sharing enables the design of the single tooth meshes without load increases and oversizing. However, due to manufacturing and assembly deviations, a perfect load sharing is technically not feasible. These load increases are taken into account in the standard calculation of the load capacity of planetary gearboxes by the mesh load factor Kγ. The load sharing in planetary gearboxes is influenced by a number of factors, such as the rigidity of shafts, housing and bearings, the number of planets, the quality of the gear wheels and the operating conditions. Detailed simulations or extensive experimental measurements are required to determine the exact load sharing. For new designs of planetary gearboxes, there are only simplified assumptions available, based on the number of planets and a rough estimation of the operating range. Especially additional dynamic forces, due to operation in high-speed ranges or near resonance frequencies, can lead to a considerable change of the dynamic load sharing compared to the static load sharing and cause an uncertainty in the design. Thus, in this paper the dynamic load sharing behaviour is investigated from 0 to 6800 rpm sun speed for different loads. Based on the experimental data recommendations for the design of planetary gearboxes under consideration of the operating conditions are derived.

2014 ◽  
Vol 747 ◽  
pp. 119-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Vandre ◽  
M. S. Carvalho ◽  
S. Kumar

AbstractCharacteristic substrate speeds and meniscus shapes associated with the onset of air entrainment are studied during dynamic wetting failure along a planar substrate. Using high-speed video, the behaviour of the dynamic contact line (DCL) is recorded as a tape substrate is drawn through a bath of a glycerol/water solution. Air entrainment is identified by triangular air films that elongate from the DCL above some critical substrate speed. Meniscus confinement within a narrow gap between the substrate and a stationary plate is shown to delay air entrainment to higher speeds for a wide range of liquid viscosities, expanding upon the findings of Vandre, Carvalho & Kumar (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 707, 2012, pp. 496–520). A pressurized liquid reservoir controls the meniscus position within the confinement gap. It is found that liquid pressurization further postpones air entrainment when the meniscus is located near a sharp corner along the stationary plate. Meniscus shapes recorded near the DCL demonstrate that operating conditions influence the size of entrained air films, with smaller films appearing in the more viscous solutions. Regardless of size, air films become unstable to thickness perturbations and ultimately rupture, leading to the entrainment of air bubbles. Recorded critical speeds and air-film sizes compare well to predictions from a hydrodynamic model for dynamic wetting failure, suggesting that strong air stresses near the DCL trigger the onset of air entrainment.


Author(s):  
B. R. Nichols ◽  
R. L. Fittro ◽  
C. P. Goyne

Many high-speed, rotating machines across a wide range of industrial applications depend on fluid film bearings to provide both static support of the rotor and to introduce stabilizing damping forces into the system through a developed hydrodynamic film wedge. Reduced oil supply flow rate to the bearings can cause cavitation, or a lack of a fully developed film layer, at the leading edge of the bearing pads. Reducing oil flow has the well-documented effects of higher bearing operating temperatures and decreased power losses due to shear forces. While machine efficiency may be improved with reduced lubricant flow, little experimental data on its effects on system stability and performance can be found in the literature. This study looks at overall system performance of a test rig operating under reduced oil supply flow rates by observing steady-state bearing performance indicators and baseline vibrational response of the shaft. The test rig used in this study was designed to be dynamically similar to a high-speed industrial compressor. It consists of a 1.55 m long, flexible rotor supported by two tilting pad bearings with a nominal diameter of 70 mm and a span of 1.2 m. The first bending mode is located at approximately 5,000 rpm. The tiling-pad bearings consist of five pads in a vintage, flooded bearing housing with a length to diameter ratio of 0.75, preload of 0.3, and a load-between-pad configuration. Tests were conducted over a number of operating speeds, ranging from 8,000 to 12,000 rpm, and bearing loads, while systematically reducing the oil supply flow rates provided to the bearings under each condition. For nearly all operating conditions, a low amplitude, broadband subsynchronous vibration pattern was observed in the frequency domain from approximately 0–75 Hz. When the test rig was operated at running speeds above its first bending mode, a distinctive subsynchronous peak emerged from the broadband pattern at approximately half of the running speed and at the first bending mode of the shaft. This vibration signature is often considered a classic sign of rotordynamic instability attributed to oil whip and shaft whirl phenomena. For low and moderate load conditions, the amplitude of this 0.5x subsynchronous peak increased with decreasing oil supply flow rate at all operating speeds. Under the high load condition, the subsynchronous peak was largely attenuated. A discussion on the possible sources of this subsynchronous vibration including self-excited instability and pad flutter forced vibration is provided with supporting evidence from thermoelastohydrodynamic (TEHD) bearing modeling results. Implications of reduced oil supply flow rate on system stability and operational limits are also discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliott Guenat ◽  
Jürg Schiffmann

Abstract High-speed small-scale turbomachinery for waste heat recovery and vapor compression cycles is typically supported on gas-lubricated bearings operating close to the saturation conditions of the lubricant. Under particular conditions, the gas film might locally reach the saturation pressure with potentially hazardous effects on the performance of the gas bearing. The present work introduces a model based on the Reynolds equation and the development of cavitation modeling in liquid-lubricated bearings for condensing gas bearings. The effect of condensation on load capacity and pressure and density profiles is investigated for two one-dimensional bearing geometries (parabolic and Rayleigh step) and varying operating conditions. The results suggest that the load capacity is generally negatively affected if condensation occurs. An experimental setup consisting of a Rayleigh-step gas journal bearing with pressure taps to measure the local fluid film pressure is presented and operated in R245fa in near-saturated conditions. The comparison between the evolution of the fluid film pressure under perfect gas and near saturation conditions clearly suggests the occurrence of condensation in the fluid film. These results are corroborated by the very good agreement with the model prediction.


2020 ◽  
pp. 146808742092264
Author(s):  
Boni F Yraguen ◽  
Farzad Poursadegh ◽  
Caroline L Genzale

The engine combustion network recommends two different imaging-based diagnostics for the measurement of diesel spray ignition delay and lift-off length, respectively. To measure ignition delay, high-speed imaging of broadband luminosity, spectrally filtered to limit collected wavelengths below 600 nm, is recommended. This diagnostic is often referred to as broadband natural luminosity. For lift-off length measurements, the engine combustion network recommends imaging of OH* chemiluminescence. This diagnostic requires using an image-intensified camera to detect narrowly filtered light around 310 nm. Alternatively, it has been shown that the lift-off length can be measured using broadband natural luminosity, avoiding the need for an intensifier and ultraviolet-transmitting optics. However, care is needed in the collection and processing of this diagnostic to accurately isolate the chemiluminescence signal. Particularly, standard intensity thresholding techniques are not sufficient for isolating the chemiluminescence signal in broadband natural luminosity images. Thus, an intensity-histogram-based thresholding method is introduced. This article assesses the feasibility and practicality of measuring lift-off length using broadband natural luminosity using a detailed comparison to OH* chemiluminescence measurements. It is shown that lift-off length measurements using broadband natural luminosity are prone to user bias error in the optical setup and data processing, especially under moderate- to high-sooting conditions. We conclude that while OH* imaging provides the most reliable and accurate measurement of lift-off length at a wide range of ambient conditions, an intensity-histogram analysis can help discriminate the high-temperature chemiluminescence signal from others in a broadband natural luminosity image at higher-sooting operating conditions than demonstrated in current literature.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 930-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Mosher ◽  
D. W. Childs

This research investigates the effect of varying the concentric recess pressure ratio of hybrid (combination hydrostatic and hydrodynamic) bearings to be used in high-speed, high-pressure applications. Bearing flowrate, load capacity, torque, rotordynamic coefficients, and whirl frequency ratio are examined to determine the concentric, recess-pressure ratio which yields optimum bearing load capacity and dynamic stiffness. An analytical model, using two-dimensional bulk-flow Navier-Stokes equations and anchored by experimental test results, is used to examine bearing performance over a wide range of concentric recess pressure ratios. Typically, a concentric recess pressure ratio of 0.50 is used to obtain maximum bearing load capacity. This analysis reveals that theoretical optimum bearing performance occurs for a pressure ratio near 0.40, while experimental results indicate the optimum value to he somewhat higher than 0.45. This research demonstrates the ability to analytically investigate hybrid bearings and shows the need for more hybrid-bearing experimental data.


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