Influence of vibration on the lubrication effect of a splash-lubricated gearbox

In this study,we investigate the effect of rail vibrations on the lubrication and efficiency of a splash-lubricated gearbox;specifically,the gearbox of a rail-transit vehicle.A high-fidelity 3D numerical model of the gearbox in a moving reference system is described,as well as computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulations of the gearbox with different vibration directions.The effects of rotational speed,oil-immersion depth,and different oil-injection volume rates on lubrication and efficiency are discussed.We propose a method of evaluating the internal lubrication condition of a splash-lubricated gearbox and quantitatively compare the effects of different operating parameters on lubrication and efficiency.Finally,our experiment to verify the feasibility of the simulation method is described.The results show that with vibration,the churning loss and oil supply for the bearings are significantly higher than those under static conditions.In addition,among different vibrational directions,lateral vibration has the greatest influence on the lubrication condition and efficiency of the gearbox.For the studied railway-vehicle gearbox,the best lubrication condition is achieved at a rotational speed of 1600 r/min and an oil-immersion depth of two times the tooth height(2.Oh).Rotational speed is the operating parameter that has the most significant effect on the lubrication and efficiencyofthegearbox.

Investigations on lubrication characteristics of high-speed electric multiple unit gearbox by oil volume adjusting device

In this paper,a numerical simulation model of the flow field in a gearbox with an oil volume adjusting device is established for the first time to study its influence on the lubrication characteristics of a high-speed electric multiple unit(EMU)gearbox.The moving particle semi-implicit(MPS)method is used to numerically simulate the internal flow field of the gearbox of the high-speed EMU under working conditions.The effects of the velocity of the high-speed EMU,the immersion depth,and the oil sump temperature on the power loss of the gears and the lubricant quantity of each bearing are studied and provide an effective tool for the quantitative evaluation of the lubrication characteristics of the gearbox.The lubrication characteristics of the gearbox under different working conditions are studied when the oil volume adjusting device is closed and opened.The results show that the oil volume adjusting device mainly changes the amount of lubricant stirred by the output gear by changing the flow rate of lubricant from the cavity pinion(Cavity P)to the cavity gear(Cavity G),and thus affects the power loss of gears and the lubricant quantity of each bearing.