Mathematical Model and Experiment Validation of Fluid Torque by Shear Stress under Influence of Fluid Temperature in Hydro-viscous Clutch

The current design of hydro-viscous clutch（HVC） in tracked vehicle fan transmission mainly focuses on high-speed and high power. However, the fluid torque under the influence of fluid temperature can not be predicted accurately by conventional mathematical model or experimental research. In order to validate the fluid torque of HVC by taking the viscosity-temperature characteristic of fluid into account, the test rig is designed. The outlet oil temperature is measured and fitted with different rotation speed, oil film thickness, oil flow rate, and inlet oil temperature. Meanwhile, the film torque can be obtained. Based on Navier-Stokes equations and the continuity equation, the mathematical model of fluid torque is proposed in cylindrical coordinate. Iterative method is employed to solve the equations. The radial and tangential speed distribution, radial pressure distribution and theoretical flow rate are determined and analyzed. The models of equivalent radius and fluid torque of friction pairs are introduced. The experimental and theoretical results indicate that tangential speed distribution is mainly determined by the relative rotating speed between the friction plate and the separator disc. However, the radial speed distribution and pressure distribution are dominated by pressure difference at the lower rotating speed. The oil film fills the clearance and the film torque increases with increasing rotating speed. However, when the speed reaches a certain value, the centrifugal force will play an important role on the fluid distribution. The pressure is negative at the outer radius when inlet flow rate is less than theoretical flow, so the film starts to shrink which decreases the film torque sharply. The theoretical fluid torque has good agreement with the experimental data. This research proposes a new fluid torque mathematical model which may predict the film torque under the influence of temperature more accurately.

Laminar Flow in the Gap between Two Rotating Parallel Frictional Plates in Hydro-viscous Drive

The velocity, pressure and temperature distributions of the flow in the gap between hydro-viscous drive friction disks are the key parameters in the design of hydro-viscous drive and angular velocity controller. In the previous works dealing with the flow in the gap between disks in hydro-viscous drive, few authors considered the effect of Coriolis force on the flow. The object of this work is to investigate the flow with consideration of the effects of centrifugal force, Coriolis force and variable viscosity. A simplified mathematical model based on steady and laminar flow is presented. An approximate solution to the simplified mathematical model is obtained by using the iteration method assuming that the fluid viscosity remains constant. Then the model considering the effect of variable viscosity is solved by means of computational fluid dynamics code FLUENT. Numerical results of the flow are obtained. It is found that radial velocity profile diverges from the ideal parabolic curve due to inertial forces and tangential velocity profile is nonlinear due to Coriolis force, and pressure has two possible solution branches. In addition, it is found that variable viscosity plays an important role on pressure profiles which are significantly different from those of fluid with constant viscosity. The experimental device designed for this work consists of two disks, and one of them is fixed. Experimental pressure and temperature of the flow within test rig are obtained. It is shown that the trend of numerical results is in agreement with that of experimental ones. The research provides a theoretical foundation for hydro-viscous drive design.

Theoretical Model and Experimental Research on Friction and Torque Characteristics of Hydro-viscous Drive in Mixed Friction Stage

The hydro-viscous drive(HVD)has been widely used in fan transmission in vehicles,fans,and scraper conveyors for step-less speed regulation or soft starting.In the mixed friction stage,the contact,friction,and torque characteristics of friction pairs are very complex and change at any time.The characteristics of the frictional and hydrodynamic lubrication states were studied in order to calculate and predict the friction and torque characteristics of the friction pairs in the mixed friction stage.The fluid torque was calculated by applying the average shear stress model and the load-carrying capacity of asperity was determined on the basis of the fractal contact theory.In addition,the contact friction coefficient of the friction pairs was taken into consideration and measured by using the MM1000-Ⅲfriction and wear testing machine.The asperity friction torque and total torque in the mixed friction stage were obtained and finally,the test rig for the torque characteristics was set up.The results show that the contribution to the total torque is shared by the oil film and the asperity friction.The friction coefficient decreases sharply at first and then increases with a change in the relative rotational speed,following the Stribeck curve closely,and the contact frictional coefficient slowly decreases with increase in the pressure between the friction pairs.The torque between the friction pairs is provided by the asperity friction,and the torque due to the oil film reduces to zero.When the thickness of the oil film is small,a major contribution to the total torque is due to the asperity friction.The total torque also increases with the decrease in the film thickness ratio.Therefore,by theoretical analysis and experimental verification,the torque of the friction pairs in the mixed friction stage can be accurately calculated using the average shear stress model and asperity friction torque model.

Numerical film torque modeling of friction pair in hydro-viscous clutchs

A numerical model to predict film torque of hydro-viscous clutch was developed.The model was established with computational fluid dynamics（CFD）.The pressure distribution,velocity of flow and film torque were obtained based on vertical-horizontal grooved plate and radial grooved plate separately.The boundary conditions,such as the relative rotation,the fluid temperature and the oil feeding pressure,were also discussed.The results showed that the film torque of two kinds of grooved plate increased with increasing relative rotation.However,the film torque decreased with increasing fluid temperature and feeding pressure.Meanwhile,the film torque of radial grooved plate was less than vertical-horizontal grooved plate at the same condition.Our study showed that the model can efficiently calculate the film torque with complex geometry parameters and boundary conditions.

An improved method for evaluating the rotational speed stability of a hydro-viscous clutch in mixed lubrication

Rotational speed stability is an important evaluation indicator of the performance of a hydro-viscous clutch(HVC).To improve the rotational speed stability of HVCs in mixed lubrication and the running condition of the friction pairs,the speed stability of an HVC in mixed lubrication was studied.To this end,the friction coefficients of both copper-based and paper-based friction pairs were experimentally tested using an MM1000-III wet friction machine.Theoretically,a torsional vibration model of the system is presented.The phase plane analysis method is applied to evaluate the stability of the torsional vibration model,where a critical negative gradient(CNG)is defined.The results show that the friction coefficient in mixed lubrication is an important parameter for the stability of the rotational speed.The system will be unstable when the negative gradient of the friction coefficient-slip speed is larger than the CNG.According to the definition of the CNG,suggestions regarding choice of friction pairs are made to improve the rotational speed stability of an HVC in mixed lubrication.

A Numerical Method for Extrication Characteristics of TBM Cutter-Head with the HVC

Achieving highly efficient extrication of the tunnel boring machine(TBM)cutter-head driving system from the collapsed surrounding rock has become a key problem globally,and significant effort has been directed to improve TBM cutter-head extricating ability.In this study,the characteristics of a hydro-viscous device have been investigated to improve extricating performance of the TBM cutter-head.A numerical method based on an explicit pressure-linked equation is presented for computing the film parameters of the HVC,which is then applied to investigate extrication characteristics of a TBM cutter-head with a hydro-viscous clutch(HVC).The explicit pressure-linked equation is derived from the Navier–Stokes equations and the conservation equation,where boundary conditions are involved.The model of a cutter-head driving system with an HVC is established,and the extrication characteristics of the cutterhead driving system are analyzed and compared with three extrication strategies.The variation in extrication torque shows that the linear strategy or positive parabolic strategy are preferred for their relatively high extrication efficiency and low rigid impact,and the effects of throughflow rate on torque transmission are also investigated.The test rig of the TBM cutter-head driving system was set up to validate the numerical method and the model of a cutter-head driving system,and the feasibility of the proposed numerical method for researching the extrication of the TBM cutter-head is verified.