The performance of hydrostatic type slippers in axial piston pumps has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. The experimental work covers measurements of slipper clearance, slipper pocket pressure and piston spin. These measurements were taken from typical axial piston pumps running under normal operating conditions using a data logging system. The effect of operating conditions was also investigated and the resulting trends are described and discussed. In the theoretical work the behaviour of an idealised slipper was studied under steady state conditions. It was established that a flat slipper of this type does not work on a purely hydrostatic basis. Additional lift can be generated hydrodynamically if the slipper is suitably tilted; however, if the slipper is flat it cannot satisfy moment equilibrium. One mechanism which was found to satisfy load, flow as well as moment equilibrium was the presence of suitable amounts of non-flatness on the slipper loads. A parabolic type of non-flatness was simulated and the relationships between tilt, pocket pressure central clearance and minimum clearance were derived with respect to non-flatness. In conclusion, the theory is applied to the design procedure and a method is presented which enables the optimum non-flatness and minimum clearance to be estimated at particular operating conditions.

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No description available.

Automotive turbochargers have been widely applied in vehicles in order to increase the power output of internal combustion engines by increasing the air to fuel ratio entering the piston cylinders. Turbochargers use the exhaust flow to spin a turbine at speeds of up to 140,000 r/min. Under such extreme working conditions, even a weak vibration can lead to the bearing failure and the whole turbocharger destroyed. In order to guarantee a safe operation, it is necessary to carry out a theoretical research on the dynamics performance of turbochargers. Therefore, the primary objective of this research is to develop a dynamics model for the turbocharger rotor system under multi-field coupled forces and then to study the dynamic characteristics and the stability of its rotor system according to the simulation and experimental results. A turbocharger is a special kind of rotating machinery because of the following aspects: Firstly, the turbocharger rotor system is supported by floating ring bearings. The impact of nonlinear multi-field coupled forces must be considered. Secondly, the turbocharger rotor system is a multi-span rotor bearing system that makes the modeling and simulation more complicated. Thirdly, the working speed range of the turbocharger covers multiple orders of critical speeds. This flexible rotor system cannot be studied using the conventional theory of rigid rotors. In this thesis, the lubrication system of a turbocharger is initially investigated. The analytical expressions of the hydrodynamic pressure distribution in the floating ring bearing are derived using the infinitely long bearing theory, taking into account the oil inlet pressure and the cavitation area. The influences of external loads and oil inlet pressure on the oil flow rate into the inner clearance are analytically investigated, while considering the effect of the rotation of the ring. A finite element model is then developed for the turbocharger rotor system. In this model, the excitation forces considered include rotor imbalance, hydrodynamic forces, lubricant feed pressure and the dead weight. The dimensionless form of Capone hydrodynamic force model is extended into the floating ring bearing. Following model development, modal analysis is carried out on both a free rotor system and a turbocharger rotor system. The effects of the structural parameters and working conditions, such as the rotor imbalance, lubricant viscosity, bearing clearances and lubricant feed pressure, on the stability of the turbocharger rotor system are studied. A turbocharger test rig is then designed and developed to monitor the turbocharger shaft motion. The experimental data agree well with the simulation results from the theoretical model. The primary contribution of the current research can be categorized into the following aspects: Firstly, the analytical expressions of the hydrodynamic pressure distribution have been solved. The equilibrium positions of the journal and ring have been deduced under different external loads and lubricant feed pressure. The relationship between the oil flow rate and the rotational velocity of the shaft has been obtained. Secondly, Capone hydrodynamic force model is introduced and extended to simulate the dynamic performance of the floating ring bearing. The analytical expression of the hydrodynamic forces of double oil films have been derived based on the dimensionless form of the Reynolds Equations. Thirdly, the motion of the turbocharger shaft is simulated within a speed range of 0 to 8,000 rad/s. The influences of structural parameters and working conditions on the stability of the turbocharger rotor system are clearly understood. It should be noted that the developed model still needs to be validated when turbocharger is operated at a relatively high speed, although it agrees well with experimental results within the speed range of 0 to 2,000 rad/s.

The interface between the piston, piston-rings and the cylinder liner represents one of the most hostile environments the crankcase lubricant experiences in reciprocating engines. The role of piston rings is also becoming more complex in line with the increasing requirements for lower oil consumption and friction. A test rig has been developed to simulate under idealised conditions the lubrication action between the piston-ring and the cylinder-liner in reciprocating engines. This approach attempts to separate the tribological conditions from some of the fundamental and unsteady conditions occurring in production engine piston assemblies such as lubricant starvation, ring and piston dynamics, thermal and elastic deformations and blow by, thus allowing the lubricant film characteristics to be examined in isolation. The current work proposes a methodology in assessing the rheological behaviour of various base oils and their additive chemistry with a view to establishing the likely field performance in formulated lubricating oil. The experiment comprised of testing different types of engine oils where the lubricant film thickness, oil film pressure and friction were simultaneously measured throughout the stroke as a function of speed, load and temperature. Furthermore, laser induced fluorescence (LIF) was used to identify the onset of cavitation occurring in the diverging part of the lubricant film between the piston ring specimen and the liner wall. Recognition that lubricant films under certain condition may cavitate opens up a new area for research, focusing on possible links between cavitation, oil consumption, friction and wear. Oil flow visualisation in the test rig using a high speed video camera allowed observation of cavitation in the diverging part of the ring through an optical liner. The high recording framing rates of the camera have permitted the initiation, development and disintegration of the cavities throughout the stroke to be revealed. An attempt was made to extend the oil film visualisation to a motored diesel engine, with parts of the liner cut and fitted with quartz windows, to confirm the presence of cavitation in the piston-rings interface. Moreover the identification of sub-atmospheric pressure in the rings provided additional support to the visualisation of cavitation found in the engine, albeit of much inferior resolution to that of the idealised piston-ring assembly.

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The lubrication of dry viscose fibres by a two component finish, and the lubrication of wet Iyocell fabric against metal, with various aqueous lubricant systems, has been studied. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was investigated as a means of providing direct chemical information from finished fibre surfaces. The composition and distribution of a two component finish applied to viscose fibres was determined successfully. When applying finish from a bath, the surface composition of the finished fibres was not controlled by the bath conditions. Increasing the concentration of finish in the bath did, however, increase the total amount of finish deposited, and increasing the concentration of antistat relative to lubricant in the bath increased the amount of antistat relative to lubricant deposited on the finished fibres. Fibre friction was determined using the capstan method. The friction forces, measured for finished viscose fibres, were correlated with the finish application conditions. Increasing the emulsion concentration in the finish bath reduced fibre/metal friction, but finish component ratio, emulsion concentration, dip time and bath temperature did not affect fibre/fibre friction. Spray applying the finish resulted in unfinished regions on the fibre surfaces and the electrical resistance of fibre bundles was not reduced. Bath application of finish did lower electrical resistance in comparison with unfinished fibre, but none of the bath deposition variables had a significant effect on electrical resistance.

A study was made of the effect of blending practice upon selected physical properties of crude oils, and of various base oils and petroleum products, using a range of binary mixtures. The crudes comprised light, medium and heavy Kuwait crude oils. The properties included kinematic viscosity, pour point, boiling point and Reid vapour pressure. The literature related to the prediction of these properties, and the changes reported to occur on blending, was critically reviewed as a preliminary to the study. The kinematic viscosity of petroleum oils in general exhibited non-ideal behaviour upon blending. A mechanism was proposed for this behaviour which took into account the effect of asphaltenes content. A correlation was developed, as a modification of Grunberg's equation, to predict the viscosities of binary mixtures of petroleum oils. A correlation was also developed to predict the viscosities of ternary mixtures. This correlation showed better agreement with experimental data (< 6% deviation for crude oils and 2.0% for base oils) than currently-used methods, i.e. ASTM and Refutas methods. An investigation was made of the effect of temperature on the viscosities of crude oils and petroleum products at atmospheric pressure. The effect of pressure on the viscosity of crude oil was also studied. A correlation was developed to predict the viscosity at high pressures (up to 8000 psi), which gave significantly better agreement with the experimental data than the current method due to Kouzel (5.2% and 6.0% deviation for the binary and ternary mixtures respectively). Eyring's theory of viscous flow was critically investigated, and a modification was proposed which extends its application to petroleum oils. The effect of blending on the pour points of selected petroleum oils was studied together with the effect of wax formation and asphaltenes content. Depression of the pour point was always obtained with crude oil binary mixtures. A mechanism was proposed to explain the pour point behaviour of the different binary mixtures. The effects of blending on the boiling point ranges and Reid vapour pressures of binary mixtures of petroleum oils were investigated. The boiling point range exhibited ideal behaviour but the R.V.P. showed negative deviations from it in all cases. Molecular weights of these mixtures were ideal, but the densities and molar volumes were not. The stability of the various crude oil binary mixtures, in terms of viscosity, was studied over a temperature range of 1oC - 30oC for up to 12 weeks. Good stability was found in most cases.

This thesis is concerned with issues relating to the development of an active sealing system for hydraulic actuators where the sealing elements can be radially extended and retracted to vary the friction and leakage characteristics. In order to determine the feasibility of the active sealing concept it is necessary to establish that varying the seal geometry may achieve useful improvements in the friction-leakage trade-off and that a practical method of achieving this seal extension can be realised. Experimental and simulation approaches for seal friction prediction have been developed and active seal prototypes produced to demonstrate the concept. <br /> Experiments were carried out to measure the constant velocity friction for single-lip and double-lip seals over a range of sliding speeds and sealed pressures with special consideration applied to the instroke-outstroke direction dependence. Additional experiments were performed with sinusoid motion to provide an indication of the transient friction characteristics. Friction was shown to increase towards the end of the outstroke cycle and decrease once the instroke motion began. <br /> Tribology simulations were produced based on the results of a FEA simulation of the rod-seal contact pressure. Empirical friction-load relationships and novel contact mechanics approaches for high loads were considered. Simulations based on the Reynolds equation including standard inverse EHL theory and the GW-average Reynolds lubrication are also presented. Experimental agreement could be improved if loading is assumed to transfer to the fluid to maintain a fluid film. A hysteresis friction model was also developed in attempt to improve the prediction of speed dependent friction. <br /> Two active seal prototypes were produced, each with an adjustable external pressure supplied to the outer circumference of the sealing element. Constant velocity friction measurements for different external pressures and the transient response following step changes in this pressure are presented.

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