Characterizing the Effect of Automotive Torque Converter Design Parameters on the Onset of Cavitation at Stall

Author(s):  
Darrell Robinette ◽  
Carl Anderson ◽  
Jason Blough ◽  
Mark Johnson ◽  
Don Maddock ◽  
...  
2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Robinette ◽  
J. M. Schweitzer ◽  
D. G. Maddock ◽  
C. L. Anderson ◽  
J. R. Blough ◽  
...  

The objective of this investigation was to develop a dimensionless model for predicting the onset of cavitation in torque converters applicable to general converter designs. Dimensional analysis was applied to test results from a matrix of torque converters that ranged from populations comprised of strict geometric similitude to those with more relaxed similarities onto inclusion of all the torque converters tested. Stator torque thresholds at the onset of cavitation for the stall operating condition were experimentally determined with a dynamometer test cell using nearfield acoustical measurements. Cavitation torques, design parameters, and operating conditions were resolved into a set of dimensionless quantities for use in the development of dimensionless empirical models. A systematic relaxation of the fundamental principle of dimensional analysis, geometric similitude, was undertaken to present empirical models applicable to torque converter designs of increasingly diverse design parameters. A stepwise linear regression technique coupled with response surface methodology was utilized to produce an empirical model capable of predicting stator torque at the onset of cavitation with less than 7% error for general automotive torque converter designs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 932
Author(s):  
Ali Trueworthy ◽  
Bryony DuPont

Wave energy is among the many renewable energy technologies being researched and developed to address the increasing demand for low-emissions energy. The unique design challenges for wave energy converter design—integrating complex and uncertain technological, economic, and ecological systems, overcoming the structural challenges of ocean deployment, and dealing with complex system dynamics—have lead to a disjointed progression of research and development. There is no common design practice across the wave energy industry and there is no published synthesis of the practices that are used by developers. In this paper, we summarize the methods being employed in WEC design as well as promising methods that have yet to be applied. We contextualize these methods within an overarching design process. We present results from a survey of WEC developers to identify methods that are common in industry. From the review and survey results, we conclude that the most common methods of WEC design are iterative methods in which design parameters are defined, evaluated, and then changed based on evaluation results. This leaves a significant space for improvement of methods that help designers make better-informed decisions prior to sophisticated evaluation, and methods of using the evaluation results to make better design decisions during iteration. Despite the popularity of optimization methods in academic research, they are less common in industry development. We end this paper with a summary of the areas of WEC design in which the testing and development of new methods is necessary, and where more research is required to fully understand the influence of design decisions on WEC performance.


2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 660-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Garrab ◽  
B. Allard ◽  
H. Morel ◽  
K. Ammous ◽  
S. Ghedira ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 411-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Schweitzer ◽  
Jeya Gandham

This article describes some of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) work being done on three-element torque converters using a commercially available package CFX TASCflow. The article details some of the work done to validate CFD results and gives examples of ways in which CFD is used in the torque-converter design process. Based on the validation study, it is shown that CFD can be used as a design and analysis tool to make decisions about design direction. Use of CFD in torque converters is a developing field. Thus, more work needs to be done before the requirement of hardware to validate designs can be fully eliminated. This article demonstrates the confidence level in torque converter CFD and demonstrates how it can be used to assist torqueconverter design today.


Author(s):  
Cheng Liu ◽  
Wei Wei ◽  
Qingdong Yan ◽  
Neal R Morgan

Torque converters are key components in automatic and hydrodynamic transmissions. Power is transmitted through the reaction force of fluid on cascades; thus, the geometry of the blade is essential to torque converter performance. The traditional one-dimensional blade design approach becomes inefficient for modern torque converter design because torque converters are highly coupled turbomachines and the flow is three-dimensional. In the present research, a novel six-parameter blade camberline design was developed to describe the overall shape of the blade. A full two-level factorial design was conducted with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations on each component to determine the sensitivity of design variables and investigate the relationship between design parameters and hydrodynamic performance. The design variables were reduced from 18 to nine after the screening design. A quarter-fractional factorial design was performed on the selected primary design variables to explore the first-order interaction effects between different wheels. Then a response surface was generated for each component to provide a substitution model for further optimization. A series of torque converters with various design parameters were fabricated and tested to validate the important effects determined in the design of experiments (DOE) process. It is found that CFD in combination with DOE is able to precisely capture the correlation between design variables and hydrodynamic performance. A base torque converter was optimized based on the DOE studies and the result was tested. Pronounced improvement in powertrain performance and fuel economy were observed.


Author(s):  
Guangqiang Wu ◽  
Jie Chen

Design of experiment (DOE) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques are applied to obtain an optimal design of the impeller geometry for an automotive torque converter. A new parametric geometric design method of impeller is proposed by means of parametric equations and Creo software. Eleven design parameters are used to obtain the parametric model and can be represented by six parameters including impeller blade number, blade thickness, bias angle, scroll angle, inlet angle and exit angle. DOE method is used to investigate the relative importance of the six design parameters for each response (stall torque ratio and peak efficiency). The impeller bias angle is found to exert the greatest influence on stall torque ratio while the impeller exit angle has the strongest impact on the peak efficiency. Three optimized cases for the impeller geometry of an automotive torque converter are obtained based on desirability function approach. The new parametric design and optimization methods can provide fundamental guidelines for performance enhancement in the design process of impeller geometry for an automotive torque converter.


2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoung Song ◽  
Kyusup Kim ◽  
JaeIn Park ◽  
JaeChang Kook ◽  
JongSun Oh ◽  
...  

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Robinette ◽  
J. M. Schweitzer ◽  
D. G. Maddock ◽  
C. L. Anderson ◽  
J. R. Blough ◽  
...  

Dimensional analysis has been applied to automotive torque converters to understand the response of performance to changes in torque, size, working fluid, or operating temperature. The objective of this investigation was to develop a suitable dimensional analysis for estimating the effect of exact geometric scaling of a particular torque converter design on the onset of cavitation. Torque converter operating thresholds for cavitation were determined experimentally with a dynamometer test cell at the stall operating condition using nearfield acoustical measurements. Dimensionless quantities based upon either speed or torque at the onset of cavitation and flow properties (e.g., pressures and temperature dependent fluid properties) were developed and compared. The proposed dimensionless stator torque quantity was found to be the most appropriate scaling law for extrapolating cavitation thresholds to multiple diameters. A power product model was fit on dimensionless stator torque data to create a model capable of predicting cavitation thresholds. Comparison of the model to test data taken over a range of operating points showed an error of 3.7%. This is the first paper of a two-part paper. In Part II, application of dimensional analysis will be expanded from torque converters with exact geometric similitude to those of more general design.


Author(s):  
C J R Sheppard

The confocal microscope is now widely used in both biomedical and industrial applications for imaging, in three dimensions, objects with appreciable depth. There are now a range of different microscopes on the market, which have adopted a variety of different designs. The aim of this paper is to explore the effects on imaging performance of design parameters including the method of scanning, the type of detector, and the size and shape of the confocal aperture.It is becoming apparent that there is no such thing as an ideal confocal microscope: all systems have limitations and the best compromise depends on what the microscope is used for and how it is used. The most important compromise at present is between image quality and speed of scanning, which is particularly apparent when imaging with very weak signals. If great speed is not of importance, then the fundamental limitation for fluorescence imaging is the detection of sufficient numbers of photons before the fluorochrome bleaches.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document