Novel Integrated Active and Passive Control of Fluid-Borne Noise in Hydraulic Systems

Fluid-borne noise (FBN) is a major contributor to structure-borne noise (SBN) and air-borne noise (ABN) in hydraulic fluid power systems and could lead to increased fatigue in system components. FBN is caused by the unsteady flow generated by pumps and motors and propagates through the system resulting in SBN and ABN. New hydraulic technologies such as digital switched hydraulic converters also generate unavoidable FBN. This article reports on a novel integrated FBN attenuation approach, which employs a hybrid control system by integrating an active feed forward noise attenuator with passive tuned flexible hoses. The active system which consists of adaptive notch filters using a variable step-size filtered-X Least Mean Squares algorithm is used to control a newly designed high-force high-bandwidth piezoelectric actuator in order to attenuate the dominant narrowband pressure ripples. The passive hose is tuned in the frequency domain and used to cancel the high-frequency pressure ripples. A time-domain hose model considering coupling of longitudinal wall and fluid waves was used to model the flexible hose in the integrated control system. Very good FBN cancellation was achieved by using the integrated control approach in simulation and experiments. It is an effective, cost-efficient and practical solution for FBN attenuation. The problem of high noise levels generated by hydraulically powered machines has risen significantly in awareness within industry and amongst the general public, and this work constitutes an important contribution to the sustainable development of low noise hydraulic fluid power machines.

Experimental Investigation on Effective Bulk Modulus and Effective Volume in an External Gear Pump

Pressure ripples generated by a positive displacement pump in a hydraulic system can lead to severe noise and vibration problems. The source impedance of a positive displacement pump has a considerable impact on the generation of pressure ripples. It is, therefore, important to be able to predict the source impedance in order to design quiet hydraulic systems. The source impedance of a positive displacement pump depends, amongst other things, on bulk modulus and volume. However, it is known that the mathematical model that takes into account the bulk modulus of hydraulic oil and the volume of a discharge room in the pump results in an estimated value of the source impedance that is greater than the measured value. In this study, the factors which affect the source impedance of an external gear pump for an agricultural tractor have been investigated. In particular, the effect of the following factors has been investigated experimentally: the effective bulk modulus as determined by the components of the pump: leakage in the pump: the specific volume ratio of entrained air to hydraulic oil: and the volume of the tooth space of the pump. In addition, the effect of volumetric change of the discharge room by pumping action has been investigated using CFD with moving mesh technique.

A Consideration on the Behavior of Hydraulic Pressure Ripples in Relation to Hydraulic Oil Temperature

It is well known that hydraulic noise can change as a system warms up. That change can be a factor for misperception of mechanical failure, because noise can play an important role as a signal that indicates abnormal operation. It is therefore important to understand the behavior of hydraulic pressure ripples that are a source of hydraulic noise in operating conditions, and how they change in relation to the temperature of the hydraulic oil. This study has investigated the ripple behavior that results from temperature change in simple hydraulic systems, using mathematical models that took thermal properties into account. Physical properties of the oil and the speed of sound in the oil have been defined as temperature-related variables in the mathematical models. The physical properties that should be used in the mathematical models have been obtained directly from the oil manufacturer. In contrast, the speed of sound in the oil has to be obtained from the isentropic tangent bulk modulus of the oil in an actual operating condition. That has been determined from the specific volume ratio of entrained air to the oil and the isentropic tangent bulk modulus of the only oil. The thermal properties of the speed of sound in the oil have been determined from the thermal characteristics of these variables, and it has been found that the speed of sound in the oil decreases with a rise in the oil temperature. The mathematical models of pressure ripples have shown that there were three distinct phenomena resulting from the temperature change of the oil. The first is the change of wavelength. The second is the spatial dependence of the thermal characteristics of the pressure ripples. The third is the difference of the thermal characteristics of the pressure amplitude at the peak in spatial modes. These changes that result from the temperature variation tend to be large at higher frequency.

Mixed Lubricated Line Contact Analysis for Spur Gears using a Deterministic Model

The unified approach based upon the Reduced Reynolds technique is applied to develop a deterministic transient mixed lubrication line contact model. This model is used in spur gear applications to comprehensively show effects of roughness, working conditions, i.e., rotational speeds and loads on pressure ripples and severity of asperity contacts. Results show effects of the speed, the load, as well as the RMS value are coupled which makes it difficult to evaluate lubrication states by only considering one variable. Considering the Ree-Eyring non-Newtonian behavior could alleviate pressure ripples significantly, compared with the Newtonian fluid assumption. Small RMS values of surfaces, which could be achieved by superfinish techniques, would be desirable when evaluating gear tooth surface contact performances.

Micro-Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication and its Relationship with Running-in

The paper determines the conditions under which sinusoidal asperities with a circumferential lay become elastically deformed by hydrodynamic pressure ripples within an elastohydrodynamic conjunction. The information is presented on a non-dimensional plot and it is found that such micro-elastohydrodynamic lubrication (micro-EHL) occurs at relatively low loads and/or with thin macroelastohydrodynamic films. Consideration is given to the way in which the plot may be extended to deal with real surfaces. Its use is demonstrated by the presentation of the lubrication histories of two scuffing tests, one of which ‘ran-in’ prior to failure. It is shown that the test which ‘ran-in’ operated throughout under micro-EHL conditions; in contrast, the second test, which started at a high load and with a thick EHL film, failed practically as soon as there was nominal contact between the surfaces. It is suggested that micro-EHL is a necessary prerequisite for ‘running-in’ and a mechanism is outlined.