A Study on the Lubrication Characteristics and Parameter Influence of a High-Speed Train Herringbone Gearbox

Abstract

To investigate the lubrication characteristics in high-speed train gearboxes, a two-stage herringbone gearbox with an idle gear was analyzed. The lubricant flow and distribution were shown using the moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method. A liquid film flow model was brought in to enhance the non-slip wall boundary conditions, enabling MPS to predict the film flow characteristics. This study investigates the influence of gear rotating speed, lubricant volume, and temperature on lubricant flow, liquid film distribution, lubrication state in the meshing zone, and churning power loss. The results indicate that lubrication characteristics depend on the splashing effect of rotating gears and lubricant fluidity. Increasing gear rotating speed and lubricant temperature can improve liquid film distribution on the inner wall, increase lubricant volume, and thus enhance film thickness. The lubricant particles in the meshing zone correlate positively with the gear rotating speed and lubricant volume, correlate negatively with a temperature above 20 °C, and decrease notably at low temperatures. Churning power loss mainly comes from the output gear. As lubricant volume and gear rotating speed increase, churning torque and power loss increase. Above 20 °C, viscosity decreases, reducing power loss; low temperatures lessen lubricant fluidity, reducing churning power loss.