Noise Simulation Analysis of a Variable Displacement External Gear Pump and Unloading Groove Optimization

Abstract

The oil pump is an important part of vehicle engine, whose noise and vibration characteristics affect the engine performance significantly. The noises generated by both the pressure and flow fluctuations are the main contributors to the oil pump noise. In this paper, noise analysis of an external gear pump is carried out by using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method and The Lighthill's acoustic analogy (LAA) algorithm. The fluid pressure and velocity distributions of the flowfield are firstly calculated by using a CFD model. The noises generated by flowfield are simulated and their sound pressure spectra are obtained by using an LAA-based finite element model. By analyzing the phenomenon of oil trapping, the optimum design of unloading groove is put forward, and then the simulation analysis is carried out. According to the finite element model, the noise level of gear pump is reduced and the effect of noise reduction is achieved. The technique presented in this paper can be regarded as a useful tool for optimization design of gear pumps in vehicle engineering.