Testing the performance of an innovative high speed external gear pump as a reliable hydraulic power unit for automotive robotized transmissions

In this paper the performance of an innovative, high speed, external gear pump have been measured and verified in order to evaluate its potential application as a reliable and efficient power unit for automotive, electro-hydraulic actuated, robotized transmissions. More in detail, this particular type of volumetric machine is built with two suction and two delivery ports and is specifically designed for extremely challenging operating conditions, mainly in terms of both rotational speed and delivery pressure. First of all, the most important hydraulic and mechanical performance parameters have been measured and analyzed, over a wide range of rotational speeds, spanning between 400 and 7000 rpm, and for two different operating temperatures, respectively equal to 40 and 60 °C. In this case, with the aim to increase the consistency of the experimental measurements, two external gear pumps, with exactly the same design geometry and features, have been tested and compared, also with available data coming from the pump manufacturer. All the experimental measurements have been performed with the help of a test bench, equipped with a double Cardan joint and an overdrive, specifically tailored for running the pump at high rotational speed and applying a delivery pressure of about 45 bar, very near to a typical actuation value of a high-performance automotive robotized transmission. At the end of this experimental work, it is possible to conclude that the high speed external gear pump here tested and analyzed can be considered a reliable and effective alternative hydraulic power unit for high-performance, automotive, robotized transmissions.