Analysis on the friction losses of a bent-axis type hydraulic piston pump

The design of an axial piston pump for electro-hydrostatic transmission systems requires accurate information where and how much the internal friction and flow losses are produced. This study is particularly focused on the friction losses of a bent-axis type hydraulic piston pump, aiming at finding out which design factors influence its torque efficiency most significantly. To this end, the friction coefficients of the pump parts such as piston heads, spherical joints, shaft bearings, and valve plate were experimentally identified by a specially constructed tribometer. Applying the experimental data to the equations of motion for pistons as well as to the theoretical friction models for the pump parts, the friction torques produced by them were computed. The accuracy of the computed results was confirmed by the comparison with the practical input torque of the pump. In this paper, it is shown that the viscous friction forces on the valve plate and input shaft bearing are the primary source of the friction losses of the bent-axis type pump, while the friction forces and moments on the piston are of little significance.