Gearbox lubrication studies with meshless CFD methods

Abstract

Developing new passive lubrication systems with reduced churning losses is one of the current challenges for the automotive industry. GKN Driveline produces gearbox systems for AWD vehicles, for hybrid vehicles and for electric cars.
Tight customer timings and increasing customer requirements demand tools to predict the oil flow and distribution at wide range of operating conditions already at initial development stages.
The complex, moving geometries inside a gearbox lead GKN Driveline to use meshless CFD methods, e.g. SPH (smoothed particle hydrodynamics) and MPS (moving particle method) tools.
These tools allow for rapid concept development and provide additional understanding of the oil flow, also in combination with experimental data. A typical gearbox study will be presented, including presentation of typical work flow and discussion of gearbox CFD specific challenges.

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