Design and Numerical Simulation-Based Optimization of a Novel Flat-Face Coupling System for Hydraulic Power Equipment

Abstract

Coupling systems play a vital role in hydraulic power transmission equipment. In recent years, flat-face coupling systems have been extensively studied due to their environment friendly features. The difficulty of the connection process of hydraulic equipment increases with the increase in their working pressure. To improve the convenience of making high-pressure connections, a novel flat-face coupling system is proposed in this article. In the proposed design, which is based on the conventional flat-face coupling system, the resistance caused by high hydraulic fluid pressure during coupling is drastically reduced by the addition of an instantaneous pressure relief module. In this study, the theoretical model of the system kinetics is established to illustrate the operational mechanism of the novel design, and a series of computational fluid dynamics numerical investigations based on the novel dynamic mesh technology and Ansys Mosaic meshing technology are implemented to verify the rationality of the proposed design. Additionally, an optimal design of the novel flat-face coupling system is proposed to reduce the energy loss during hydraulic power transmission.

Keywords

• computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
• hydraulic power transmission
• flat-face coupling
• dynamic mesh
• poly-hexcore mesh
• turbulent kinetic energy