In dipped (splash) lubrication, a rotating component, such as a gear, is partly submerged in a reservoir of liquid lubricant and acts to distribute it within the lubricated machine. Dipped lubrication is widely used for low to medium speed applications in the industrial and automotive sectors and there is a significant interest in the associated energy loss (the “churning” loss) because of its influence on efficiency and fuel consumption. In this study, a simple test rig consisting of a spur gear rotating in a cylindrical enclosure, partly filled with a liquid, was used to study the effect of fluid properties on the churning loss. The inertia rundown method was used to determine the power losses. Lubricating oils, water and aqueous glycerol solutions were among the fluids used. Correlations with Froude and Reynolds and Bond numbers are presented. It was found that the churning losses were significantly affected by the fluid disposition within the housing. In turn this was affected by the ratio of inertial forces to gravity (Froude number) and by air pressure. The influence of the pressure of the air within the enclosure was also investigated. When the air was evacuated from the enclosure, the churning losses increased, by a factor of up to 4.5 times. This can be explained by the effect of air (windage and aeration) on the liquid disposition, factors neglected in most previous work.
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Tribology Group,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
e-mail: akolekar@imperial.ac.uk
Tribology Group,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
e-mail: a.v.olver@imperial.ac.uk
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April 2014
Research-Article
Windage and Churning Effects in Dipped Lubrication
Anant S. Kolekar,
Tribology Group,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
e-mail: akolekar@imperial.ac.uk
Anant S. Kolekar
Imperial College London
,Tribology Group,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
London SW7 2AZ
, UK
e-mail: akolekar@imperial.ac.uk
Search for other works by this author on:
Andrew V. Olver,
Tribology Group,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
e-mail: a.v.olver@imperial.ac.uk
Andrew V. Olver
Imperial College London
,Tribology Group,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
London SW7 2AZ, UK
e-mail: a.v.olver@imperial.ac.uk
Search for other works by this author on:
Frances E. Lockwood
Frances E. Lockwood
Search for other works by this author on:
Anant S. Kolekar
Imperial College London
,Tribology Group,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
London SW7 2AZ
, UK
e-mail: akolekar@imperial.ac.uk
Andrew V. Olver
Imperial College London
,Tribology Group,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
London SW7 2AZ, UK
e-mail: a.v.olver@imperial.ac.uk
Adam E. Sworski
Frances E. Lockwood
Contributed by the Tribology Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF TRIBOLOGY. Manuscript received February 18, 2013; final manuscript received October 11, 2013; published online January 15, 2014. Assoc. Editor: Jordan Liu.
J. Tribol. Apr 2014, 136(2): 021801 (10 pages)
Published Online: January 15, 2014
Article history
Received:
February 18, 2013
Revision Received:
October 11, 2013
Citation
Kolekar, A. S., Olver, A. V., Sworski, A. E., and Lockwood, F. E. (January 15, 2014). "Windage and Churning Effects in Dipped Lubrication." ASME. J. Tribol. April 2014; 136(2): 021801. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4025992
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