Lubrication characteristics analysis of slipper bearing in axial piston pump considering thermal effect

In this study, the lubrication characteristics of a slipper bearing for axial piston pump considering oil thermal effect have been investigated. A mathematical model is developed to predict the film thickness and temperature on the slipper/swash plate interface under different operating conditions. Based on the mathematical model, a parametric study is conducted to evaluate the slipper lubrication performance. It is found that the slipper is characterised by an unstable behaviour and the behaviour is enhanced by lower pressure and higher rotational speed. As the film temperature increases rapidly due to high shaft speed and piston chamber pressure, the overall result is a rather low decline in the film thickness. The leakage flow rate increases with increasing speed or oil film thickness. The structure parameter can be optimised to obtain satisfactory slipper performance. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.