Wear modelling of slipper/swashplate pair for highspeed piston pump under transient lubrication conditions

Wear phenomenon occurring in the slipper/swashplate pair of the high-speed piston pump is investigated in this paper. Analytical model along with the finite difference method is adopted to solve the transient thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic (TEHD) lubrication process. The proposed approach considers the slipper wear clearance and deformations caused by thermal deflection and hydrostatic pressure. The results show that the lubricating oil film is unevenly distributed. Consequently, discrete friction area wear model is proposed to account for the partial abrasion characteristics. In addition, the slipper wear profile is dynamically updated with the pump working time extended. The simulation results indicate that the wear of the slipper pair can be reduced by operating the pump within the high-speed/low pressure/small displacement zone.