Influence of the Hydraulic Circuit Setup on the Dynamic Performance of an Axial Piston Pump by Numerical and Experimental Analysis

The hydraulic circuit in hydraulic mechanisms may be the cause of several vibration anomalies. Flexible pipes, in particular, commonly used in test rigs, may be the source of vibration issues due to their relatively low natural frequencies altering the pump noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) performance. The purpose of this study is to detail a methodology based on lumped parameter modeling and experiments to analyze the circuit NVH behavior. An experimental study is carried out on two pump designs to determine the outlet pressure fluctuation of various test rig configurations. Numerical simulations are also performed to simulate the actual behavior of the hydraulic system considering these different test configurations. The tests are carried out at a chosen frequency range with a hydraulic circuit configuration representing realistic layouts. In these situations, the hydraulic circuit layout can be the source of NVH anomalies. Realistic design solutions are proposed to modify the test rig NVH behavior in order to achieve a flat response throughout the desired working range.