High-Pressure Gear Pumps

Abstract

Gear pumps have been used in very large numbers for the various hydraulic services of war aircraft. For the higher pressures the main problems have been in connexion with the load on the journal bearings, with wear, and with the reduction in volumetric efficiency caused by internal leakage. The journal loads are affected by the number of teeth and by the ratio of width to diameter of the gears. With high pressures it is difficult to accommodate standard ball or roller races on account of their diameter: designs are illustrated using a combination of standard races and special needle roller bearings. Small amounts of wear cause comparatively large reductions in volumetric efficiency. Major causes of wear are rubbing on the gear end faces and solid matter in suspension in the liquid and methods of dealing with these are discussed. The percentage slip due to internal leakage varies inversely as the factor (r.p.m. × viscosity). At low speeds and with low-viscosity liquids, internal leakage often limits the pressure at which the pump can be used. Multistage pumps reduce the leakage and have been used extensively for undercarriage operation. Internal leakage becomes relatively less as the size of the pump is increased and the paper gives a graph, showing the relationship between the limit of pressure at which 80 per cent volumetric efficiency is possible, the capacity and rotational speed of the pump, and the viscosity of the liquid. Aircraft pumps generally use gears with involute teeth: ports in the end covers of the casing are used to prevent excessive pressure in the liquid trapped between the teeth. Low- and high-leakage conditions call for difficult arrangements of ports, and this involves differing displacements and variations in flow velocity.