Semi-Automatic Modeling Technique of Torque Converter Flow Passage

Shiping Liu, Shujuan Zheng

North China Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydro-Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China.

DOI: 10.4236/mme.2013.32009                

Abstract

The modeling technique of hydrodynamic torque converter flow passage was investigated. The semi-automatic modeling technique of torque converter flow passage was proposed. The flow passage model of each converter wheel is considered as a revolution entity sliced by two curved surfaces. In order to generate the revolution entity, a new approximation method, condition optimum arc approximation, was proposed. The method was used to approximate the meridional streamlines of the inner and outer wall. As a result, the three-dimensional revolution entity can be conveniently generated. In order to create slice surfaces, the central stream surface of flow passage was approximated with a quadric surface. The normal vector of the quadric surface and the thickness/thickness-function of bade were used to calculate the discrete point coordinates of blade surfaces. Via the rotation transformation to the coordinates, the discrete point coordinates of slice surfaces were obtained. A parameterized program code used for the hydrodynamic torque converter design and semi-automatic modeling was developed. Modeling errors were calculated and analyzed. The flow passage model was generated in several minutes with the help of the program code, Auto CAD and Solidworks software. Finally, the model was inputted into Gambit, and the pre-processing task used for the numerical simulation of torque converter flow field was successfully completed. The investigation results show that the semi-automatic modeling not only can ensure the accuracy of modeling, but also librates the research and design workers of torque converter from the time-consuming modeling work, which paves the way for the numerical simulation of the complex flow field of the hydrodynamic torque converter.

Keywords

Hydrodynamic Torque Converter; Flow Field Simulation; Semi-Automatic Modeling; Quadric Surface; Condition Optimum Approximation

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	M. Yamada and K. Imai, et al., “Numerical Analysis of the Torque Converter Stator Blade by the Boundary Element Method,” SAE Paper No. 921692, 1992.
[2]	R. R. By and R. Kunz, et al., “Navier-Stokes Analysis of the Pump Flow Field of an Automotive Torque Converter,” Journal of Fluids Engineering, Vol. 117, No. 1, 1995, pp. 116-122. doi:10.1115/1.2816800
[3]	H. J. Chang, M. Athavale and S. Shin, “Numerical Investigation of the Pump Flow in an Automotive Torque Converter,” SAE Paper No. 1999-01-1056, 1999.
[4]	P. Attibele and V. Korivi, et al., “Torque Converter CFD Engineering-Part I: Torque Ratio and K Factor Improvement through Stator Modifications,” SAE Paper No. 2002-01-0883, 2002.
[5]	M. Cigarini and S. Jonnavithula, “Fluid Flow in an Automotive Torque Converter: Comparison of Numerical Results with Measurements,” SAE Paper No. 950673, 1995.
[6]	D. X. Zhao and X. Z. Shi, et al., “Method of Internal 3-D Flow Field Numerical Simulation for Hydrodynamic Torque Converter,” Journal of Jilin University (Engineering and Technology Edition), Vol. 36, No. 3, 2006, pp. 199-203.
[7]	P. Yan and G. Q. Wu, “Performance Investigation of Torque Converter,” Journal of Tongji University(Natural Science), Vol. 32, No. 11, 2004, pp. 1504-1507.
[8]	H. Tian and A. L. Ge, et al., “Numerical Analysis on Internal Flow Field in Pump Wheel of a Torque Converter,” Journal of Jilin University (Engineering and Technology Edition), Vol. 34, No. 3, 2004, pp. 378-382.
[9]	H. Schulz and R. Greim, “Calculation of Three-Dimensional Viscous Flow in Hydrodynamic Torque Converters,” Journal of Turbomachinery, Vol. 118, No. 6, 1996, pp. 578-589. doi:10.1115/1.2836705
[10]	Y. Liu and Y. X. Pan, et al., “Numerical Analysis on Three-Dimensional Flow Field of Turbine in Torque Converter,” Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 20, No. 2, 2007, pp. 94-96. doi:10.3901/CJME.2007.02.094
[11]	W. S. Lim and C. Lee, et al., “ThreeDimensional Flow Field Simulation to Estimate Performance of a Torque Converter,” SAE Paper No. 2000-01-1146.
[12]	S. P. Liu and L. Quan, “Mathematical Model of Hydrodynamic Torque Converter and Analytic Description of Streamline,” Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2009, pp. 70-77.
[13]	S. P. Liu and L. Quan, “Torus Streamline Method Design of 3-Element Centripetal-Turbine Hydraulic Torque Converters,” Transactions of the Chinese Society for Agricultural Machinery, Vol. 40, No. 9, 2009, pp. 20-24, 44.
[14]	M. C. Xi, “Numerical Analysis Methods,” University of Science and Technology of China Press, Hefei, 2003.