CFD Investigation into Flow Characteristics of a Special Splash Lubrication in Light Helicopters

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Abstract
Lubricating oil flow characteristics are the primary concern in the main reducer of light helicopters. To improve the lubricating performance of the main reducer, a special lubrication system is innovatively constructed by adding two oil-guiding tubes to the hub of the output gear, and the influence of the oil-guiding tubes is investigated through CFD (computational fluid dynamics) techniques. A CFD model of the gearbox integrated with the VOF (volume of fluid) technique was established to explore the flow characteristics of the oil–air two-phase flow inside the gearing system. To validate the proposed CFD model, a specialized testing rig is devised and manufactured to examine the features of oil distribution. The effects of the structure parameters of the oil-guiding tubes and operating conditions on the lubrication performance are explored. Comparing experimental and numerical findings reveals that the inner diameter of the oil-guiding tube and the rotational speed of the driven gear have a significant influence on the lubrication performance. In contrast, the length of the installation end of the oil-guiding tube, its angle, and the oil-immersion depth show little impact.
Funding Information
  • National Defense Preliminary Research Project of China (KY-1044-2020-0657)

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