3D Printing for Energy-Saving: Evidence from Hydraulic Manifolds Design

Jun-hui Zhang, Gan Liu, Ruqi Ding, Kun Zhang, Min Pan and Shihao Liu
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Jun-hui Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Gan Liu: State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Ruqi Ding: Key Laboratory of Conveyance and Equipment, Ministry of Education, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China
Kun Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Min Pan: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
Shihao Liu: State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 13, 1-21

Abstract: With the compact circuit layout and small size, hydraulic manifolds sometimes cause high pressure loss. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the pressure loss under different circumstances with various geometry features and present solutions to reduce pressure loss. The pressure loss performance is evaluated by both experimental and numerical methods. Verified by the experiments, the numerical simulations are qualified to depict the correct trend of the pressure drop. After the basic analysis of traditional passages, three novel forms are proposed, which are very hard to be manufactured by a common method. Furthermore, the geometrical features are selected optimally by means of full factorial experiments to balance the pressure loss and space requirement. Moreover, taking advantage of 3D printing, it is possible to build the passages in novel forms which are beyond the capacity of conventional manufacturing. Results show that the pressure loss can be reduced considerably by adopting a smooth transition, where the reduction can reach up to 50%.

Keywords: hydraulic manifold; energy-saving; internal passages; 3D printing; pressure loss; computational fluid dynamic (CFD) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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