Identification of experimental measurement options for determining the relevant factors influencing gearbox oil flow
Research Topic
| Short Title | Experimental measurement of gearbox oil flow |
| Start of Project | Q1/2026 |
| Funding | FVA-Nr. 1103/I Research Association for Drive Technology e.V., FVA |
| Contact | Dr.-Ing. T. Lohner |
Project Description
Gearbox oil flow is of high relevance for the efficiency, thermal balance, and reliability of transmissions. Geometric and lubricant-specific parameters, as well as operating conditions, have a major influence on the gearbox oil flow. Numerical calculation of transmission oil flow using CFD is established in research and practice. This includes determining the oil supply rate of machine elements, designing housing contours and baffles, as well as determining load-independent power losses and heat transfer. However, a high number of CFD methods exist with varying performance regarding result quality and computational effort depending on the modeling, accompanied by dynamic development of CFD software. Furthermore, there is a high number of influencing factors on transmission oil flow and possibilities for experimental acquisition to validate these. Currently, validation possibilities are limited, leading to uncertainty in the application of CFD.
The project addresses this through the systematic identification, characterization, and evaluation of experimental acquisition methods. The goal is to create a methodological decision-making basis and to select suitable measurement techniques to precisely capture relevant influencing variables and demonstrate their suitability for CFD validation.