Date of Defense

4-18-2023

Date of Graduation

4-2023

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

First Advisor

Claudia Fajardo-Hansford

Second Advisor

Richard Meyer

Abstract

The automotive industry is continually researching ways to decrease energy losses in drivetrain applications. Rotating gear sets in an oil bath suffer frictional losses due to oil churning. The Center for Advanced Vehicle Design and Simulation (CAViDS) consortium has proposed studies to understand and reduce these churning losses. The primary means to reduce these churning losses are to redirect the oil flow using baffles and/or alter the oil viscosity. To perform churning loss optimization under controlled conditions, an existing test stand was upgraded to improve safety, introduce oil temperature control, and allow for the interchange of baffle designs. For safety, an enclosure was designed and manufactured to prevent injury from rotating and high-power electrical components. To manage oil temperature, a feedback control system was developed based upon results from heat transfer analysis. To create interchangeable baffle designs, comprehensive computer-aided design work was done to create a three- dimensional (3D) printable system with geometric retention for the baffle geometries. Use of the improved test stand produced data and validated relationships on the effects that oil temperature and rotational speed have on churning losses.

Comments

Co-authored with:

Tyler Bretes

Reno Bunce

Julissa Torres

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

Additional Files
Final Presentation.pdf (12464 kB)
Defense Presentation
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