Descripció del projecte
The G-Rotor is a gear set with trochoidal-tooth profile and known as gerotor pump when operating with a fluid. The G-Rotor technology progresses towards an important number of sectors such as life science, industrial and mechanical engineering. This remarkable growth is based on its three main advantages: simplicity, versatility and performance. Moreover, recent paradigm, as environmental concerns, shifts in the industry in additional applications leading to growing demand for technologies that can improve their efficiency; the G-Rotor technology is strategically positioned.
AMES, as leading company in powder metallurgy (PM) technology and PM G-rotor manufacturer, is involved in the improvement of PM parts compaction stage, porous materials development, f.i prosthesis, and components study for electric cars, among others, as current research trends of interest. Based on its expertise (metallurgy performance, tooling design and manufacturing, dimensional process, material magnetic properties and metrology controls), AMES is currently working on these main areas of interest: (i) the definition of an optimised and fluid-dynamic efficient G-Rotor profile, (ii) the definition of performance characteristics involved in a G-Rotor (f.i. concentricity, conicity, dimensional precision, gear profile , contour error, …) and (iii) the definition of the process to produce PM G-Rotors that reaches items defined in (i) and (ii) at micro-scale tolerance. The G-Rotor is a part itself but also a part of a whole, as in a pump.
The research statements that this research proposal aims to answer are: (I) How to reach a PM G-Rotor profile that fits within few microns compared to the theoretical profile? – Deep design knowledge and gaining confidently to guide AMES costumers; (II) Which are the most relevant dimensional characteristics in trochoidal gears to work as a pump? – A balance of high precision and durability leading to PM G-Rotors; (III) How do noise, electric consume and volumetric efficiency improve in a G-Rotor set by achieving questions (I) and (II)? – Measurement, increase efficiency and reduction of working noise. The review of the open literature reveals three main gaps:
1. Optimal Parameters. Despite the enormous work and research carried out in the last decade regarding geometry, performance indexes and manufacturing, there are no published evidences of a specific G-Rotor profile that assembles the best and optimized characteristics yet.
2. Design for Manufacturing. In mold manufacture, the shape of cavity molds can be complex, containing highly diverse and irregular characteristics. In addition, the accumulated stress of the G-Rotor generates a growth in the part and the expansion of the profile when is relieved from the mold, causing the loss of accuracy. The ‘profile error compensation’ is considered an effective approach to solve it. Another candidate is ‘surface texturing’ that defines engineered features, which are deliberately manufactured in order to improve the functionality, shape and dimension.
3. Academia and Industry. There is a need to advance in the interaction between academia and manufacturers, the necessity of ‘a bridge’ between data technical sheets and research literature. Without a doubt, manufacturers are technical experts, but they are less prone to carry out a PhD thesis and publish in research journals.
The scope of this proposal is well known by AMES based on how much is already known about the problem and what is missing from current knowledge: for instance, modelling the behaviour of the part when it is ejected from the die compensated in few microns tolerance. In addition, this research will contribute to new insights of the knowledge to high quality G-Rotors and is worth doing it to produce them. The topic is significant since it will mean an important step forward in the development of high quality G-Rotor and it will help the expansion of AMES gerotors to new markets. Then, other actors will be interested in the opportunity to obtain a better G-Rotor.
The framework of this research will be based on theoretical, modelling and experimental work, as major approaches. The feasibility of this research design is based on the tools, instrumentation, procedures, participants and sources already available in AMES, such as engineering and machinery, 3D-CAD system, workshops (EDM machines, grinder, …), coordinate measuring machine (CMM), rolling control machine (profile error and concentricity), laboratory facilities and anechoic chamber for noise measurement, among others.
Finally, this research proposal is also clearly oriented to the dissemination exploitation results: conferences and publications, internationalization and interaction with other research groups.
