Analysis and Simulation of a Radial Piston Hydraulic Motor

This thesis is focused on the study and the simulation of a radial pistons hydraulic motor, used for applications where low rotational speed and high torque are needed. This typology can be part of a hydrostatic transmission mounted on vehicles; coupled to the wheels, it can provide traction. Starting from a model kindly donated to the FPRL by Poclain Hydraulics® (identified by catalogue research as a MSE02 Classic), a three-dimensional representation has been done with the aim of obtaining an animation capable to faithfully reproduce the actual kinematics; the software used for this purpose has been SolidWorks®. Then, after the evaluation of some fundamental parameters such as flow areas development, piston chamber volume and its derivative with respect to the angle of rotation, a simulation has been conducted in Amesim® environment. Two approaches have been used: the first one, which has been taken by an already existing formulation, reproduces the motor by means of parallel hydraulic lines that simulate every single piston chamber. The second one has been developed by means of the more recent vectorial blocks with the aim to obtain the same results in a more compact and simple way. After the main simulation (in which the motor behaviour has been quantified by means of shaft speed, pressure, flow rate and other significative parameters), some further analyses have been done about the impact of the number of pistons and on the results obtained implementing a variable displacement layout.