Air contamination in oil is a serious condition. There are five problems associated with aerated oil that can be deadly to lubrication components, like oil pumps.
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With proper measurements one can quantify the susceptibility of one's design or component to the negative effects of aeration.
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There are a number of ways to introduce air into the oil to obtain a certain level of aeration. There are two predominant methods for achieving oil aeration: suction port t-fitting and direct injection.
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Apart from the ingress of debris, the greatest danger to any design of a pump is cavitation. The phenomenon can be found in centrifugal (i.e. impeller) or positive displacement (i.e. gear, gerotor or vane) pumps, in both oil and coolant applications. Excessive cavitation can lead to erosion damage. It is important to understand how cavitation occurs as there are some misconceptions and confusion on this topic.
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The major purpose of lubrication oil is to provide low bearing friction, to transfer heat and to protect components from corrosion. Contaminants will affect the oil’s ability to meet these requirements.
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Many OEMs are battling to improve vehicle durability, increase efficiency and reduce noise, but are struggling to find the answers. Unfortunately, many of the recent design trend are forcing higher aeration levels, and far too many OEMs are unaware.
In the pursuit of greater efficiency, many OEMs are making design decisions that may amplify the effects of oil aeration. Air bubbles may seem benign, but they can detrimentally affect the performance and durability of engines, drivelines and hydraulic equipment.
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As the global interest for clean energy alternatives increases within the automotive industry, so does the requirement of efficiently storing electricity. The latest trends in electric vehicle technology have led to the development of high-voltage storage solutions, all backed by the need for increased efficiency and quicker charge times.
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ATA Inc. was awarded a project from an existing client to build test systems for production verification testing on six different engine oil pump models. We delivered on the client's needs for an accurate and interchangeable tool to verify pump performance and functionality using a grouping layout for the individual test cells, and by employing laser marking stations.
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Torsional Vibration in shafts and other mechanical systems
The torsional vibration of a crank or motor shaft is an important factor in the suitability and reliability of a system design. Finite element modelling can predict the natural vibration and forced vibration based on the expected harmonics and speeds. However, modelling can only go so far, and oftentimes a measurement setup is required, such as ENSURE, for physical validation of the key assumptions.
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Pulsation in pipes and other hydraulic systems
Pumping and system pulsations are an important factor in the suitability and reliability of a design. Finite element modelling can predict the natural waves and forced waves based on the expected pump harmonics, geometries and speeds. However, modelling can only go so far, and oftentimes a measurement setup is required, such as ENSURE, for physical validation of the key assumptions.
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A pain point of modern battery-powered systems, such as EVs is battery charging convenience. Ideally, charging times would be comparable to refueling a gasoline engine, however, the reality of current EVs is that charging the batteries typically takes hours.
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Get ready, because this post is going to get hot…and cold. Testing components at super low/high temperatures have become a standard request now from OEMs. Whether it is a static test (i.e. performance tests at specific temperature operating points) or a dynamic test (durability tests that entail operating the component continuously across a range of temperatures), you will need to source a piece of equipment that will help you achieve these requirements. Today, we are going to discuss different solutions, how they might integrate with each other, and some of the pros/cons of each.
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ATA Supports StarFish Medical in Effort to Deliver Canadian Emergency Ventilators For COVID-19. ATA To Design, Produce And Test Critical Modules In CEV Winnipeg Ventilator
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We sat down with OEMs, seasoned pump design release engineers and validation technicians. We wanted to understand the most frequent variable displacement vane pump failures and how someone developing these pumps could avoid them.
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ATA was selected by a new client to build a turn-key Oil Pump ECT system to benchmark the performance of existing and future pump models. The client was a premier international manufacturer of powertrain automotive components.
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Increasing electrification of traditionally mechanically-driven components in the automotive industry has been visible in many segments of the vehicle subsystems, such as lubrication circuits and cooling circuits. Some of the components include electric oil pumps, electric water pumps, electric coolant valves, etc. As the parts evolve from purely mechanical components to a combination of mechanical and electronic hardware, the methods used to validate the components have also evolved.
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Many people question the value of contracts but only consider support when things go wrong. In this blog post we discuss how you can save money if things go wrong, save time when help is needed and make money by increasing efficiency.
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As with any other automotive powertrain component, the Design Verification (DV) and Production Validation (PV) program includes checking the performance and durability characteristics of these valves. The detailed procedures may have certain aspects that are specific to the OEM, but at a high level there is a set of tests which are fundamental to being able to properly characterize the coolant valve characteristics.
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There are many sources of risk in a project, such as change in scope, resource constraints, material constraints, incorrect estimates, misalignment of expectations, etc. The ability to manage those risks is one of the ten mandatory competencies every project manager must have.
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