Investigation of the Influence of Hydraulic Parameters on a Hydraulic Pump

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental investigation into the flow characteristics and volumetric efficiency (ηvol) of a fixed-displacement external gear pump (GHD 17R) operating under coupled hydraulic parameters using an eco-friendly synthetic ester-based hydraulic fluid (48 mm2·s−1 at 40 °C). Measurements were performed on a laboratory single-circuit hydraulic test rig across a rotational speed range of 500–2500 min−1, operating pressure range of 2–10 MPa, and fluid temperature range of 30–60 °C. To eliminate flow fluctuations caused by structural vibrations at 1250 and 1750 min−1, a 15% trimmed mean statistical filter was successfully implemented. A comparative sensitivity analysis—evaluating absolute, normalized, and relative significance—was developed and compared against a three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) effect size model (η2 and partial η2). The relative sensitivity approach identified rotational speed as the dominant parameter for direct hydraulic flow, accounting for 95.80% of total variation. Conversely, when evaluating volumetric efficiency, the proportional impact of speed was removed, revealing a balanced distribution of internal losses: rotational speed contributed 54.73%, fluid temperature 26.08%, and pressure 19.19%. The three-way ANOVA confirmed that all primary parameters and their cross-interactions had a statistically significant effect (p < 0.05). The findings scientifically demonstrate that temperature-induced viscosity collapse exhibits a stronger relative dynamic sensitivity on volumetric losses than pressure fluctuations within standard operating envelopes. The constructed multi-dimensional flow and efficiency maps provide practical input for advanced diagnostic tools, real-time thermal condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and energy-optimized control schemes in modern fluid power systems using eco-friendly lubricants.