Innovation in PM - Pump Developments 2004-01-0497

In the field of oil pumps for the automotive industry, the volumetric, mechanical, and therefore the total increase of efficiency is the driving force for all advanced development activities. Advanced oil pump systems are developed based on innovations related to design and application of the newest modeling and simulation tools, followed by testing for verification. Several refinements could be achieved by applying the following tactics: design improvements of oil pump gears, the application of alternative forming processes to improve precision and performance (e.g. size rolling instead of standard sizing), the introduction of complete new pump concepts (planetary pump) and the development of new materials with adapted coefficient of thermal expansion to maintain a better axial clearance and higher volumetric efficiency. This paper gives an overview about the state of the art and the new concepts of PM pump technologies.