EXPERIMENTALLY VALIDATED COMPUTATIONAL HEAT TRANSFER MODEL OF ELECTRO-HYDROSTATIC ACTUATOR

Date

2025-8-04

Author

Yıldırım, Furkan Enes

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Electro-Hydrostatic actuators (EHAs) are increasingly utilized in demanding industrial and aerospace applications due to their compactness (lightweight), high power density, and reliability. However, thermal management remains a critical challenge, particularly under high loading conditions. This study focuses on investigating the thermal behavior of EHAs during high-load (22.5 kN), long-duration (20 minutes) operations—a scenario identified as the most critical through experimental testing. A mathematical model is constructed using the User-Defined Functions (UDF) in ANSYS Fluent, incorporating electrical motor and pump losses as primary heat sources. Valve and friction losses are excluded based on stationary oil assumptions during the tests. The model is validated using experimental data, and its robustness is demonstrated under different boundary conditions by predicting the temperatures of prede- fined critical nodes with an acceptable accuracy. The simulation results underscore the significant influence of test conditions (loading and environmental conditions) on local temperatures, particularly in temperature-sensitive components such as sealing parts, pumps, valves, and electric motors. Notably, the model eliminates the reliance on correction parameters, which are required in lumped parameter models but lack physical meaning, thereby reducing the need for extensive experimental testing. This research provides a validated approach to predict temperature distributions in EHAs, ensuring component integrity and advancing thermal management strategies.

Subject Keywords

Thermal Management, Electro-Hydrostatic Actuators, Steady Load Test, Transient CFD Analysis, Variable Speed Fixed Displacement EHA, Experimental Validation

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115576

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Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis