Drive Technology
Early detection of critical pressure and thermal zones
Shorter development
cycles
Data-driven design decisions
Improved lubrication and cooling concepts
Evaluation of loads and operating conditions
Design tailored precisely to every challenge
Drive systems operate under complex interactions between rotation, fluid flow, pressure, temperature and mechanical loads.
Simulation makes these effects visible and quantifiable before extensive physical testing is required. Flow behavior, pressure zones, thermal effects, lubrication behavior and power losses can be analyzed directly.
Creating a deeper understanding of the system and gain a reliable basis for improving efficiency, durability and overall performance.
Application Examples
Turbo Gearbox
Make hidden losses visible
Gearboxes turn power into motion, but hidden flow losses can turn valuable energy into heat. Simulation makes the behavior of air and oil visible, even at extreme rotational speeds. It reveals windage, churning, compression effects, pressure zones and inefficient lubrication. Critical losses and thermal hotspots can be identified before the first prototype is built. Gear layouts, housing concepts and lubrication strategies can be compared digitally.
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This reduces physical testing, development risk and costly design iterations.
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The result: Higher efficiency, lower operating costs and gearbox designs based on data.
Integral Gearbox
Validated power losses with real measurements.
Load-independent losses caused by air and lubricant can represent a significant share of the total losses in high-speed integral gearboxes.
SADEN developed a hybrid simulation approach to quantify windage, churning and other load-independent losses across the gearbox. The numerical results were compared with experimental measurements under different operating conditions. The simulations achieved an average deviation of approximately 5% from the measured power losses.
While the validation was performed on an integral gearbox, the underlying simulation methodology can be applied to all common gearbox types, from single-stage and multi-stage gearboxes to planetary, bevel and other high-speed transmission systems.
This provides a validated basis for identifying loss mechanisms, comparing design alternatives and improving gearbox efficiency before costly hardware modifications are required.
Hydrodynamic Clutch
Analyze drag torque and lubricant behavior.
In hydrodynamic clutches, small clearances and high rotational speeds create complex oil and air flows between the rotating discs. These flows directly influence drag torque, lubrication and thermal performance.
SADEN resolves the flow inside the clutch pack and evaluates the influence of disc geometry, groove design, clearance, oil supply and rotational speed.
This makes it possible to identify the main sources of hydraulic losses and compare design variants effectively.