@Article{fdmp.2026.087496,
AUTHOR = {Xiangping Liao, Ye Xu, Ying Zhao, Langxin Sun},
TITLE = {Numerical Study of a Novel C-Type Groove for Enhanced Torque Transmission in Hydro-Viscous Clutches},
JOURNAL = {Fluid Dynamics \& Materials Processing},
VOLUME = {},
YEAR = {},
NUMBER = {},
PAGES = {{pages}},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/fdmp/online/detail/28211},
ISSN = {1555-2578},
ABSTRACT = {This study investigates the oil-groove configuration of composite friction pairs in hydro-viscous clutches (HVCs), with particular emphasis on the effects of gas content and pressure within the oil film on torque transmission under high-slip conditions. A novel C-type composite groove is proposed to improve oil-film distribution and pressure within the friction interface. A three-dimensional gas–liquid two-phase CFD model is developed to account for the effects of radial groove geometry under prescribed flow-rate and slip conditions. The coupled gas-liquid two-phase Navier–Stokes equations are solved numerically to examine the oil-phase distribution and its influence on torque transmission for different groove geometries, oil-film thicknesses, and slip speeds. The results show that, at a given slip speed and oil-film thickness, the C-type groove maintains a higher average circumferential pressure without changing the groove cross-sectional profile, while increasing oil-film coverage and suppressing negative-pressure regions. At a slip speed of 150 rad/s and an oil-film thickness of 0.3 mm, the C-type groove increases the transmitted torque by 6.24%, reduces the gas volume fraction by 15.22%, and increases the average radial pressure by 46.07% compared with the I-type groove. Under the same operating conditions, the average circumferential pressure remains positive for the C-type groove, whereas it becomes negative for the I-type groove. Moreover, the reduction in transmitted torque associated with gas–liquid two-phase flow is 12.42% lower for the C-type groove than for the I-type groove. These results demonstrate that groove geometry directly affects gas–liquid distribution, pressure within the oil film, and torque transmission at the friction interface. The C-type groove therefore provides a promising approach for improving torque transmission in HVC friction pairs and offers useful numerical guidance for groove design and optimization.},
DOI = {10.32604/fdmp.2026.087496}
}