Comparative research on pressure pulsation characteristics of an axial piston pump with two different valve plates

The pressure pulsation in axial piston pumps generates noise and vibrations, negatively impacting their service life and operational stability. One of the most critical factors influencing pressure pulsation is the groove design of the valve plate. Based on the original valve plate, an optimized valve plate is proposed to enhance the performance of the axial piston pump. The flow areas of the piston chambers are calculated for two types of valve plates, and the pressure pulsations are analyzed using both a numerical model and piston pump testing machine. The pressure pulsation characteristics of the original and optimized valve plates are compared under different rotational speeds and load pressures. Additionally, the impact of the optimized valve plate on the volumetric efficiency of the axial piston pump is evaluated. The results indicate that the optimized valve plate effectively reduces pressure pulsation by increasing the flow area of the piston chamber. Specifically, the test results show a 69.13% reduction in pressure pulsation at a rotational speed of 2850 r/min and load pressure of 30 MPa. However, the optimized valve plate also increases the leakage within the valve plate pair, leading to a decrease in volumetric efficiency. The volumetric efficiency is observed to drop by 7.39% at 1000 r/min and 30 MPa. This research designs an optimal valve plate to reduce pressure pulsation, which decreases the noise and vibration of axial piston pumps.