Axial piston pumps slippers with nanocoated surfaces to reduce friction

This paper shows the experimental results obtained using a nanocoating (developed by ISTEC-C.N.R.) applied to the slippers of an axial piston pump to reduce the friction losses in order to improve the pump overall efficiency map. It is well known that the mechanical power losses in a hydraulic pump come from the friction between parts in relative motion. The need to provide, especially at low rotational speed, hydrodynamic lift causes power losses in terms of volumetric and mechanical efficiency, due to the contrasting need to increase leakage to provide lubrication and to keep a minimum clearance in meatus to limit the volumetric losses. The application of special surface treatments have been exploited in pioneering works in the past, trying different surface finishing or adding ceramic or heterogeneous metallic layers, but the potential of structured coatings at nanoscale, with superhydrophobic and oleophobic characteristics, has never been exploited. Using a dedicated test rig developed at IMAMOTER-C.N.R., able to ensure hydrostatic working condition during the mutual rotation between the slippers and the swash plate, the functional performance of the nanocoated slippers' surface have been studied. In the first part of the paper, the functionalization method is presented; in the second part, a comparison between the experimental performances of coated and uncoated surfaces is showed.