Dynamic modeling of a cantilever reed valve considering squeeze flow with experimental validation

Abstract

Piezoelectric hydraulic pumps play a pivotal role in more electric aircraft and all-electric aircraft utilizing power-by-wire technology, owing to their high power density and reliability. The cantilever reed valve (CRV) serves as a crucial component within these pumps, and its dynamic behavior within the fluid directly impacts the pumps' output power. A precise mathematical model of the CRV is essential for understanding its motion mechanisms. However, existing models for the CRV inadequately capture its dynamics and fail to explain the observed motion phenomena. Further exploration into dynamic modeling of the CRV is warranted. This paper employs finite element analysis to investigate CRV's dynamics, revealing the significant impact of squeeze flow on CRV's dynamics and identifying the cause of slow closure. Based on this, a novel lumped parameter model incorporating squeeze force is proposed to accurately depict CRV's dynamics, particularly focusing on the phenomenon of slow closure. To validate the proposed model's accuracy, an experimental system capable of independently driving the CRV is constructed to eliminate interference resulting from integrating the CRV into the pumps. The results show that the dynamic response during closure, as predicted by the proposed model, is in good agreement with the outcomes from finite element analysis. Notably, the proposed model exhibits an 11.11% higher prediction accuracy for experimental closing times compared to the traditional model that neglects squeeze forces. This study offers guidance for optimizing CRV's dynamics and improving the performance of piezoelectric hydraulic pumps in future applications.