DRIVEMODE aims to develop a smaller and lighter drivetrain module for the automotive industry by significantly increasing the speed of the electrical motor. This brings the challenge for the transmission system to operate with a high input speed and a high gear ratio.
One critical question for design is proper lubrication. For the development of the transmission of the demonstrator unit in the DRIVEMODE project a particle based CFD software was used. The tool helps to rapidly and accurately predict oil flows and churning torque in the transmission.
Traditionally, the lubrication system of a gearbox is optimized through physical testing, using a plastic housing. This is a time consuming and expensive method which does not allow multiple iterations of the design. Through the use of this tool, multiple modifications of the housing can be virtually tested. This does not eliminate the need for physical testing of the system, but helps to find the optimal solution.