Research on energy loss of Mechatronic Electro-Hydraulic Coupler using radial basis function collocation method

The Mechatronic Electro-Hydraulic Coupler (MEHC) integrates a swashplate axial piston pump with a permanent magnet synchronous motor, enabling flexible conversion between mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic energy. The efficiency of the MEHC plays a crucial role in the selection of loading and control strategy. However, specific research on its hydraulic energy loss is lacking. This paper proposes the radial basis function (RBF) collocation method for solving an energy loss model of MEHC. The friction loss and leakage loss of the most representative friction pair, the valve pair, are calculated numerically. The oil film pressure distribution of the distribution pair is solved, and the efficiency characteristic curve associated with the distribution pair is given. Results demonstrate that the oil film pressure distribution obtained using the RBF collocation method aligns with the findings in existing literature. The method eliminates the need for mesh generation, thereby significantly reducing computational time. The calculated results closely match experimental and empirical data, showing that increased dynamic viscosity and cylinder speed elevate oil film energy losses, while higher pressure improves mechanical efficiency but reduces volumetric efficiency. This study confirms the RBF collocation method as an efficient approach for providing oil film pressure solutions with low computational cost.