In the power steering systems used for automobiles, because of its small size and low noise, a balanced type hydraulic vane pump is mainly used as a power source. Therefore it is requested to research on the lubrication characteristics of a oil hydraulic vane pump which is the key part to improve its performance. The performance of a oil hydraulic vane pump is influenced by the lubrication characteristics of the critical sliding components. Thus, lubrication characteristics between the shaft and the journal bearing have to be researched for the design and the performance improvement of a oil hydraulic vane pump. Therefore, in this paper, it is theoretically investigated that the lubrication characteristics between the shaft and the journal bearing of a balanced type oil hydraulic vane pump for power steering systems. The results demonstrate that lubrication characteristics are significantly influenced by the clearance between the shaft and the journal bearing.

A hydraulic system is a driving or transmission system that uses high pressure hydraulic fluid to power hydraulic machinery. It refers to the transfer of energy from flow and pressure. A hydraulic pump is a mechanical source of power that converts mechanical power into hydraulic energy. Cavitation is the formation of vapor cavities in liquid that are the consequence of forces acting upon the liquid. It usually occurs when a liquid is subjected to rapid changes of pressure that cause the formation of cavities where the pressure is relatively low. In this study, a cavitation was measured when the vane pump is rotating. The rotation speed of the vane pump was tested at 1000 rpm to 5000 rpm. At that time, the temperature and pressure of each hydraulic oil were changed and controlled. The results show that flow rate and noise are changed when cavitation occurs.

A hydraulic system is a drive or transmission system that uses high pressure hydraulic fluid to power hydraulic machinery. It refers to the transfer of energy from flow and pressure. A hydraulic pump is a mechanical source of power that converts mechanical power into hydraulic energy. Cavitation is the formation of vapor cavities in a liquid that are the consequence of forces acting upon the liquid. It usually occurs when a liquid is subjected to rapid changes of pressure that cause the formation of cavities where the pressure is relatively low. In this study, a cavitation was measured when the vane pump is rotating. The rotation speed of the vane pump was tested at 1000 rpm to 5000 rpm. At that time, the temperature and pressure of each hydraulic oil were changed and controlled. The results show that flow rate and noise are changed when cavitation occurred.