Experimental Investigation of Steady and Unsteady Flow Field Downstream of an Automotive Torque Converter Turbine and Inside the Stator: Part II—Unsteady Pressure on the Stator Blade Surface

Abstract

The stator flow field of an automotive torque converter is highly unsteady due to potential and viscous interactions with upstream and downstream rotors. The objective of this investigation is to understand the influence of potential and viscous interactions of the upstream rotor on the stator surface pressure field with a view toward improvement of the stator design. Five miniature fast-response pressure transducers were embedded on the stator blade. The measurements were conducted at three locations near the leading edge and two locations near the trailing edge at the midspan location. The upstream flow field was measured using a fast response five-hole probe and is described in Part I of this paper. The experimental data were processed in the frequency domain by spectrum analysis and in the temporal-spatial domain by the ensemble-averaging technique. The flow properties were resolved into mean, periodic, aperiodic, and unresolved components. The unsteady amplitudes agreed well with the pressure envelope predicted by panel methods. The aperiodic component was found to be significant due to the rotor–rotor and rotor–stator interactions observed in multistage, multispool environment.