Comparative Study of Bond Graph Models for Hydraulic Transmission Lines With Transient Flow Dynamics

Abstract

The partial differential equation describing one-dimensional flow in a hydraulic pipeline with linear resistance can be approximated and solved numerically using different modal approaches. Modal models can be obtained either by using rational transfer functions (RTF) in the Laplace domain solution or by using separation of variables (SOV) techniques. The pipeline models have four possible input–output configurations: pressure inputs at both ends, flow rate inputs at both ends, and the two cases of mixed inputs. In this paper, modal bond graph representations for pipeline sections are reviewed, and new bond graphs are proposed for combinations of solution method and input–output configurations not yet presented in the literature. This includes bond graph representations for the two mixed input cases developed using the SOV technique, and bond graphs for the other two cases, pressure inputs or flow rate inputs, constructed on the basis of RTF solutions. Through numerical simulations of hydraulic single lines, the obtained models are compared to alternative models already established in the literature. It is shown that the modal models developed by the RTF and SOV methods have the same accuracy when the same number of modes is used. For both of these approaches, correction methods to maintain a high accuracy when truncating high-order modes are described, and also adapted to the bond graph form. Finally, simulation results for various line configurations are illustrated.