Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116

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Mechanism and Machine Theory

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Design and simulation of meshing of a particular internal rotary pump

Giovanni Bonandrini ⁎, Giovanni Mimmi, Carlo Rottenbacher
Dipartimento di Meccanica Strutturale, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, I-27100 Pavia, Italy

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This paper presents a complete description of a specific geometry applicable to internal rotary
Received 14 August 2010 pump. A particular design is considered, characterized by superior flow-rate performance and
Received in revised form 29 October 2011 a different contact mechanism in respect with the common trochoidal pumps. All the neces-
Accepted 1 November 2011
sary aspects regarding the kinematics and operation of the machine are taken into account,
Available online 25 November 2011
by means of a mathematical formulation. In particular, the kinematic analysis considers the
possible presence of transmission errors and assures the absence of interference by a tooth
Keywords: contact analysis. The achieved mathematical model allows the designer to obtain the complete
Internal rotary pump
definition of the rotor profiles in parametric form.
Gerotor
© 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Trochoidal machine

1. Introduction

The internal rotary machines are widely used as pumps in industry, in particular in automotive industry for engine oil lubri-
cation [1] and transmission systems [2,3]. The common trochoidal internal pumps, usually known as gerotors, have been widely
studied in the last decades. These machines are composed by a cylindrical housing and two rotors, rotating at different angular
velocities with a fixed ratio: the inner rotor transmits the motion to the outer rotor by a number of contact points equal to the
number of lobes of the inner rotor plus one. The chambers in which the fluid is enclosed are limited by the same contact points,
so that their volume varies during the rotary motion, and the machine can be conveniently used as a pump. Inlet and outlet ports
are generally realized in one of the housing plates. The basic kinematics of the machine generally considers a fixed gear ratio: ac-
tually, since the external rotor rotates in a cylindrical housing, little transmission errors, for instance due to manufacturing toler-
ance, are admitted.
The epitrochoidal geometry of the rotor and the performance of these machines have been studied by researchers using dif-
ferent methods, and can be considered well known. Many researchers extend the analysis of the profile considering other aspects
of the machine, in particular the contact characteristics, and propose variations on the common profiles, in order to obtain better
performance in terms of flow-rate or operation.
The earliest main papers on gerotors deal with the geometry and the theoretical displacement of the machine (Colbourne [4]
and Beard et al. [5]). Other studies consider different geometries from the classical epitrochoidal shape: Beard et al. [6] proposed a
general study considering also hypotrochoidal machines, Mimmi and Pennacchi [7] studied other types of profiles for the external
rotor, with sinusoidal and parabolic shape. Litvin and Feng [8] properly applied the theory of gearing [9], in order to calculate the
analytic formulas of the conjugate profile, obtaining its equations in a particularly synthetic form. Vecchiato et al. [10] improved
the geometrical analysis, considering the effects of modification of the profile due to the machining tolerances or wear. Mimmi
and Pennacchi [11] pointed out the undercutting conditions, defining a limit curve for the profiles, and Bonandrini et al. [12]
described the geometry and performance of both epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal profiles, by means of the theory of gearing.
The epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal profiles, in particular for cycloidal gearings application, were deeply analyzed also by
Hsieh and Hwang [13]. The recent paper of Tong et al. [14] is focused on an original method for the design of gerotor, in particular

⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: + 39 0382 985454; fax: + 39 0382 528422.

E-mail addresses: giovanni.bonandrini@unipv.it (G. Bonandrini), giovanni.mimmi@unipv.it (G. Mimmi), rottenbacher@unipv.it (C. Rottenbacher).

0094-114X/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2011.11.001
 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116 105

considering complex planar geometries and non-circular pitch based conjugate rotors. Recently Hsieh [15] proposed a wide-
spread theoretical analysis of epitrochoidal gerotor design.
The geometry of the machine presented here starts from the one proposed by Bonandrini et al. [16]. In the paper a complete
definition of the profile for both the rotors of the machine is provided, on the basis of the suggestion given by the patent by Eisen-
mann [17] for the external rotor. Besides, the shape of the resulting profile shows many similarities with that of the so-called Duo-
centric pumps presented in [2], whose geometry has never been explained in the scientific literature. The analysis performed in
[16] showed that the profile has two main advantages in respect with the classical profile. The first advantage resides in the par-
tial absence of contact points between the rotors next to the intake and exhaust ports. In the common internal pumps, the sub-
division of the working volumes into individual chambers is undesirable in the zones in which they communicate with each other
by the ports or lateral pockets arranged in the housing. The communication of the chambers in the zone of the intake and exhaust
ports, due to the absence of contact points, allows an easier passage of the fluid between the chambers, and results in higher
smoothness and efficiency. Besides, the high specific slipping which characterizes the contact in these zones in the common gero-
tors can improve the wear. The second advantage exhibited by the machine consists in better flow-rate performances. Neverthe-
less the analysis of the machine theoretical profile proved that the contact ratio is lower than one, and consequently the
possibility of transmission errors needed to be evaluated.
The main aim of this paper is to analyze the consequences of the transmission error on the kinematics of the machine, through
a tooth contact analysis of the planar gearing. After the evaluation of the analysis results, proper corrections on the profile are pro-
posed. Finally, some numerical examples are shown.

2. Outer rotor geometry

As the classical epitrochoidal pumps, the assembly of the considered machine is constituted by an inner rotor which can be
assumed as a pinion, since it transmits the motion to the outer rotor. The basic geometry of the outer rotor can be realized starting
from the patent by Eisenmann [17]: the lobes are symmetric and constituted by circular arcs. The geometry of the machine here
presented starts from that proposed in the paper by Bonandrini [16]. In particular, Fig. 1 shows the three considered coordinate
systems S1, S2 and Sf, rigidly connected to the external rotor 1, to the internal rotor 2 and to the gear housing respectively.
Referring to Fig. 2, for the external profile geometry seven parameters have been considered for the construction of the exter-
nal profile:
• eccentricity e
• lobe radiuses ra, rb, rc
• lobe center distances da, db
• external radius rext
The remaining parameters are rotor 1 and rotor 2 lobe numbers n1 and n2 by which pitch radiuses r1p and r2p can be easily
computed.

Fig. 1. Reference systems used for the considered machine.

106 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116

Fig. 2. External rotor profile.

Three sections (A1B1, B1C1, C1D1) of the generating profile, given by circumference arcs, are considered (see Fig. 2).
Using the reference system defined earlier, the equations of the three sections in homogeneous coordinates in S1 are given by:
2 3 2 3
x1A1 B1 ðϕa Þ xOa þ r a cosðϕa Þ
6 y1A B ðϕa Þ 7 6 yO þ r a sinðϕa Þ 7
r1A1 B1 ¼6
4
1 1 7¼6 a
5 4
7
5 ð1Þ
0 0
1 1
2 3 2 3
x1B1 C 1 ðϕc Þ xOc þ r c cosðϕc Þ
6 y1B C ðϕc Þ 7 6 yO þ r c sinðϕc Þ 7
r1B1 C 1 ¼6
4
1 1 7¼6 c
5 4
7
5 ð2Þ
0 0
1 1
2 3 2 3
x1C 1 D1 ðϕb Þ xOb þ r b cosðϕb Þ
6 y1C D ðϕb Þ 7 6 yO þ r b sinðϕb Þ 7
r1C 1 D1 ¼6
4
1 1 7¼6 b
5 4
7
5 ð3Þ
0 0
1 1

The angles ϕa, ϕb and ϕc are the parameters of the generating curves, all referred to the profile as ϕa in the note in Fig. 2. They
are limited by the intersection points of the circumferences. The Cartesian coordinates (xB1, yB1) and (xC1, yC1) of the intersection
points B1 and C1 in S1 can be computed as the intersection between the circumferences.
Once the considered intersection points and the position of the point D1, that will be discussed in the following, are defined,
the parameters of the generating curves ϕa and ϕb are simply given by:

3    
πbϕ b arg xB1 −xOa þ i yB1 −yOa
2 a       
arg xB1 −xOc þ i yB1 −yOc bϕc b arg xC 1 −xOc þ i yC 1 −yOc ð4Þ
       
arg xC 1 −xOb þ i yC 1 −yOb bϕb b arg xD1 −xOb þ i yD1 −yOb

where arg(x + iy) is the argument of the complex number x + iy.

The section D1E1 connects point D1 to the external circumference and it is a straight line parallel to the direction defined by the
points O1 and D1. The equation of the external profile E1F1 (the other portion of the lobe is symmetrical) in S1 is given by:
2 3 2 3
x1E1 F ðϕext Þ xO1 þ r ext cosðϕext Þ
6 y1E F ðϕext Þ 7 6 yO þ r ext sinðϕext Þ 7
r1E1 F 1 ¼6
4
1 7¼6 1
5 4
7
5 ð5Þ
0 0
1 1

The value of the external radius rext can be given as a parameter, but it must be higher than a certain value, in order to avoid
interference, as it will be explained subsequently.
The parameter of the generating curves ϕext is defined in the interval:

π π    
− bϕext b arg xD1 −xO1 ; yD1 −yO1 ð6Þ
2 n1
 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116 107

3. Inner rotor geometry considering perfect meshing (conjugate profile)

Using the theory of gearing, the conjugate profiles of A1B1, B1C1 and C1D1, which constitute the working sections, can be
computed.
Referring to [9], the equation of meshing and the coordinate transformation are given by:


f ðϕ1 ; ψ1 Þ ¼ 0
ð7Þ
r2 ðϕ1 ; ψ1 Þ ¼ M21 ðψ1 Þ⋅r1 ðϕ1 Þ

In this case the solution of the equation of meshing can be represented in explicit form not only as a function of the generating
curve parameter ϕ (as every type of planar gear profile in mesh with constant transmission ratio, see Bonandrini et al. [18]) but
also considering the generalized parameter of motion ψ as follows:

! !
−xO sinϕ1 þ yO cosϕ1 cosψ1 − ryO
ψ1 ¼  arccos −ϕ1 þ 2πN N ¼ 1; 2;…ϕ1 ¼ arctan 1p
ð8Þ
r 1p sinψ1 − rxO
1p

where xO and yO are the coordinates of the considered arc center.

The coordinate transformation matrix is given by:

2 3
cosðψ1 −ψ2 Þ − sinðψ1 −ψ2 Þ 0 −e⋅ sinψ2
6 sinðψ1 −ψ2 Þ cosðψ1 −ψ2 Þ 0 −e⋅ cosψ2 7
M21 ðψ1 Þ ¼ 6
4
7
5 ð9Þ
0 0 1 0
0 0 0 1

The conjugated profiles are mainly constituted of sections of epitrochoidal envelopes. The profile of the external rotor will be
constituted by these sections and other sections that will be discussed subsequently.

3.1. Section A2B2 and B2C2

The section A2B2 is generated directly by the profile A1B1 of the outer rotor. In particular the following solution of the equation
of meshing is used:

!
−xOa sinϕa þ yOa cosϕa
ψa ¼ − arccos −ϕa ð10Þ
r 1p

where the interval of existence of ϕa is defined in Eq. (4). As the section A2B2, also the conjugated sections B2C2 are directly gen-
erated by the respective profiles on the outer rotor.

3.2. Section C2D2

The section C2D2 is generated similarly as sections A2B2 and B2C2. Nevertheless, the interval of ϕb defined in Eq. (4) for the con-
jugate profile has to be reduced in order to avoid interference between the rotors. In fact, the section C2D2 is limited by the second
envelope of the section B1C1, as shown in Fig. 3, where different positions of the outer rotor relative to the inner one are
represented.

Fig. 3. Envelopes of the external profile, limit for C2D2 section.

108 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116

Referring to Eq. (8), two solutions are possible for the equation of meshing in order to compute the conjugate profile of the
section B1C1:
! !
−xOc sinϕc þ yOc cosϕc −xOc sinϕc þ yOc cosϕc
1 Þ ψc ¼ − arccos −ϕc 2Þ ψc ¼ þ arccos −ϕc ð11Þ
r1p r 1p

The first solution determines the section B2C2 of the internal rotor, while the second one defines the limit for the point D2 and
can be used as limit curve for the section C2D2. The position for point D2 which avoids interference obtaining the maximum con-
tact ratio, is computed as the intersection point between the envelope of the section C1D1 and the envelope of the section B1C1
obtained using the second solution, depicted in Fig. 3. The point D2 in such limit design results in a singular point: it is important
to underline that a feasible design will need a fillet arc D2E2 in order to realize a smoother contact and to comply with the
manufacturing technology.

3.3. Section D2E2

The section D2E2 is not conjugated to the external rotor. As shown in Fig. 4, this section is constituted by a circumference arc
which connects the conjugated profile C2D2 to the profile F2E2 that will be described subsequently.
The radius of the arc is imposed as a design parameter, and the center of the radius is computed imposing the tangency of the
arc to the sections C2D2 and E2F2. The profile is consequently defined in S2 as:
2  3
2 3 x þ r C2D2 cos ϕC2D2
x2C 2 D2 ðϕb Þ 6 OC2D2  7
6 y2C D ðϕb Þ 7 6 7
r2C 2 D2 ¼6
4
2 2 7 ¼ 6 yOC2D2 þ r C2D2 sin ϕC2D2 7
5 6 7
0 4 5
0
1
1

The center of the circumference can be simply obtained by numerical way as the point corresponding to the intersection of the
envelopes of the trochoids conjugated to the sections C1D1 and the section B1C1.

3.4. Section E2F2

The function of the section E2F2 is the connection between the points E2 and F2 of the internal rotor, and the only simply
achievable condition on its profile is to avoid interference with the external rotor: in particular, referring to Fig. 4, the section
E2F2 must be an arbitrary curve internal to the envelopes of the sections B1C1 behind point E2. In this study section E2F2 has
been considered as the envelope of the sections B1C1. The position of the point F2 is defined as the intersection between the en-
velope of the sections B1C1 and sections A1B1.

3.5. Section F2G2

The main function of the section F2G2 is to guarantee the sealing in the zone of the maximum volume of the chamber (see
Fig. 5).

Fig. 4. Envelopes of the external profile, D2E2, E2F2 and F2G2 sections.
 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116 109

Fig. 5. Contact points in correspondence of the maximum volume of the chamber.

In fact, in order to avoid leakage from the high pressure to the low pressure region, the chamber must be delimited by the con-
tact points Pc1 and Pc2 when it passes from the inlet to the outlet port.
The position of the maximum volume of the chamber corresponds to a rotation angle ψ1 equal to π − π/n1. Consequently, the
section E2F2 of the conjugated profile is considered constituted by the conjugated profile for π − π/n1 b ψ1 b π+ π/n1, interval where
the profile A1B1 must be defined. This condition corresponds to the following relation:
0   y 1
    cos π− nπ − rOa
maxðϕa Þ ¼ arg xB1 −xOa ; yB1 −yOa ≤ arctan@   1p A ð12Þ
1

sin π− nπ
1

Consequently, the rotation when point F2 is a contact point has to be lower than π − π/n1 in order to assure the seal.

4. Contact between the rotors

The particularity of the considered profile lies in the contact behavior between the rotors. Taking into account that the inner
rotor transmits the motion to the outer one, and referring to Fig. 6, three zones can be considered for the contact: zone M for the
transmission motion and the sealing between the ports, zone N for the sealing passing from inlet to outlet, and zones W for the

Fig. 6. Functional zones of the pump.

110 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116

Fig. 7. Zone A, anticlockwise rotation, contact points.

suction and discharge of the fluid. A positive characteristic of the considered machine is the absence of continuous contact in the
zones W. In fact, the contact between the rotors in the zone N is given by the conjugated sections A1B1 and E2F2 of the outer and
inner rotor respectively; in the zone M the contact between the rotors is given by the conjugated sections CD, BC and AB for both
the inner and the outer rotor. The respective contact angular lengths can be computed by the equation of meshing.
Notwithstanding the changes in the geometry, the considerations about the contact between the rotors stated in [16] are still
valid. Fig. 7 shows the theoretical contact points in subsequent positions, considering an anticlockwise rotation of the rotors.
Starting from the symmetrical position, it can be observed that in this position (Fig. 7a) the seal is guaranteed by the contact
in the section A2B2, but the motion transmission is not ensured, since the pressure angle is too high. After a certain rotation
(Fig. 7b) the contact also starts in the section C2D2, but considering an anticlockwise rotation, the motion transmission from
the inner to the outer rotor is not yet given by a theoretical contact point. After another rotation (Fig. 7c) the contact is given
only from the section C2D2, since the contact point in the section A2B2 is no longer present. Then also the contact point in the sec-
tion C2D2 is no longer present, and the theoretical displacement of the machine shows two rotors not in contact between them-
selves in zone M. This particular situation is noticeable in the case of a rotation equal to π/n1 (Fig. 7d). The positions that follow in
the rotation are symmetrical in comparison with the previous ones, but the contact in the section C2D2 in those cases allows the
motion transmission (see [16] for more details).
In conclusion, considering the gears rotating with fixed transmission ratio, for many rotation angles the contact has inade-
quate pressure angle (section A1B1 and A2B2 and section B1C1 and B2C2) or it has not place at all. In particular, the theoretical con-
tact ratio is very reduced, generally lower than 0.5, also for great values of the lobe number [16]. The aims of this work are to
establish the transmission error due to the meshing of the profiles and to modify the design of the machine so that the contact
is always assured in the right place, avoiding interference.

5. Tooth contact analysis

Due to the absence of contact for some rotation angles, the gear ratio does not remain constant during the rotation. Consider-
ing the layout of internal gear pump and the clearances between the external rotor and the housing and between the two rotors
(see [2] for numerical values), a moderate transmission error is not a critical issue. Nevertheless, in order to have the correct pres-
sure angle, it is important to assure that the contact points that allow the motion transmission are located in zone M of Fig. 6.
The analysis of the rotor contact has been performed through the theory of gearing. In particular, named the rotor profiles 1
and 2 and their unit normals in the fixed reference system Sf respectively r1f , r2f , n1f and n2f , the condition of meshing of the
profile requires the continuous tangency between the rotors in the contact points, and can be expressed by the following equa-
tions [10]:

r2f ðϕ2 ; ψ2 Þ ¼ r1f ðϕ1 ; ψ1 Þ ð13Þ

n2f ðϕ2 ; ψ2 Þ ¼ n1f ðϕ1 ; ψ1 Þ ð14Þ

Eqs. (13) and (14) provide for a planar gearing only three independent scalar equations in four unknowns. In the considered
layout, the motion is transmitted by the pinion (rotor 2) to rotor 1. In order to find the angle of rotation of rotor 1 which allows
the meshing with rotor 2, the variable ψ2 will be given as a parameter, while ψ1, θ1 and θ2 are the unknowns. Once ψ1 is computed,
the transmission error Δψ1 can be defined as a function of the pinion rotation angle ψ2 as follows:

n2
Δψ1 ðψ2 Þ ¼ ψ1 ðψ2 Þ−ψ2 ð15Þ
n1
 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116 111

Fig. 8. Transmission error Δψ1 considering the contact between the different rotor sections.

For every section of rotor 2 the contact with a section of the rotor 1 has been considered, and the transmission error numer-
ically computed. Since the sections of the rotors are limited, there are some given angular rotations of the external rotor for
which the solution does not exist. Besides, since the sections conjugated are generated for a given rotation interval ψ, outside
that interval, a transmission error can occur also considering conjugated sections, in particular for sections C1D1 and C2D2. In
Fig. 8 different values of relative rotation Δψ1 for different sections of the profile are plotted for an anticlockwise rotation of
the rotors.
The transmission error can be computed considering the higher values of Δψ1 for the different tooth. For the evalua-
tion of the contact in a complete rotation of the pinion, it is necessary to consider a period equal to π/z2, obtaining a
periodical curve represented in Fig. 9. It can be stated that the theoretical transmission error is reduced, for example
lower than the one computed for common epitrochoidal profiles with given clearance presented in the work by Vecchiato
et al. [10].
Fig. 8 shows that the contact usually appears in the zone M of Fig. 6: nevertheless, the contact could occur in the zone
W, where it is not requested. In particular, the pressure angle in that zone is too high and the contact can cause wear and
snags. The contact in zone W involves the sections C1D1 and B1C1 on rotor 1 and the section D2E2 on rotor 2 (see Fig. 4).
Consequently it should be advisable to avoid the contact between these sections. This condition can be reached modifying
the profile in order that the only sections in contact are B1C1 and C2D2 and C1D1 and C2D2. It should be underlined that
this condition can occur only for certain parameters: in particular the developed computer code is able to verify that
the contact occurs in these sections. The procedure for the modification of the profiles D2E2, E2F2 and F2G2 is presented
in the following.

Fig. 9. Transmission error Δψ1 for a complete rotation of the pinion.

112 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116

5.1. Inner rotor tooth design correction

The relative rotation of the internal rotor, computed under the hypothesis that the only sections in contact are B1C1 with C2D2
and C1D1 with C2D2, can cause interference in different zones of the machine. In particular, referring to Fig. 6, two possible types of
interferences can be evaluated:
- interference in zone M, in particular in the sections AB and BC of the rotors;
- interference in zones W and N, between sections A1B1, B1C1 and eventually C1D1 for rotor 1 and E2F2, D2E2 and eventually C2D2
for the rotor 2.
Both types of interferences are to be avoided with corrections in the design.
The first type of interference imposes a modest correction to the profile of the internal rotor in the sections A2B2 and B2C2. In
fact the profile should be moderately cut down in respect with the presented profile, and the new profile will present a backlash
in these zones. This modification is not significant in terms of flow-rate and contact or wear between the profiles. Besides, the
manufacturing tolerance between the external rotor and the housing [2] can be considered sufficient to avoid interference and
consequently the modification is not mandatory.
The modifications in the profile needed to avoid of the second type of interference are more significant, because they can affect
flow-rate, contact or wear. In order to assess the needed correction, a procedure in the evaluation of the new profile has been
implemented. The procedure can be synthesized in the following phases, starting from the profile defined earlier:
- evaluating the transmission error Δψ1 considering the contact between the sections B1C1and C2D2 and the sections C1D1 and
C2D2;
- calculating the rotor angular velocities and the corresponding transmission ratio by considering the pinion velocity as
constant;
- computing the corresponding centrodes and the instantaneous centre of rotation of the mechanism from the actual transmis-
sion ratio;
- computing the corresponding conjugated profile of the pinion, by considering the actual motion of the mechanism, by means
of the equation of meshing for non-circular gearings: the obtained profile can be used as limit profile for the mechanism.
The evaluation of the transmission error has been presented earlier. The angular velocities can be obtained differentiating the
computed rotation values:

dψ1 ðt Þ dψ2 dψ1 ðψ2 Þ dψ ðψ Þ

ω1 ðψ2 Þ ¼ ¼ ¼ ω2 1 2 ð16Þ
dt dt dψ2 dψ2

Following Litvin [9], the centrodes can be represented in polar form by the equations:

1
r 1 ðψ2 Þ ¼ e
m12 ðψ2 Þ−1
m12 ðψ2 Þ
r 2 ðψ2 Þ ¼ e ð17Þ
m12 ðψ2 Þ−1
ω ðψ Þ dψ ðψ Þ
where m12 ðψ2 Þ ¼ 1 2 ¼ 1 2
ω2 dψ2

The application of the equation of meshing permits to obtain the conjugate profile considering the actual transmission ratio: in
fact, the contact point can be computed as the intersection between the segment connecting the instantaneous center of rotation
and the lobe centers of the external profile, by considering the actual rotation ψ1. In this way, the parameter ϕ1 of the generating
curve can be computed, and the conjugate profile can be obtained by means of the coordinate transformation from S1 to S2.
The limit profile for the internal rotor (rotor 2) which avoids interference can be obtained as the actual envelopes of the sec-
tions B1C1 and A1B1 (see Fig. 10 referring to Fig. 4 for the sections' definition). As one can see in the figure, for the considered

Fig. 10. Limit profile compared with the original theoretical profile.
 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116 113

Table 1
Design parameters of the considered machine.

Design n1 e [mm] ra [mm] rb [mm] rc [mm] rd [mm] da [mm] db [mm]

1 11 10 27.5 60 1 2 115 132.5

2 9 10 37.5 65 1 2 110 122.5
3 11 10 27.5 60 1 0.05 115 132.5

parameters the modification needed on the profiles D2E2, E2F2 and F2G2 are very reduced, and the operation of the machine is not
altered.
It is important to underline three aspects:
1. the limit profile has been computed considering that the only sections in contact are B1C1 and C2D2 and C1D1 and C2D2: the
design parameters must avoid that the contact occurs between sections C1D1 and D2E2;
2. The obtained limit profile should not intersect the section C2D2, because the limit profile has been computed considering that
section;
3. The internal rotor profile should be modified so that it is internal to the limit profile.
It is clear that the choice of the new sections D2E2, E2F2 and F2G2 is arbitrary; the only mandatory requirement is given by the
third aspect earlier. In conclusion, the requirements for the rotor profiles modification are the following:
- the profile should be regular, and the minimum curvature has to respect the manufacturing processes and the selected
component materials;
- the profile should be as close as possible to the original profile in the section F2G2, since that is the section which guarantees
the seal between the intake and the exhaust port (zone N of Fig. 6). It should be emphasized that the modification needed for
the profile implies a reduction of the pinion teeth height very reduced, comparable to the clearance between the rotors.
The aim of this work is to find out the conditions to obtain a feasible profile: every regular profile, internal to the limit profile
defined earlier, satisfies these conditions.

6. Numerical examples

A reference design example and two different non-acceptable designs are shown.
The geometry of the pump can be defined by eight parameters: lobe number of the external rotor n1, eccentricity e, radiuses of
the three circular arcs constituting the external lobes ra, rb, rc, distances of the centers of the arcs from O1, da, db (see Fig. 2), and
fillet radius of the section D2E2, named rd (see Fig. 4). The three considered machines are characterized by the parameters defined
in Table 1. In particular, the reference design 1 is the one used earlier for the tooth contact analysis.
The three theoretical profiles are presented in Fig. 11.
The transmission error for profile 1 is shown in Fig. 8. The transmission error and the relative sections in which the contact
occurs, for profiles 2 and 3, are shown in Figs. 12 and 13 respectively.
Design 2, due to the low lobe number and the high fillet radius rd, shows the contact between sections C1D1 and D2E2. Conse-
quently the section D2E2 becomes fundamental for the motion transmission and the pressure angle could be too high. The main
reason for this fact is the reduced lobe number. It should be underlined that the profile is in any case feasible and the machine
could work anyway correctly, considering the presence of the oil film and the machining tolerances.
Fig. 14 shows the obtained envelope of the profile considering the contact in the section C2D2 for the machine 3 and can be
compared with the machine 1 in Fig. 10. The reduced fillet radius of the design 3 causes the intersection of the envelope with
the section C2D2. The fillet radius rd should be increased in order to reduce the extension of the section C2D2 and avoid the contact

1) 2) 3)

Fig. 11. Profiles obtained for the three parameter sets.

114 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116

Fig. 12. Transmission error Δψ1 for design 2.

Fig. 13. Transmission error Δψ1 for design 3.

Fig. 14. Actual envelope compared with the original theoretical profile for design 3.
 G. Bonandrini et al. / Mechanism and Machine Theory 49 (2012) 104–116 115

in the zone W of Fig. 6. It should be noted that the fillet radius of the section D2E2 has been selected on purpose very small in order
to highlight the possible presence of this problem.
Profile 1 is directly feasible considering a modification of the internal rotor lobes inside the limit profile showed in the figure: it
should be underlined that in every figure the limit profiles in the zone of the section F2G2 are very close to the original profile,
confirming that seal of the profile is similar to the classical epitrochoidal pumps, taking into account the necessary manufacturing
tolerance of this type of machine.

7. Conclusions

This paper considers an original profile for internal rotary pumps, which shows many potential advantages in respect with the
common epitrochoidal design. The geometric definition of the profile is completely explained and parameterized through suitable
design parameters, by means of the theory of gearing. Then the contact mechanism is deeply analyzed by means of a tooth contact
analysis. In particular the continuity of the contact is considered. In fact, the theoretical contact ratio is very reduced, generally
lower than one, also for great values of the lobe number. The tooth contact analysis performed shows limited transmission errors
during the rotation, which results to be admissible for the machine, considering the tolerance due to the manufacturing process.
Besides, very small corrections in the teeth profile allow the designer to completely avoid any possible source of problems like
interference or undercutting.
In conclusion, the work can be used as a basis for the realization of an original type of internal rotary pump. This kind of ma-
chine has demonstrated potential fundamental advantages in comparison with the classical epitrochoidal pumps, in particular
better wear characteristics, higher specific flow-rate and higher mechanical efficiency. Besides, the mathematical techniques
used to analyze the contact can be extended to the analysis of other original geometric designs for rotary machines.

Nomenclature
a trochoid generating radius
da, db lobe center distances
e eccentricity (e = r2 − r1)
i flow-rate irregularity
I instantaneous centre of rotation
K trochoidal profile parameter
M coordinate transformation matrix
n1, 2 rotor 1, 2 lobe number
q instantaneous flow-rate
r1p, 2p rotor 1, 2 pitch radius
ra, rb, rc, rext lobe radiuses
R specific flow-rate
r profile position vector
s chamber axial depth
S1, 2, f reference system
α, β non-dimensional geometrical parameters
ρ envelope radius
ϕ polar reference angle
ψ rotation angle
1,2 external (1) and internal (2) rotor

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