Hydraulic Steering Pump Cavity Flow CFD Simulation to Improve NVH Performance

The objective of the present work was to improve automotive hydraulic steering system Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) performance through an optimization of the hydraulic flow path through the steering pump. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to model the hydraulic steering pump pressure cavity flow. CFD simulation revealed that several pump housing features were creating obstructions in the flow of hydraulic fluid through the pump, which in turn generated a high degree of turbulence in the flow. An optimal steering pump housing design minimizing turbulent flow within the pump was selected using CFD analysis. An improvement in steering system NVH performance with this housing design was verified through experimentation.