Characteristics between the meshing pairs with different envelope profile in single screw compressors

Single screw compressors have been used in various industrial fields. However, because the star-wheel teeth are easy to wear, the market for the development of single screw compressors is limited. In order to extend the service life of the star-wheel, researchers have developed different kinds of star-wheel tooth profile, such as single line envelope profile, single column envelope profile, and multi-column envelope profile. These profiles greatly affect the lubrication characteristics between the star-wheel teeth and the screw grooves. In this article, the lubrication characteristics between the meshing pairs with different envelope profiles are analyzed. Results show that the pressure peak of the single line envelope profile, single column envelope profile, and multi-column envelope profile are 3.23x10(5)Pa, 3.38x10(5)Pa, and 4.31x10(5)Pa, respectively. This means that the multi-column enveloped meshing pair can resist the biggest external impact load. The deviation angle (gamma) of the single line envelope profile, single column envelope profile, and multi-column envelope profile are 0.0139 degrees similar to 0.0286 degrees, 0.0225 degrees similar to 0.0306 degrees and 0.0122 degrees similar to 0.0262 degrees, respectively. Thus, the self-balancing ability of the multi-column enveloped meshing pair is the strongest, and the oil film thickness on both sides of the multi-column enveloped star-wheel tooth is the most reasonable, which indicates a good lubrication state during operation, that is, longer operation life of the star-wheel teeth.