Flow and Heat Transfer Simulation in a Splash Lubricated Bell 525 Accessory

Gearbox
Siddhartha Russell Mueller Mukundhan
Mukherjee Engineer V - ATF Chakram
Senior Engineer Bell Helicopter Technical Manager
Bell Helicopter Textron Bell Helicopter
Textron India Fort Worth, Texas Textron India
Bangalore, India Bangalore, India

ABSTRACT
Operating temperatures in a drive system gearbox are impacted by multiple factors like mechanical power, operating
environment, geometrical design and lubricant properties. Cooling and lubrication performance is critical to
operation and durability. Oil properties like viscosity, specific gravity and thermal conductivity play a major role in
determining the quality of lubrication inside the gearbox and the efficiency of waste heat exchange. The interaction
of lubricating oil with gears and surrounding structures is however a complex multi-physical problem. Complete
coupled modeling of the various micro and macro physical phenomena at play inside the gearbox is challenging and
computationally expensive. For this reason, manufacturers have traditionally relied on experimental evaluations of
prototype gear boxes for product development. A more desirable approach is to develop a full simulation capability
to aid the design process and minimize development risk. To this end, a CFD methodology for the prediction of
lubricating oil flow and heat transfer is developed. The methodology is applied and validated with the “splash
lubricated” accessory gearbox of the Bell 525.

In the light of recent accidents related to loss of lubrication

INTRODUCTION
Typical rotorcraft transmissions involve mechanical rotation
and engagement of multiple gears. Micro-scale friction
between the component interfaces leads to heat generation
that is greatly reduced with lubrication. In performing its
role, lubrication serves to reduce mechanical stress and
component wear. In addition, the lubricating oil provides a
medium for absorption, distribution and dissipation of heat
generated within the gearbox to the external environment.
Good lubrication is essential for smooth operation,
prolonged transmission life and protection against gear
failure.
and transmission failure (Ref. 1), aviation regulators have
become increasingly concerned that the chances of such an
occurrence may not be ‘extremely remote.’ Therefore, the
need to meet (and even exceed) the mandated endurance
capability of 30 minutes (Ref. 2) is ever important. In some
cases, the mandated endurance may be achieved from a
backup lubrication system (Ref. 3-5). This is particularly
attractive if “loss of lubricant” capability is added to an
existing transmission. However, if such emergency
lubrication systems represent another independent
pressurized oil lubrication source, that will carry its own
levels of risk.

A forced or pressurized lubrication system directs oil jets
toward gear contact areas and is supported by an external oil
cooling and recirculation mechanism that effectively
removes excess heat from the gearbox. For this reason, a
pressurized lubrication system is typically the most favored
method for lubricating high speed and heavy duty
transmissions, such as the main rotor gearbox.
Unfortunately, the external pumps, mechanical power, heat
exchangers and its supply and drainage lines are potential
failure points. A leak in any one system can pose a
significant risk to the aircraft, particularly if total loss of
lubricant occurs.
Presented at the AHS International 73rd Annual Forum &
Technology Display, Fort Worth, Texas, USA, May 9-11, 2017.
Copyright © 2017 by AHS International, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Alternatively, a splash lubricated gearbox is a passive
system that is not dependent on external power or supply
lines. Gears are partially immersed in an oil sump and when
they rotate, oil gets splashed around mechanically.
Splashing alone distributes the oil inside the chamber and
lubricates the gears. Such a system can be more reliable,
easier to maintain, lighter weight and may cost less to
produce. In some situations a splash lubricated gearbox may
be the only option that meets space or functional constraints.
A helicopter tail rotor gearbox, in many cases, can be
designed as a splash lubricated gearbox.
The performance of a splash lubricated gearbox is
intrinsically linked to its geometric shape and internal
arrangement. Volume, quality and distribution of oil inside
the gearbox can determine the extent of heat absorption from
the source. Moreover, since splash lubrication is a passive
system, the only chance of removing excess internal heat to
the surroundings is through the casing and via heat external
convection. Strategic placement of external fins in hot zones
and efficient contouring can facilitate convection cooling of
the case. Ambient temperature and the surrounding air flow
rate will also factor in the rate of convective heat transfer.
Along with simplicity and cost, the main advantage of a
splash lubrication system is its lack of potential leakage
points since there are no oil transportation paths external to
the gearbox. However, there remains the challenge of
meeting heat rejection needs without a heat exchanger, and
therefore splash lubricated gearboxes are typically relegated
to low power applications as in the example put forward in
this paper.
OEM’s traditional reliance on experimental evaluation of
prototypes to test their designs carry the risk of expensive
hardware changes much later in the design cycle. Better
analysis tools offer a significant opportunity for reducing
this risk and for improving the performance of splash
lubricated transmissions. The capability could enhance the
applicability and usefulness of splash lubricated designs in
the future. With analysis tools, optimization of macro design
parameters such as oil volume, casing design and cold,
windy external surroundings could allow for better heat
exchange and cooler internal temperatures (Ref. 6-8).
Computational modeling of new designs can be of
significant advantage to this end. Simulation enables easy
evaluation of new designs, better understanding of system
performance and precise optimization. However the
challenge of computationally modeling the internal physics
means that the approach is not commonly found in the
industry. Frictional heat generation, two phase fluid flow
(oil-air), multiphase films (lubricating oil on gears), moving
structures (gears) and all forms of heat transfer take place
within the gearbox chamber (Ref. 9). Each one of these
phenomenon require an intricate numerical model. Topics
like mechanical stress on gear teeth, frictional heating,
windage losses, heat transfer, gear material and lubricating
oils’ physical properties are of significant academic and
research interest (Ref. 9-15). Independently, these sub-
models are useful for addressing specific elements of the
design process but they do not provide a complete view
necessary for designing a complete transmission system.
In the aircraft industry, weight savings and reliability assume
even greater importance. The goal of the current effort
therefore, was to develop a CFD modeling framework for
evaluation of the macro thermo-fluidic variables in a splash
lubricated gearbox. The Bell 525 ‘Accessory’ gearbox with
splash lubrication was chosen for building the conceptual
model. A simplified CFD model of the gearbox was
validated with experimental bench test data to better
understand the sensitivity of the system to operating
conditions. The validated simulation methodology can now
be used for quick evaluation of design configurations in
future developmental projects. Bringing advanced CFD
methods for designing splash lubricated rotorcraft drives will
lead to more reliable and lighter transmissions in future Bell
products.
MODEL DESCRIPTION
The 525 ‘Accessory’ gearbox shown in Figure 1 consists of
five spur gears in a planar arrangement. Input torque is
supplied through a large input driving gear on the bottom
right. The input gear and the driven gear labeled ‘hydraulic
motor gear’ are dipped in lubricating oil. The gears labeled
‘Alternate’ and ‘Idler’ rotate in the counter direction. When
the dipped gears rotate, oil gets splashed. When the oil
comes in further contact with the counter rotating gears, it is
transported to the different parts of the gearbox chamber.
The lubricating oil absorbs heat from the gears and dumps
some of the heat onto the internal walls of the casing. The
casing heat propagates through the casing thickness and is
eventually exchanged with the surroundings through
convection from the exterior wall.

Notwithstanding, the complexity of detailed system physics,

simplified thermo-fluidic coupled models have begun
developing, which aid to better understand the influence of
macro variables in the lubrication problem (Ref. 16-19). In
fact, the automobile industry has already shown how Figure 1. Bell 525 Accessory Gearbox
minimalistic CFD models can serve as a vital design aid.
CFD simulation allowed for early interventions during A 2D CFD model of the 525 accessory gearbox shown in
development and resulted in a drive unit with better cooling Figure 2 was conceived with the following objectives:
capacity and lower weight (Ref. 20).

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(i) Resolve the two-phase (oil-air) flow and assess the This technique approximates the physical function of the
sufficiency of lubrication in different parts of the gearbox gears without the need for expensive mesh adaptation and
chamber. restructuring at every time-step. (Initial models did include
gear teeth and dynamic meshing. However, the loss in flow
(ii) Understand temperature distributions in the gearbox and
fidelity with the ‘rough wall technique’ did not significantly
casing.
alter the ultimate temperature outcomes in order justify its
(iii) Understand system sensitivity to design variables like
necessity in the present model).
operating speed, torque input, external environment,
lubricant type and quantity.
To support the development cycle of a gearbox already in
work, consideration for a shorter computational time was
necessary for the model. Suitable assumptions and
simplifications were used to substitute micro-physical
phenomenon whenever possible.

Domain Geometry and Mesh

The 2D gearbox model with lubricant is solved in a
commercial CFD code, ANSYS FLUENT® version 14.5.7
and later on version 17.2. Geometry pre-processing and
meshing was accomplished using relevant modules within
the ANSYS Workbench® suite. The model features an
unstructured grid with ~105 triangular elements as illustrated
in Figure 2. Unstructured grids have been shown to be better Figure 3. Grid definition in fin region
suited for capturing free surface flows and moving
boundaries typical of the current problem (Ref. 21). To
better capture the thermo-fluidic effects near the fins and
gears, the mesh is finely resolved in those zones as shown in
Figures 3 and 4. In order to avoid dynamic meshing and
significant lengthening of computation time, gear teeth have
not been geometrically modeled in the problem. Gears have
instead been modeled as circles with rough no-slip walls. A
roughness height of 0.2 inch and a roughness coefficient of
0.5 (uniform distribution) have been used for this effect.
Similarly, gear rotation has been modeled using rotational
wall velocities.

Figure 4. Grid Definition around gear region

Modeling Approach and Boundary Conditions

Figure 2. Unstructured grid on computational domain
The fluid dynamics of the gearbox is characterized by
churning motion of two immiscible fluids (air and lubricant)
inside a confined chamber. A k-ε turbulence model with Re-
Normalization group (RNG) methods was chosen as
recommended by Ref. 22. The energy equation is used to
solve for thermal effects. To account for frictional heating
due to gear meshing, gear walls have been modeled as heat
sources. For analysis purposes, it is assumed that 2% of
Power (P) supplied to the gears is lost as heat (Pheat) and can
be calculated using Equations 1 and 2. It is further assumed
that frictional heat is uniformly dissipated through the gear
perimeter. Thus, frictional heat flux (Q) on a gear wall is
calculated using Equation 3, where a depth of unity is
assumed to convert perimeter length to perimeter area. The

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system of equations uses Torque ( Γ ), RPM (N) and gear
diameter (D) as input variables.
2π ⋅ N
P = Γ⋅ (Watts) (Eq. 1)
60
Pheat = 0.02 P (Watts) (Eq. 2)
Pheat
Q= (Watts/m2) (Eq. 3)
π ⋅ D ⋅ (1)
This method is a significant simplification of the micro-
frictional thermal problem but facilitates a mammoth
reduction in modeling complexity and computational time.
The internal wall of the gearbox casing is coupled with the
internal fluid to support heat transfer. The external wall of
the casing has been assigned a convection coefficient of
5W/m2K to simulate convection with still external air.
Two Phase Flow - Volume of Fraction (VOF) method
The two phase flow of lubricating oil and air is modeled
using the Volume-Of-Fluid technique in ANSYS FLUENT®.
The technique uses volume fraction to track two or more
immiscible fluid regions within the computational domain
(Ref. 16). A volume fraction of 0 indicates air only, while a
volume fraction of 1 indicates oil only. A fractional value
between 0 and 1 indicates a mix of lubricant and air within
the computational element. At any point in space the sum of
volume fractions of lubricant and air is unity. (For example,
a VOF of 0.25 indicates 25% oil and 75% air). At the
beginning of the simulation, the initial quantity of lubricant
is defined by assigning a volume fraction of 1 to all elements
within the desired depth of oil.
Discretization Approach
A transient pressure-based formulation is used for the study.
For Pressure-Velocity coupling, the PISO method is used as
it consumes less CPU time and is well suited for transient
flows with unstructured grids (Ref. 16, 23). Equations
representing fluid momentum, energy and turbulence are
discretized using second order upwind schemes. Pressure
interpolation is handled using the PRESTO scheme which is
recommended for modeling swirling flows and curved
domains typical of the gearbox problem (Ref. 22). For
estimating gradients, the Green-Gauss Node based method is
the recommended method for better accuracy in triangular
meshes (Ref. 22). To track the oil-air interfaces using the
VOF method, an explicit geometric reconstruction scheme is
used (Ref. 16, 20).
CFL Condition and Computational Time
The minimum cell spacing in the zones of interest (Gears,
Casing Wall) was 2.5x10-2 inch. Accordingly, the time step
size was adjusted to be between 10-6 to 10-5 seconds. From
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these conditions, the resultant CFL number around the
Gen/Blower Gear (which rotates at the maximum RPM) was
calculated to lie between 0.1 and 1. Thus, around ~103-104
time steps were necessary to complete a single gear rotation.
To reach thermal steady state sufficient amount of physical
operation time has to be attained. A full simulation can take
several weeks of computational time on an Intel® Xeon®
CPU with 24 processors, running at 3.1 GHz.
Lubricating Oils
The properties of commercially available turbine oils have
been used to simulate the lubricating fluids. Viscosity
values are applied within the solver as a linear function of
temperature. Table 1 lists some of the oils used in the study
and their viscosities.
Table 1. Properties of lubricating oils used in the study
VALIDATION WITH EXPERIMENT
To validate the CFD methodology discussed, the
temperatures predicted in the gearbox by the CFD model
were compared with experimental bench tests. Experimental
bench tests performed on the 525 Accessory gearbox
achieved typical operating conditions. These tests were
performed prior to the development of this model and
transient temperatures or flow patterns were not recorded
during the test. The objective of this validation exercise was
hence limited to comparison of the final temperature states
predicted by CFD and experiment.
Initial and Boundary conditions
An operational scenario is simulated where the input gear
rotates at 4400 RPM and the smallest gear (Gen/Blower
gear) rotates at 13200 RPM. The model incorporates
boundary conditions that replicate the experiment. Oil is
filled up to one third the radius of the big input gear. Figure
5 shows the initial oil level in the gearbox model and the oil
distribution inside the chamber over time. Figure 6 shows
the initial temperature state in the gearbox. An actual
gearbox experiment (started at room temperature) can run
from minutes to hours. A similar full simulation would
currently take weeks to months of computational time. To
expedite the solution progress, temperatures in the sump and
the rest of the gearbox chamber were elevated at the onset of
the calculations. It can be argued that if a system is properly
modeled, temperatures would seek the same end state
regardless of the initial condition. This is shown later (as a
case study) where the step significantly reduces the total
length of computational time.
In Figure 5, the motion of oil splashing and distributing
inside the gearbox chamber is seen over time. As the gears
start rotating, oil is dragged along with it. The virtual rough
wall and wall velocity creates an effect that is similar to
actual gear teeth motion. The simulation predicts that the
lubricant can travel to the top part of the chamber within a
short time and adequately lubricate all moving parts inside
the gearbox. This is an encouraging computational outcome
and insight into the lubrication mechanism in the 525
accessory gearbox.
Figure 5. Oil-Air Volume Fraction contour plots showing
Oil flow patterns. Oil transport to the highest gear is
verified by computation.
Figure 6 shows the effect of lubricant flow on the
temperature distribution inside the chamber. Temperatures
are normalized with the experimental steady state value of
the gearbox casing. The lubricant starts at an elevated initial
temperature close to the steady value of the sump while the
rest of the chamber is much cooler. The casing begins at an
ambient temperature. To supplement the temperature
distribution plots, Figure 7 tracks the maximum
temperatures inside the gearbox chamber and casing with
time.
The temperature inside the chamber starts rising initially, as
gears start emitting heat from their walls. As the lubricant is
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significantly warmer at the onset, when the oil is splashed,
this effect is extended further and the temperature in the
casing rises very quickly. However, as the operation
progresses, the excess heat starts getting rejected to the
surrounding environment through heat convection from the
casing. Case convection slows the temperature growth, and
allows it to stabilize.
Figure 6. Normalized temperature distribution plots
showing inside the gearbox chamber approaching steady
state conditions.
Figure 7 shows that the stabilized value of maximum
temperature in the casing, predicted by the CFD model
matches the corresponding experimental steady value
represented by the dotted blue line. Similarly, the internal
temperature in the gearbox plateaus at 1.08 and starts
decreasing thereafter. The gearbox internal temperature
eventually stabilizes to 99% of the experimental steady state
value.
Overall, it can be observed that the system temperatures
seem to be in good agreement with experimental results.
The marginal difference may, in part, be attributed to the
differences in the manner of recording the temperature in the
experiment versus CFD. The plot in the bottom right of
Figure 6 indicates that the maximum temperature occurs
near the ‘Gen/Blower gear’ (Topmost gear). The regions
near the wall were in fact much cooler. The CFD model
probes the node with the maximum temperature while the
experiment used sensors placed near the walls.

Figure 7. Computed maximum temperatures drive
towards steady state compared to steady state
experimental data.
SIMULATED CASE STUDIES
System performance inside a confined environment
A splash lubricated gearbox operates through passive
rejection of heat. In the validation case, excess heat is
dissipated from the casing through convection to the outside
environment. The limited space inside an aircraft cowling,
may present barriers to rejection of waste heat, depending on
the circulation of airflow. Ambient air flow rate typically
depends on flight conditions. Some of the other systems may
also contribute heat to the local environment, which must be
accounted for.
To simulate an unrealistic worst case scenario, the gearbox
is placed inside a confined chamber with no heat exchange
with the outside world. The chamber is only slightly larger
than the gearbox itself as conceptualized in Figure 8.
Figure 8. Hypothetical case of the gearbox placed within
a confined chamber
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The casing wall is diathermic, allowing exchange of heat
between the gearbox and the confined space, while the outer
wall is adiabatic (permitting no heat transfer). Such a
scenario can only result in a run-away temperature, since
energy is added with nowhere to go. However, the situation
offers a way to demonstrate the model’s transient response
to a known end state.
This unrealistic situation (where no external world heat
exchange takes place) begins with the complete system at
ambient temperature. The variation of maximum
temperature (normalized with the experimental steady value
of gearbox internal temperature in the validation case) inside
the gearbox with time is shown in Figure 9. As the gears
continue emitting heat, the temperature inside the system
rises because no heat exchange with the outside world takes
place. Excess heat is transferred through the casing wall and
only to the outer confined space which acts as a sink. With
time, this external confined space cannot accommodate any
further influx of heat and loses its capacity as a sink. Figure
10 shows that the rate of heat loss has decayed with time and
stabilized to 1/6th of its original value. However, the rate of
heat generation has not changed. As a result, the system
temperature keeps rising. The model is allowed to solve until
it is assured that there could be no further change in the
system response and a run-away temperature is inevitable.
Figure 11 shows the temperature state of the system towards
the end and how the temperatures within the gearbox and
external space have saturated. This is a known end state
which the model reaffirms and validates.
Figure 9. Gearbox Internal Temperature (normalized)
with time when placed inside a confined space
The computational time required to attain such an end state
from fully ambient initial conditions was fifteen times the
computational time taken to solve the validation case. The
results from these cases demonstrate that a system would
seek the same end state regardless of its initial conditions. At
the same time, elevation of temperatures at the onset can
significantly accelerate the process of attaining the end state.
The time savings offered by the latter accentuated its
adoption in this paper.

Figure 10. Heat rejection from casing wall with time
Figure 11. Temperature distribution reaching saturation
towards the end
Although, this case represents a purely hypothetical and
unrealistic situation, it nevertheless demonstrates that
surroundings must accept waste heat effectively in order to
prevent any unacceptable rise in temperatures.
Effect of lubricant viscosity
To understand the effect of viscosity on casing temperatures,
the gearbox was simulated with three types of oils. The
initial conditions and boundary conditions were identical to
the validation case. A comparison of the viscosities in the
three oils has been plotted in Figure 12.
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Figure 12. Viscosities of the Oils used for comparative
case study
At 373°K, Radcolube© 257TM has the lowest viscosity of
2.12 cSt amongst the three, followed by Aeroshell© 390TM
with 3.4 cSt and Mobil© Jet Oil IITM, 5.1 cSt.
The temperature variations with time for the three sub-cases
are shown in Figure 13. The case with Radcolube© 257TM
had the highest casing temperature, followed by Aeroshell©
390TM and Mobil© Jet Oil IITM. It shows that lower viscosity
may lead to faster but thinner spread of lubricant. The
reduced heat absorption capability of the thinner oil may
lead to faster heat propagation and rise in casing
temperature.
Figure 13. Effect of lubricant viscosity on casing
temperature
Effect of lubricant quantity
In all the cases simulated so far, the gearbox was filled up to
one third the radius of the input gear. Another scenario was
simulated in which the gearbox was filled up to half the
radius of the input gear as shown in Figure 14. In this case
study, Mobil Jet Oil II was used as the lubricant. Initial and
boundary conditions were the same as the validation case.

Figure 14. Initial oil level with overfill
Figure 15 compares the variation of maximum
temperatures with time in both the cases. The time histories
indicate that the temperatures in the casing would not be
different. However, the greater quantity of lubricant inside
the gearbox may facilitate a lower internal temperature. The
downside is that if the chamber is overfilled, more churning
losses occur (Ref. 16). In this case, churning loss is
calculated to be 56% higher using the method described in
Ref. 24. The coefficient of moment probed from the CFD
model was 52% higher.
Figure 15. Effect of overfill on system temperatures
CONCLUSION
Simulating a transmission system can be significantly
challenging due to the multi-physical environment. While
each physical phenomenon can be separately tackled,
coupled modeling can be difficult and time consuming. As a
result, manufacturers have been reliant on experimental
testing during product development, which entails risk and
uncertainty. For this reason, it is desirable to have a thermo-
fluidic model to predict drive system performance and serve
as a design aid. To service this requirement, a CFD model
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has been developed to simulate a splash lubricated drive
system. For the simulation tool to be useful during a
developmental project, it is important that the model is
capable of producing results in relatively short time spans.
The goal of this model was to predict oil flow patterns and
temperatures in the gearbox when the design configuration
and operational parameters like RPM, power, oil properties
and fill level were known. Innovative simplifications were
used to substitute micro-physical phenomenon at the gear
teeth level. Simplifications allowed modeling complexity
and computational time to be reduced without significantly
affecting the end goals.
The model has been developed and applied on the 525
‘Accessory’ gearbox. The temperatures predicted by the
CFD model have shown good validation with experimental
bench tests and can now be used in future gearboxes.
The model has been further utilized to perform case studies
to better understand the influence of operational input
parameters. The model shows that gearbox casing or internal
temperatures can be lower if the lubricant has greater
viscosity or if the quantity of lubricant is increased.
However, a greater quantity of lubricant or higher viscosity
would increase resistance to gear motion and lead to higher
churning losses. It has also been shown that external
surroundings and rate of convective heat transfer through the
gearbox casing can have a major effect on operating
temperatures. The simulation tool for a ‘splash lubricated’
gearbox developed here can be extremely useful in
achieving system optimization. Multiple design
configurations can be simulated during preliminary design
without the need for multiple prototypes.
A gearbox with cooler operating temperature can be
designed with simulation tools. This will improve reliability
and reduce the developmental and possibly maintenance
costs of gearboxes. Since splash lubricated systems have no
external electro-mechanical support systems, improving
their serviceability will significantly boost their appeal and
application in the future.
Author contact:
Siddhartha Mukherjee, smukherjee@textron.com
Russell Mueller, rmueller@bh.com
Mukundhan Chakram, mchakram@textron.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank Gilbert Morales, Engineer
IV at Bell Helicopter for his inputs on the thermal aspects of
the model. They would also like to express their sincere
thanks and gratitude to Dr. Albert Brand, Senior Technical
Fellow at Bell Helicopter for his mentorship and insightful
suggestions during the compilation of the abstract and the
paper.

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10 Approved for Public Release