Abstract:  Aiming at the problem that it was difficult to obtain the flow and cavitation characteristics of highspeed aviation fuel gear pump through theoretical analysis and experiments, a numerical simulation study of an aviation fuel gear pump with a new relief groove structure was carried out. Firstly, the standard kε turbulence model and the full cavitation model were used as mathematical models. Then, the performance improvement of the new unloading relief gear pump was studied by comparative analysis. The internal flow field of the new gear pump was numerically solved at different speeds, and the following results were obtained: its flow and cavitation characteristics. Finally, a test platform was built to conduct flow tests at different speeds, and the simulation results were verified. The research results show that,compared with the rectangular unloading groove gear pump,the new relief groove gear pump can reduce the flow pulsation by 44.6%; effectively reduce the range of cavitation in the flow field; the maximum pressure and minimum pressure in the flow field appear at the gear meshing; the gas volume fraction and the cavitation range in the flow field gradually increase with the increase of the rotational speed. The research results provide a theoretical basis for preventing cavitation of aviation fuel pump, improving fuel delivery efficiency and gear pump operation and maintenance.
Key words:  aviation fuel gear pump; cavitation phenomena; flow pulsation; numerical simulation; turbulence model; full cavitation model