Effect of Blade Number on Performance of Torque Converter and Its Optimization Based on DOE and Response Surface Methodology

As the conventional beam streamline theory cannot optimize the blade numbers of torque converter effectively, a 3-D flow field simulation platform for torque converter has been built. The design of experiment (DOE) was adopted to study the influence of blade number on the performance of torque converter, and the blade number was optimized utilizing the response surface methodology (RSM). The results indicate that the blade numbers of pump and turbine have a great influence on maximum efficiency and stall torque ratio, while the blade numbers of pump and stator are the main factors for stall pump torque coefficient. The performance of the torque converter with optimized blade numbers is improved evidently.