A Laminar Flow Motor for Precision Machining

We have been developing a family of laminar flow hydraulic devices for actuation and motor power in machine tools. This paper will describe the design and experimental results of a laminar flow motor suitable for driving a lathe spindle. The torque is delivered in the motor by the shear of fluid flowing around a smooth shaft. The prototype that was built and evaluated delivers 250 watts shaft power output at 1000 rpm.