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Various technologies for improving the environmental performance of vehicles have been vigorously developed in the automotive industry in recent years. In this regard, the core technologies for improving vehicle fuel economy are still mostly aimed at internal combustion engines. This paper presents a new variable displacement oil pump (VDOP) that was adopted for enhancing the fuel economy of a newly developed 1.2-liter three-cylinder supercharged gasoline direct injection engine. It describes the purpose, benefits, performance and variable displacement principle of the VDOP. Published papers concerning the development of the new engine, the friction reduction technologies it embodies and additional details of the mechanisms incorporated in the new oil pump are cited in the references for the further information of the reader.

This study deals with the design of variable displacement oil pumps, with particular focus on wear of the inner components. A multibody model has been developed in order to achieve detailed knowledge on the dynamic loads which the main components are subjected to and to carry out a comparative analysis between different pump designs. A qualitative correlation, between the resulting wear following endurance tests and simulation results, has also been found. Design guidelines leading up to a good pump reliability have been obtained as a result of this activity.