A parameterized numerical model for the evaluation of gear mesh stiffness variation of a helical gear pair

Abstract

One of the most common challenges in gear drive design is to determine the best combination of gear geometry parameters. These parameters should be capable of being varied effectively and related to gear mesh stiffness variation in advanced excitation and vibration analysis. Accurate prediction of gear mesh stiffness and transmission error requires an efficient numerical method. The parameterized numerical model was developed for the evaluation of excitation induced by mesh stiffness variation for helical gear design purposes. The model uses linear finite-element (FE) method to calculate tooth deflections, including tooth foundation flexibility. The model combines Hertzian contact analysis with structural analysis to avoid large FE meshes. Thus, mesh stiffness variation was obtained in the time and frequency domains, which gives flexibility if comparison is made with measured spectrums. Calculations showed that a fairly low number of elements suffice for the estimation of mesh stiffness variation. A reasonable compromise was achieved between design trends and calculation time.