Influence of Coexistence of Pitting and Cracking Faults on a Two-Stage Spur Gear System

Abstract

This work considers forced vibrations in a rotating structure consisting of a two-stage spur gear system with coexisting defects, specifically pitting and cracking. Numerical simulations and experimental analysis in various scenarios of the system in operation were conducted using the RPM–Frequency mapping technique. To identify fault characteristics, the analysis performed assumed the gear system had been misadjusted by a combination of pitting and cracking on the gear teeth. The correlation of the system-forced responses under regular and chaotic vibrations revealed that the system is far more sensitive to the crack than to the pitting when there are fluctuating harmonic peaks present at high vibration levels.