A Grinding Method with an Innovative, Efficient, and Weight-Saving Design for Double Helical Gears

Abstract

Grinding technology exerts an enormous effect on the surface quality of double helical gears, which are subject to stringent requirements in the aviation industry. This study presents a novel gear-gap-space-borrowing grinding method that diverges from existing techniques. Unlike conventional approaches, this method mitigates the design–manufacturing conflict by exploiting the opposing gear gap space. By borrowing space, the grinding wheel’s size can be enlarged to enhance machinability, diminish the width of the undercut, and align with the lightweight design imperative of double helical gears. The relationship between the grinding wheel diameter and the design parameters of double helical gears is analytically established, leading to the formulation of design rules. These rules facilitate the rapid selection of appropriate grinding wheel sizes for the space-borrowing method. Additionally, through geometric modeling and experimental validation, the optimal gear undercut width and the maximum wheel diameter are determined. The validity and accuracy of the proposed method are verified by simulations and experimental investigations. The study quantitatively evaluates the benefits of this method, including the expansion of the grinding wheel size, the reduction in double helical gear weight, and enhancements in processing efficiency and quality, providing a comprehensive comparison and discussion of these improvements.