A discussion on the origin and treatment of noise in industrial environments - Noise of gears

Abstract

In the past there were mainly two important factors in determining the performance of gear units: load capacity and fatigue life. In recent years, however, the noise radiation of running gears is of growing importance. It is now becoming impossible to design gears without considering the significance of this new factor. While there are many data available in the literature for calculating the permissible load, speed, and fatigue life, no methods have so far been developed for a true prediction of the radiated gear noise. A definite noise level, however, is often subject to guarantee between manufacturer and customer. To meet these requirements two fundamental factors must be resolved. First, both partners must set up the conditions for acceptance tests, and secondly, the gear manufacturer must have the know-how to meet these particular requirements. Investigations were therefore, made to find out the main factors influencing gear noise in order to be able to reduce it. In addition eighty installed gear-units were tested to set up classifications regarding generated noise and operating conditions.