Effect of profile modification on the performance of spur gears in isothermal mixed-EHL regime using load-sharing concept

Abstract

Spur gears are one of the most important tools for power transmission in the industry and thus can be considered a key mechanical element. As a result of power transmission, gears might fail or experience wear and fatigue. So the improvement in the design and modification of tooth profile of gears can significantly reduce friction loss and wear of the gear teeth and therefore it increases the useful life, improves the quality, and reduces the cost. The purpose of this study is to show the influence of addendum modification on the tribological performance of spur gears which are operating in the mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication. In this paper, a model based on the load-sharing concept is employed to study the effect of changing addendum modification on the performance of spur gears, the amount of wear rate, and the lubricant film thickness. To this end, a model based on the load-sharing concept is employed which takes the geometry and lubricant properties as input and predicts the friction coefficient, load carried by fluid film and asperities, efficiency, and wear rate as output.