Parametric studies of spur gear lubrication performance considering dynamic loads

Abstract

Effects of friction excitation and gear backlash on spur gear lubrication performance, i.e. minimum film thickness, maximum pressure, etc. are investigated by considering the dynamic loads due to excitations of mesh stiffness, friction between gear tooth, and backlash. Dynamic loads are obtained using a semi-definite two-degree-of-freedom lumped-parameter model. Reduced Reynolds technique is applied to develop a lubrication model capable of dealing with any potential ‘asperity contacts.’ Varying spur gear geometry parameters and the Ree–Eyring fluid behavior are taken into account. Results show that friction excitation has a very limited influence on the dynamic load and hence on the lubrication performance. Backlash affects the dynamic load significantly but has a limited influence on the minimum film thickness. Maximum pressure increases with the value of backlash due to the direct relationship of pressure and load.