A Novel Method for Determining the Contact Pattern Area in Gear Meshing Based on Computer Processing of Pressure...

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Tribology
• Gear Technology

Background:

• Gear tooth contact pattern is a key indicator of gear performance and operational health.
• Accurate analysis of contact patterns is essential for predicting gear wear and failure.
• Sinusoidal gear profiles are utilized in various mechanical systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the contact pattern of gears with a sinusoidal profile.
• To compare numerical and experimental methods for contact pattern investigation.
• To validate a novel experimental technique using pressure measurement films.

Main Methods:

• Gear geometry generated via direct solid simulation of the machining process.
• Numerical analysis using the Finite Element Method (FEM) and Computer-Aided Design (CAD).
• Experimental analysis employing pressure measurement films and a proprietary image analysis program.

Main Results:

• Contact pattern investigations were performed using both numerical and experimental approaches.
• The proprietary image analysis program provided detailed contact pattern data.
• Results from the numerical (FEM, CAD) and experimental methods demonstrated good convergence.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully analyzed the contact pattern of sinusoidal gear profiles.
• The novel experimental method using pressure films is a viable approach for contact pattern analysis.
• The convergence of results validates the employed methodologies for gear contact analysis.