An improved analytical method for mesh stiffness calculation of helical gear pair considering time-varying backlash

The mesh stiffness characteristics of the gear pair have important influence on its transmission error (TE), and then affect the vibration and noise level of the gears. It is of great significance to develop a calculation method that can take both accuracy and efficiency into account. First, considering the difference between base circle radius and root circle radius, the potential energy method is improved to calculate the mesh stiffness of involute spur gear pair. Then, on the basis of mesh stiffness theory of spur gear and time-varying backlash effect, a new method for calculating the mesh stiffness of involute helical gear pair is proposed by improving the traditional slicing method. The analysis results of time-varying mesh stiffness curves show that, compared with traditional loaded tooth contact analysis (LTCA) method, the analytical method proposed in this paper is closer to finite element (FE) method, and the calculation cost is relatively low. Finally, the sensitivity analysis of the parameters affecting the mesh stiffness characteristics of helical gear pair is carried out, and the analysis results are discussed.