Dynamics of lubricated spiral bevel gears under different contact paths

Abstract To assess the meshing quality of spiral bevel gears, the static meshing characteristics are usually checked under different contact paths to simulate the deviation in the footprint from the design point to the heel or toe of the gear flank caused by the assembly error of two gear axes. However, the effect of the contact path on gear dynamics under lubricated conditions has not been reported. In addition, most studies regarding spiral bevel gears disregard the lubricated condition because of the complicated solutions of mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL). Hence, an analytical friction model with a highly efficient solution, whose friction coefficient and film thickness predictions agree well with the results from a well-validated mixed EHL model for spiral bevel gears, is established in the present study to facilitate the study of the dynamics of lubricated spiral bevel gears. The obtained results reveal the significant effect of the contact path on the dynamic response and meshing efficiency of gear systems. Finally, a comparison of the numerical transmission efficiency under different contact paths with experimental measurements indicates good agreement.