Investigation and optimization of parameters for bidirectional composite vibratory finishing of gears

To meet the core requirements for uniform and efficient finishing of high-precision gears, a bidirectional composite vibratory finishing (BCVF) process was introduced. The influence of motion parameters (gear rotational speed n, vibration frequency fx and fz, vibration amplitude Ax and Az, vibration phase difference ψ), process parameters (media loading height H, gear installation position h), gear parameters and container geometric parameters (cross-sectional shape, size Lx × Ly) on the finishing effect was investigated by kinematic analysis and discrete element simulation (DEM). On this basis, the parameters with significant influence were selected and further optimized by gray relational analysis (GRA). Numerical simulations were carried out by orthogonal design, taking the cumulative contact energy and distribution uniformity on gear surface as evaluation indicators for multi-objective optimization. The results indicated that the affecting significance on comprehensive performance was ranked as fx > fz > Ax > Az. Besides, the optimal parameter combination was obtained.