Simulating Fatigue Crack Growth in Spiral Bevel Pinion

Abstract : New results for predicting crack trajectory and fatigue life for a spiral bevel pinion using the Finite Element Method (FEM) are reported. The predictions presented are based on linear elastic fracture mechanics combined with the FEM, incorporating plasticity induced fatigue crack closure and moving gear tooth loads. The analyses were carried out using a parallel FEM solver, which calculates stress intensity factors using equivalent domain J-integral method. Fatigue life predictions were made based on a modified Paris model incorporating crack closure. To obtain a more detailed understanding of the contact between a cracked pinion tooth in mesh with an uncracked gear tooth, three-dimensional contact analyses were performed on a spiral bevel gear set incorporating a crack. The goal in carrying out these analyses was to capture the redistribution of contact loads due to crack growth. Results of these analyses showed the expected trend of decreasing tooth loads carried by the cracked tooth with increasing crack length. It was also showed that this decrease in contact loads bad an impact on the stress intensity factor values and therefore would also affect the crack trajectory and fatigue life predictions.