Contact stresses in gear teeth - A new method of analysis

Abstract : This paper presents a new, innovative procedure called point load superposition for determining the contact stresses in mating gear teeth. It is believed that this procedure will greatly extend both the range of applicability and the accuracy of gear contact stress analyses. Point load superposition is based upon fundamental solutions from the theory of elasticity. It is an iterative numerical procedure which has distinct advantages over the classical Hertz method the finite-element method (FEM), and over existing applications with the boundary element method (BEM). Specifically, friction and sliding effects, which are either excluded from or difficult to study with the classical methods, are routinely handled with the new procedure. the paper presents the basic theory and algorithms. Several examples are presented. Results are consistent with the those of the classical theories. Applications with spur gears are discussed.