Calculation of gear tooth flank surface wear during an FZG micropitting test

•A model of wild wear during lubricated gear meshing was developed.•A simulation of wear during an FZG micropitting test was performed.•The simulation is in good agreement with the overall evolution of the real roughness profile.•The wear simulation alone cannot account for micropits.

A numerical simulation of the wear sustained by the surface of an FZG pinion during a gear micropitting test was performed. Underlying the simulation is a mixed lubrication model that takes into account both surface roughness and lubricant properties, as well as a wear model based on Archard's wear equation. The adequacy of the models was ascertained by comparing simulated and measured roughness profiles at the end of each stage.