Gear tooth contact analysis and its application in the reduction of fatigue wear

The present paper will concentrate on the gear fatigue wear reduction through micro-geometry modification method. An accurate non-linear finite element method will be employed to provide a quantitative understanding of gear tooth contact behaviour. Shaft misalignment and assembly deflection effects on the gear surface wear damage will be investigated as well. To achieve high accuracy of the gear geometry, the tooth profile will be mathematically generated though using Python script interfacing with the finite element analysis (FEA) software instead of importing from other computer aided design (CAD) packages. Real rolling and sliding contact simulations have been achieved through using the latest non-linear FEA techniques. An investigation has been carried out on automotive transmission gear surface failure due to shaft misalignment and assembly deformations. The solution for the wear is consequently proposed based on gear micro-geometry modification approach, i.e. tip relief, facewidth crowning and lead correction.