A discrete geometry approach for tolerance analysis of mechanism

•Tolerance analysis approach of mechanism employing discrete geometry representations•Enables the consideration of information from manufacturing and inspection•Utilizable for worst-case and statistical tolerancing•Application shown in a spur gear example

Tolerance analysis aims at predicting the effects of inevitable geometric deviations on the quality and function of mechanical products and is therefore an import tool in the design and dimensioning of mechanism. Since geometric deviations have various sources, different simulation tools and computer-aided engineering applications must be applied to determine them. Most of these tools are based on a surface or volume discretization, which leads to a workpiece representation in discrete geometry. In this contribution, an approach for the tolerance analysis of mechanism employing these discrete geometry representations is proposed. It is based on the processing of non-ideal workpiece representatives and helps to incorporate results from different validation applications. The approach is applied to the tolerance analysis of spur gears by employing a Tooth Contact Analysis algorithm.