Investigation of tooth wears from scuffing of heavy duty machine spur gears

•Wear and scuffing are the result of interaction of tooth shape and contact features.•An effective prediction model of tooth shape due to wear and scuffing is created.•Mechanical impurities do not reduce the efficiency of the extreme pressure additive.

In this paper, we present results from theoretical and experimental investigations into the teeth wear of spur gears of heavy duty machines. During operation, boundary friction and scuffing result on their working surfaces. Theoretical investigations were carried out using the tooth wear model, which takes into account the instantaneous contact temperature according to Blok's concept. The model simulates the continuous interaction of the teeth forms as a function of contact parameters and the effect of these parameters on the shape of the teeth profiles. The validity of the theoretical model was confirmed by experimental investigation.