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At least 361 records · Page 20

Generation and Computerized Simulation of Meshing and Contact of Modified Involute Helical Gears

The design and generation of modified involute helical gears that have a localized and stable bearing contact, and reduced noise and vibration characteristics are described. The localization of the bearing contact is achieved by the mismatch of the two generating surfaces that are used for generation of the pinion and the gear. The reduction of noise and vibration will be achieved by application of a parabolic function of transmission errors that is able to absorb the almost linear function of transmission errors caused by gear misalignment. The meshing and contact of misaligned gear drives can be analyzed by application of computer programs that have been developed. The computations confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed modification of the gear geometry. A numerical example that illustrates the developed theory is provided.

Litvin, Faydor L.↗

Influence of tooth profile modification on spur gear dynamic tooth strain

This paper presents results of dynamic strain gage measurements performed on the NASA gear-noise rig. The experiments were part of a joint research program between NASA and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to advance the technology of rotorcraft transmissions. Tests were performed on six sets of low contact ratio spur gears with different tooth profile modifications. Results presented include static and dynamic measurements of gear tooth strain taken over a matrix of operating conditions. The results demonstrate that a well-designed tooth profile modification can significantly reduce dynamic loads in spur gears, especially for gears which operate at high speed and under high torque. The two parabolic modifications tested were not as effective as linear modifications, possibly because the modification zone was too long.

Oswald, Fred B.↗

Computing Stresses In Spur Gears

Dynamic Analysis of Spur Gear Transmissions (DANST) developed as easy-to-use program for static and dynamic analysis of spur-gear systems. Used for parametric studies to predict effects of operating speed, torque, stiffness, damping, inertia, and tooth profile on dynamic loads and tooth-bending stresses in spur gears. Performs geometric modeling and dynamic analysis for low- or high-contact-ratio spur gears. Simulates gear systems with contact ratios ranging from one to three. Written in FORTRAN 77.

Oswald, F. B.↗

Gear crack propagation investigations

Analytical and experimental studies were performed to investigate the effect of gear rim thickness on crack propagation life. The FRANC (FRacture ANalysis Code) computer program was used to simulate crack propagation. The FRANC program used principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics, finite element modeling, and a unique re-meshing scheme to determine crack tip stress distributions, estimate stress intensity factors, and model crack propagation. Various fatigue crack growth models were used to estimate crack propagation life based on the calculated stress intensity factors. Experimental tests were performed in a gear fatigue rig to validate predicted crack propagation results. Test gears were installed with special crack propagation gages in the tooth fillet region to measure bending fatigue crack growth. Good correlation between predicted and measured crack growth was achieved when the fatigue crack closure concept was introduced into the analysis. As the gear rim thickness decreased, the compressive cyclic stress in the gear tooth fillet region increased. This retarded crack growth and increased the number of crack propagation cycles to failure.

Lewicki, David G.↗

Quantification of Gear Tooth Damage by Optimal Tracking of Vibration Signatures

This paper presents a technique for quantifying the wear or damage of gear teeth in a transmission system. The procedure developed in this study can be applied as a part of either an onboard machine health-monitoring system or a health diagnostic system used during regular maintenance. As the developed methodology is based on analysis of gearbox vibration under normal operating conditions, no shutdown or special modification of operating parameters is required during the diagnostic process. The process of quantifying the wear or damage of gear teeth requires a set of measured vibration data and a model of the gear mesh dynamics. An optimization problem is formulated to determine the profile of a time-varying mesh stiffness parameter for which the model output approximates the measured data. The resulting stiffness profile is then related to the level of gear tooth wear or damage. The procedure was applied to a data set generated artificially and to another obtained experimentally from a spiral bevel gear test rig. The results demonstrate the utility of the procedure as part of an overall health-monitoring system.

Choy, F. K.↗

Computerized Design and Analysis of Face-Milled, Uniform Tooth Height, Low-Noise Spiral Bevel Gear Drives

A new method for design and generation of spiral bevel gears of uniform tooth depth with localized bearing contact and low level of transmission errors is considered. The main features of the proposed approach are as follows: (1) the localization of the bearing contact is achieved by the mismatch of the generating surfaces. The bearing contact may be provided in the longitudinal direction, or in the direction across the surface; and (2) the low level of transmission errors is achieved due to application of nonlinear relations between the motions of the gear and the gear head-cutter. Such relations may be provided by application of a CNC machine. The generation of the pinion is based on application of linear relations between the motions of the tool and the pinion being generated. The relations described above permit a parabolic function of transmission errors to be obtained that is able to absorb almost linear functions caused by errors of gear alignment. A computer code has been written for the meshing and contact of the spiral bevel gears with the proposed geometry. The effect of misalignment on the proposed geometry has also been determined. Numerical examples for illustration of the proposed theory have been provided.

Litvin, F. L.↗

Balancing Dynamic Strength of Spur Gears Operated at Extended Center Distance

This paper presents an analytical study on using hob offset to balance the dynamic tooth strength of spur gears operated at a center distance greater than the standard value. This study is an extension of a static study by Mabie and others. The study was limited to the offset values that assure the pinion and gear teeth will neither be undercut nor become pointed. The analysis presented in this paper was performed using DANST-PC, a new version of the NASA gear dynamics code. The operating speed of the transmission influences the amount of hob offset required to equalize the dynamic stresses in the pinion and gear. The optimum hob offset for the pinion was found to vary within a small range as the speed changes. The optimum value is generally greater than the optimum value found by static procedures. For gears that must operate over a wide range of speeds, an average offset value may be used.

Lin, Hsiang Hsi↗

Dynamic Forces in Spur Gears - Measurement, Prediction, and Code Validation

Measured and computed values for dynamic loads in spur gears were compared to validate a new version of the NASA gear dynamics code DANST-PC. Strain gage data from six gear sets with different tooth profiles were processed to determine the dynamic forces acting between the gear teeth. Results demonstrate that the analysis code successfully simulates the dynamic behavior of the gears. Differences between analysis and experiment were less than 10 percent under most conditions.

Oswald, Fred B.↗

Computerized Design and Analysis of Face-Milled, Uniform Tooth Height, Low-Noise Spiral Bevel Gear Drives

A new method for design and generation of spiral bevel gears of uniform tooth depth with localized bearing contact and low level of transmission errors is considered. The main features of the proposed approach are as follows: (1) The localization of the bearing contact is achieved by the mismatch of the generating surfaces. The bearing contact may be provided in the longitudinal direction, or in the direction across the surface; and (2) The low level of transmission errors is achieved due to application of nonlinear relations between the motions of the gear and the gear head-cutter. Such relations may be provided by application of a CNC machine. The generation of the pinion is based on application of linear relations between the motions of the tool and the pinion being generated. The relations described above permit a parabolic function of transmission errors to be obtained that is able to absorb almost linear functions caused by errors of gear alignment. A computer code has been written for the meshing and contact of the spiral bevel gears with the proposed geometry. The effect of misalignment on the proposed geometry has also been determined. Numerical examples for illustration of the proposed theory have been provided.

Litvin, F. L.↗

Recent Advances in the Analysis of Spiral Bevel Gears

A review of recent progress for the analysis of spiral bevel gears will be described. The foundation of this work relies on the description of the gear geometry of face-milled spiral bevel gears via the approach developed by Litvin. This methodology was extended by combining the basic gear design data with the manufactured surfaces using a differential geometry approach, and provides the data necessary for assembling three-dimensional finite element models. The finite element models have been utilized to conduct thermal and structural analysis of the gear system. Examples of the methods developed for thermal and structural/contact analysis are presented.

Handschuh, Robert F.↗

Modeling and Validation of a Navy A6-Intruder Actively Controlled Landing Gear System

Concepts for long-range air travel are characterized by airframe designs with long, slender, relatively flexible fuselages. One aspect often overlooked is ground-induced vibration of these aircraft. This paper presents an analytical and experimental study of reducing ground-induced aircraft vibration loads by using actively controlled landing gear. A facility has been developed to test various active landing gear control concepts and their performance, The facility uses a Navy A6 Intruder landing gear fitted with an auxiliary hydraulic supply electronically controlled by servo valves. An analytical model of the gear is presented, including modifications to actuate the gear externally, and test data are used to validate the model. The control design is described and closed-loop test and analysis comparisons are presented.

Horta, Lucas G.↗

An Overview of Landing Gear Dynamics

One of the problems facing the aircraft community is landing gear dynamics, especially shimmy and brake-induced vibration. Shimmy and brake-induced vibrations can lead to accidents due to excessive wear and shortened life of gear parts and contribute to pilot and passenger discomfort. To increase understanding of these problems, a literature survey was performed. The major focus is on work from the last ten years. Some older publications are included to understand the longevity of the problem and the background from earlier researchers. The literature survey includes analyses, testing, modeling, and simulation of aircraft landing gear; and experimental validation and characterization of shimmy and brake-induced vibration of aircraft landing gear. The paper presents an overview of the problem, background information, and a history of landing gear dynamics problems and solutions. Based on the survey an assessment and recommendations of the most critically needed enhancements to the state of the art will be presented. The status of Langley work contributing to this activity will be given.

Pritchard, Jocelyn I.↗

Actively Controlled Landing Gear for Aircraft Vibration Reduction

Concepts for long-range air travel are characterized by airframe designs with long, slender, relatively flexible fuselages. One aspect often overlooked is ground induced vibration of these aircraft. This paper presents an analytical and experimental study of reducing ground-induced aircraft vibration loads using actively controlled landing gears. A facility has been developed to test various active landing gear control concepts and their performance. The facility uses a NAVY A6-intruder landing gear fitted with an auxiliary hydraulic supply electronically controlled by servo valves. An analytical model of the gear is presented including modifications to actuate the gear externally and test data is used to validate the model. The control design is described and closed-loop test and analysis comparisons are presented.

Horta, Lucas G.↗

Video Imaging System Particularly Suited for Dynamic Gear Inspection

A digital video imaging system that captures the image of a single tooth of interest of a rotating gear is disclosed. The video imaging system detects the complete rotation of the gear and divide that rotation into discrete time intervals so that each tooth of interest of the gear is precisely determined when it is at a desired location that is illuminated in unison with a digital video camera so as to record a single digital image for each tooth. The digital images are available to provide instantaneous analysis of the tooth of interest, or to be stored and later provide images that yield a history that may be used to predict gear failure, such as gear fatigue. The imaging system is completely automated by a controlling program so that it may run for several days acquiring images without supervision from the user.

Broughton, Howard↗

Simulating Fatigue Crack Growth in Spiral Bevel Gears

The majority of helicopter transmission systems utilize spiral bevel gears to convert the horizontal power from the engine into vertical power for the rotor. Due to the cyclical loading on a gear's tooth, fatigue crack propagation can occur. In rotorcraft applications, a crack's trajectory determines whether the gear failure will be benign or catastrophic for the aircraft. As a result, the capability to predict crack growth in gears is significant. A spiral bevel gear's complex shape requires a three dimensional model of the geometry and cracks. The boundary element method in conjunction with linear elastic fracture mechanics theories is used to predict arbitrarily shaped three dimensional fatigue crack trajectories in a spiral bevel pinion under moving load conditions. The predictions are validated by comparison to experimental results. The sensitivity of the predictions to variations in loading conditions and crack growth rate model parameters is explored. Critical areas that must be understood in greater detail prior to predicting more accurate crack trajectories and crack growth rates in three dimensions are identified.

Spievak, Lisa E.↗

Influence of Tooth Spacing Error on Gears With and Without Profile Modifications

A computer simulation was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of profile modification for reducing dynamic loads in gears with different tooth spacing errors. The simulation examined varying amplitudes of spacing error and differences in the span of teeth over which the error occurs. The modification considered included both linear and parabolic tip relief. The analysis considered spacing error that varies around most of the gear circumference (similar to a typical sinusoidal error pattern) as well as a shorter span of spacing errors that occurs on only a few teeth. The dynamic analysis was performed using a revised version of a NASA gear dynamics code, modified to add tooth spacing errors to the analysis. Results obtained from the investigation show that linear tip relief is more effective in reducing dynamic loads on gears with small spacing errors but parabolic tip relief becomes more effective as the amplitude of spacing error increases. In addition, the parabolic modification is more effective for the more severe error case where the error is spread over a longer span of teeth. The findings of this study can be used to design robust tooth profile modification for improving dynamic performance of gear sets with different tooth spacing errors.

Padmasolala, Giri↗

Effects on Diagnostic Parameters After Removing Additional Synchronous Gear Meshes

Gear cracks are typically difficult to diagnose with sufficient time before catastrophic damage occurs. Significant damage must be present before algorithms appear to be able to detect the damage. Frequently there are multiple gear meshes on a single shaft. Since they are all synchronous with the shaft frequency, the commonly used synchronous averaging technique is ineffective in removing other gear mesh effects. Carefully applying a filter to these extraneous gear mesh frequencies can reduce the overall vibration signal and increase the accuracy of commonly used vibration metrics. The vibration signals from three seeded fault tests were analyzed using this filtering procedure. Both the filtered and unfiltered vibration signals were then analyzed using commonly used fault detection metrics and compared. The tests were conducted on aerospace quality spur gears in a test rig. The tests were conducted at speeds ranging from 2500 to 5000 revolutions per minute and torques from 184 to 228 percent of design load. The inability to detect these cracks with high confidence results from the high loading which is causing fast fracture as opposed to stable crack growth. The results indicate that these techniques do not currently produce an indication of damage that significantly exceeds experimental scatter.

Decker, Harry J.↗

Investigation of Gear and Bearing Fatigue Damage Using Debris Particle Distributions

A diagnostic tool was developed for detecting fatigue damage to spur gears, spiral bevel gears, and rolling element bearings. This diagnostic tool was developed and evaluated experimentally by collecting oil debris data from fatigue tests performed in the NASA Glenn Spur Gear Fatigue Rig, Spiral Bevel Gear Test Facility, and the 500hp Helicopter Transmission Test Stand. During each test, data from an online, in-line, inductance type oil debris sensor was monitored and recorded for the occurrence of pitting damage. Results indicate oil debris alone cannot discriminate between bearing and gear fatigue damage.

Dempsey, Paula J.↗