A model for simulating the quasi-static and dynamic behaviour of solid wide-faced spur and helical gears

The classical formulations used for solving tooth load distributions in gear dynamics are critically assessed and an original model aimed at simulating the quasi-static and dynamic behaviour of solid wide-faced gears is proposed. Elastic couplings, also known as elastic convective effects, are introduced via shaft finite elements for gear body distortions and elastic foundations with time and position-varying properties for tooth deflections. Tooth shape deviations and alignment errors are considered, and solutions are sought by simultaneously solving the equations of motion and the contact problem between the teeth. The numerical results indicate that gear body distortions are critical for both static and dynamic simulations. However, tooth convective effects are generally of secondary importance but can become significant when contact extents are reduced because of shape deviations and/or mounting errors.