A thermal finite line contact EHL model of a helical gear pair

Abstract

A thermal finite line contact elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) model is developed to study lubricated contact performance of a helical gear pair. Three typical engagement positions during a meshing cycle, i.e. the engage-in position, the engage-out position and the pitch point position are chosen to show effect of load, speed, and addendum modification on pressure distribution, film profile, temperature field, etc. Results show temperature rise increases as the load or the speed goes up. The temperature distribution when the gear pair engaging around the pitch point behaves like a V-shape with higher values at the end parts. For the case with a standard center distance, proper addendum modification, i.e., negative modification for the bigger gear and positive modification for the small gear is good for improving lubrication performance and the service life of the helical gear drive.