A two-stage flank correction method for the continuous generation of face gears

Abstract

Face gear pairs are particularly suitable for application in advanced equipment drivetrains with intersecting shafts. The continuous generation process of face gear tooth flanks using worms offers high machining efficiency, but achieving high accuracy in this process remains a considerable challenge. A two-stage flank correction method for face gears ground by worms on a computer numerical control (CNC) generator is proposed. This method comprehensively involves both the worm dressing and face gear grinding stages, considering the actual machine tool structure and constant offsets among its axes. Firstly, the machining kinematics for both stages are derived and the high-order tooth flank model of the face gears is developed. Secondly, the sensitivity of tooth flank deviations to variations in the kinematic coefficients is analyzed, and the deviations on both flanks of the tooth space generated with initial kinematics are measured. Finally, three cases of correction for the measured deviations are compared using the proposed method. Correcting only the grinding stage is effective and computationally inexpensive, and employing this case for manufacturing face gear tooth flank significantly reduces deviations.