Acoustical behavior of periodic flank modifications under dynamic operating conditions

Abstract

Noise emissions belong to the crucial design characteristics in modern transmissions. The most efficient way to achieve beneficial noise behavior is to reduce the excitation in the tooth contact, since the tooth contact represents the main source of noise in gearboxes. Special flank modifications may optimize the noise behavior, but the common design approach uses static assumptions, whereas operating conditions include dynamic operation.The application of periodic flank modifications as a special type of flank form provides a possibility to avoid the typical compromise between the flank design objectives load carrying capacity and low excitation behavior which results from the exclusive usage of standard modifications such as crownings or tip- and root relieves. The principle of periodic modifications is based on the direct compensation of the inconstant part of the elastic deformations in the tooth mesh. For this reason, the static loaded transmission error (LTE) is typically used as specific value to evaluate the effect of these flank forms on the excitation. In theoretical and experimental studies, the effectiveness of periodic modifications to optimize the excitation behavior could be verified. However, the analysis of these modifications under dynamic operating conditions is still scarcely documented. In this paper, the mesh excitation of periodic and standard modifications under various dynamic operating conditions in the subcritical, resonance and supercritical operating range is simulated and compared to each other. In addition, experimental investigations at the dynamic test rig of the Gear Research Center (FZG) were performed. Due to the measurement of the torsional acceleration level during continuous speed runups, the simulated results can be validated by experimental data.