Characteristic Analysis of Planetary Gear Set of Hydromechanical Transmission System of Agricultural Tractors

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to establish the effect of pinhole position errors in the planet carrier of a planetary gear set (PGS) on load sharing among the planet gears in the hydromechanical transmission (HMT) system of an agricultural tractor. Methods: A simulation model of a PGS with five planet gears was developed to analyze load sharing among the planet gears. The simulation model was verified by comparing its results with those of a model developed in a previous study. The verified simulation model was used to analyze the load-sharing characteristics of the planet gears with respect to the pinhole position error and the input torque to the PGS. Results: Both simulation models had identical load magnitude sequences for the five planet gears. However, the load magnitudes on the corresponding planet gears differed between the models because of the different stiffnesses of the PGS components and the input torques to the PGS. The verified simulation model demonstrated that the evenness of load sharing among the planet gears increases with decreasing pinhole position error and increasing input torque. Conclusions: The geometrical tolerance of the pinhole position should be properly considered during the design of the planet carrier to improve the service life of the PGS and load sharing among the planet gears.