Experimental Investigation on Surface Characteristics of Finish Hobbed Gear using Grey Relational Analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Spur gears are important for transferring motion and power among shafts. The surface characteristics of these gears are important for their life and smooth operation. To improve profitability and customer satisfaction, a study was conducted to analyze the surface quality of spur gears produced through CNC hobbing machining. Objectives: The objective this investigation is to conduct experimental trials to estimate the best hobbing parameters to minimize surface roughness and microgeometric deviations. In this investigation, effect of varying cutting speed and feed rate on surface finish have been reported. Methods: An experiment are conducted according to Taguchi L9 experimental design. Grey Relational Analysis is performed to estimate the optimum machining parameters. Results: The experimental finding reveals, at cutting speed 400 rpm, the feed rate 8 mm/min, and depth of cut 3.91 mm gives good quality of surface (Ra 0.5530). The gear hobbing process has increased to a greater level of performance. The roughness of the flank surface and microgeometry deviations decreases with an increase in hob cutter speed. Conclusions: This ultimately reduces the inherent vibrations between the hob cutter and the gear blank, thus minimizing microgeometric deviations. The variation in feed rate was noticed and had a very significant impact on the efficiency and surface quality of the gear. The study recommends that a cutting speed of 400 rpm is the most effective for obtaining the best results.