Prediction of fretting damage and wear fatigue of floating involute spline couplings

Abstract

In this paper, a finite element model of the floating spline pair is first established, and the distribution of the contact pressure on the tooth surface of the spline with the axis and angular misalignment is analyzed. Then, the effects of axial misalignment and angular eccentricity on tooth fretting damage were evaluated, based on Ruiz fretting damage parameters. Finally, a floating spline wear fatigue damage model considering the wear effect is established based on the energy dissipation and critical plane SWT model, and the fretting fatigue cumulative damage distribution and life of the tooth surface under axial and angular misalignment are analyzed and evaluated. The results show that the misalignment of the axis makes the contact pressure distribution of each tooth uneven, and the RFFDP value of the most dangerous tooth is parabolic along the x direction, that is, serious fretting damage may occur at both ends of the tooth surface, and the crack initiation position on the tooth occurs near x/L=0. The angular misalignment makes the tooth contact only at one end edge, and the RFFDP value of the most dangerous tooth increases along the x direction, showing an exponential growth trend, reaching the maximum at x/L=1, and the crack initiation position occurs at near x/L=1. With the increase of axis or angular misalignment, the damage phenomenon of the floating spline tooth surface becomes more obvious, and the wear-fatigue life decreases sharply.