The Effect of Lubricants on Gear Tooth Surface Fatigue

Abstract

This paper presents some of the results of a recent investigation on the effect of lubricants on gear tooth surface fatigue (pitting). The work described comprises the development of a laboratory test procedure for exploratory purposes, and the determination of the performance of a number of lubricants using this procedure. It was found that bulk lubricant viscosity, as measured by the conventional viscometric method, did not have a predominant effect on gear tooth surface fatigue. Examination of the development of scuffing and pitting on the gear teeth indicates that the initial incidence of scuffing and the initial incidence of pitting were unrelated. It was further noted that as pitting became advanced, severe scuffing of the pitted teeth would almost invariably result. On the other hand, there was no evidence that severe scuffing would lead to gear tooth pitting. Presented as an American Society of Lubrication Engineers paper at the Lubrication Conference held in Toronto, Canada, October, 1957.