The mechanical efficiency of the Rzeppa transmission joint

Abstract

This paper deals with the analysis of the mechanical efficiency of the Rzeppa transmission joint through an analytical approach. The deduction of the mechanical efficiency of this joint is not very effortless. This kind of joint is characterized by many hyperstaticities due to the numerous contacts involved. For this reason, it represents, from the simulation point of view, a very challenging task. In this paper, an analytical approach based on the deduction of the equilibrium equation of the spheres inside the joint is proposed. By solving the deduced equations, it has been possible to predict the mechanical efficiency of the joint using only a small amount of data. This approach is very powerful in the first step of the design procedure when most of the data are unknown. The results obtained by the proposed approach, have been compared with experimental data taken from the literature. The comparison demonstrates the effectiveness of the method.