Thermal-elastohydrodynamic lubrication study of axial-modified greased cycloid drive in rotate vector reducer

Abstract

A grease lubrication model of the cycloid drive in the rotate vector (RV) reducer is established to study the axial modification effect of the cycloid drive on its thermal-elastohydrodynamic lubrication (TEHL) behavior. Here, the elastic deformation and stress are rapidly calculated using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) technique. Meanwhile, the film thickness experiment is used to verify the above model. It is found that the modification effect on the TEHL performance is obvious and positive in most meshing processes of the cycloid drive. Compared with other common profiles, the Lundberg profile is an optimal modification to improve the end TEHL behavior and relieve the edge stress concentration due to the better adaptability for the meshing process of the cycloid drive.