Three-dimensional optical measuring method for the tooth surface of high-order oval bevel gears

Abstract

In view of the complexity of geometry design theory for high-order oval bevel gears’ tooth profile and the difficulties in detecting the tooth surface error, the researches into tooth surface error detection and analysis methods of high-order oval bevel gears were launched. In the view of the feature of three-dimensional (3D) optical measuring method, a 3D optical scanner was used. Meanwhile, the tooth profile parametric equations of a bevel gear cutter with standard spherical involute and non-circular bevel gear were deduced based on the spatial meshing theory and the theory of spherical triangle. Then the 3D optical scanning detection experiment of oval bevel gears was designed and accomplished. After that, the reverse engineering was performed according to the point cloud which was obtained before, and a tooth surface which within a certain tolerance range can be obtained from the reverse engineering. The normal deviation nephogram of theoretical tooth surface and processed tooth surface can be obtained by comparing the tooth surface which is gotten from reverse engineering with theoretical tooth surface. Finally, the measurement and visualisation for processing tooth surface of high-order oval bevel gears were achieved. Meanwhile, the machining accuracy class of five-axis precision milling method was obtained.