Compact Design of High-Contact-Ratio Spur Gears

Abstract This study presents a computer simulation for the dynamic design of compact high-contact-ratio spur gear transmissions. High contact ratio gears have the potential to produce lower dynamic tooth loads and minimum root stress but they can be sensitive to tooth profile errors. The analysis presented in this work was performed by using the NASA gear dynamics code DANST (Dynamic Analysis of Spur Gear Transmissions). In the analysis, the addendum ratio (addendum/diametral pitch) was varied over the range 1.30 to 1.40 to obtain a contact ratio of 2.00 or higher. The constraints of bending stress limit and involute interference provide the main criteria for this investigation. Compact design of high-contact-ratio gears with different gear ratios and pressure angles was investigated. Comparison of compact design between low-contact-ratio and high-contact-ratio gears was conducted. With the same operating parameters, high-contact-ratio gears appear to have much more compact design than low-contact-ratio gears. For compact design of high-contact-ratio gears, a diametral pitch of 6.00 appears to be the best choice for an optimal gear set.