A survey on gear meshing quality based on tooth contact analysis

Abstract Gears are common mechanical elements in power transmission systems. In order to avoid failure of transmission systems, it is necessary to inspect the gear meshing condition with respect to kinematic and dynamic parameters. Tooth contact analysis (TCA) method represents a useful tool for designing and analysing gear performance. It represents an important method to examine gear tooth contact points, contact ratios and kinematic errors. The primary objective of TCA is to establish the contact trail on gear tooth surfaces, and also to determine the transmission error functions generated by gear misalignments. TCA has several branches such as the loaded tooth contact analysis, unloaded tooth contact analysis and tooth contact analysis with errors. The determination of the initial contact point is necessary in order to achieve an accurate solution. The present survey allows a new insight into the improvement of the gear meshing quality, based on tooth contact analysis and transmission error.