Sub-surface Stress Analysis on Spur Gear Teeth in the EHL Conditions

The sub-surface stress field beneath the gear's contact surface caused by the surface pressure in lubricated condition is analyzed. To evaluate the influence of the clearances between a gear tooth and a pinion tooth on the stress field, two kinds of tooth profile models - conventional cylinder contact model and new numerical model - were chosen. Kinematics of the gear is taken into account to obtain the numerical model which is the accurate geometric clearances between a gear tooth and a pinion tooth. Transient elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) analysis is performed to get the surface pressure. The sub-stress field is obtained by using Love's rectangular patch solution. The analysis results show that the sub-surface stress is quite dependent on both the surface pressures and the profile models. The maximum effective stress of the new model is lower than that of the old model. The depth where the maximum effective stress occurs in the new model is not proportional to the intensity of the external load.