A Procedure for 3-D Contact Stress Analysis of Spiral Bevel Gears

Contact stress distribution of spiral bevel gears using nonlinear finite element static analysis is presented. Procedures have been developed to solve the nonlinear equations that identify the gear and pinion surface coordinates based on the kinematics of the cutting process and orientate the pinion and the gear in space to mesh with each other. Contact is simulated by connecting GAP elements along the intersection of a line from each pinion point (parallel to the normal at the contact point) with the gear surface. A three dimensional model with four gear teeth and three pinion teeth is used to determine the contact stresses at two different contact positions in a spiral bevel gearset. A summary of the elliptical contact stress distribution is given. This information will be helpful to helicopter and aircraft transmission designers who need to minimize weight of the transmission and maximize reliability.