Pinion Assembly Strategies for Planetary Gear Sets

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-en Feng ◽  
Yuxuan Qi ◽  
Qingying Qiu

Previous works illustrate that the orientation of pinion run-out errors has strong effect on the load sharing behavior of floating planetary gear sets. To minimize the inequality of load sharing, an in-phase rule for assembling pinions is recommended by other researchers, while a theoretical proof is still lacking. In this paper, not only the orientation but also the assembly sequence of the pinions is under scrutiny. A generalized mathematical model is developed in order to study the best load sharing conditions and floating gear sets with 4-6 pinions are specially treated. Through statistical calculation, several pinion sequence rules and orientation rules are extracted. By numerical simulation, four different pinion assembly strategies, which originate from the combinations of the existing rules and methods, are compared with each other. The most effective assembly strategies for systems with 4-6 pinions are proposed. The statistical analysis indicates that the proposed strategies significantly improve the load sharing behavior if only pinion run-out errors are considered and retain their effectiveness when pinhole position errors and tooth thickness errors are introduced as interference factors.

Author(s):  
Nicholas D. Leque ◽  
Ahmet Kahraman

Planet-to-planet load sharing is a major design and manufacturing tolerancing issue in planetary gear sets. Planetary gear sets are advantageous over their countershaft alternatives in many aspects, provided that each planet branch carries a reasonable, preferably equal, share of the torque transmitted. In practice, the load shared among the planets is typically not equal due to the presence of various manufacturing errors. This study aims at enhancing the models for planet load sharing through a three-dimensional formulation of N-planet helical planetary gear sets. Apart from previous models, the proposed model employs a gear mesh load distribution model to capture load and time dependency of the gear meshes iteratively. It includes all three types of manufacturing errors, namely constant errors such as planet pinhole position errors and pinhole diameter errors, constant but assembly dependent errors such as nominal planet tooth thickness errors, planet bore diameter errors, and rotation and assembly dependent errors such as gear eccentricities and run-outs. At the end, the model is used to show combined influence of these errors on planet load sharing to aid designers on how to account for manufacturing tolerances in the design of the gears of a planetary gear set.


Author(s):  
H. Ligata ◽  
A. Kahraman ◽  
A. Singh

In this study, results of an experimental and theoretical study on the influence of rim thickness of the ring gear on rim deflections and stresses, and planet load sharing of a planetary gear set are presented. Experimental study consists of measurement of ring gear deflections and strains for gear sets having various numbers of planets, different ring gear rim thicknesses as well as various carrier pin hole position errors. Root and hoop strain gauges and displacement probes are placed at various locations so that the variations due to external splines of the stationary ring gear can also be quantified. A family of quasi-static deformable-body models of the test gear planetary gear sets is developed to simulate the experiments. The predictions and the measurements are compared to assess the accuracy of the models within wide ranges of parameters. Influence of rim thickness on ring gear stresses and deflections and planet load sharing are quantified together with the interactions between the rim flexibility and the spline conditions. The results from this study confirm that the ring gear deflections and the ring gear support conditions must be included in the design process as one of the major factors.


2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Ligata ◽  
A. Kahraman ◽  
A. Singh

A simplified discrete model to predict load sharing among the planets of a planetary gear set having carrier planet position errors is presented in this study. The model proposes a translational representation of the torsional system and includes any number of planets positioned at any spacing configuration. The discrete model predictions are validated by comparing them to (i) the predictions of a deformable-body planetary gear set model and (ii) planet load sharing measurements from planetary gear sets having three to six planets. A set of closed-form planet load sharing formulas are derived from the discrete model for gear sets having equally-spaced planets for conditions when all of the planets are loaded. These formulas allow, in an accurate and direct way, calculation of planet loads as a function of position errors associated with each planet.


2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kahraman ◽  
H. Ligata ◽  
A. Singh

In this study, results of an experimental and theoretical study on the influence of rim thickness of the ring gear on rim deflections and stresses and planet load sharing of a planetary gear set are presented. The experimental study consists of measurement of ring gear deflections and strains for gear sets having various numbers of planets, different ring gear rim thicknesses, as well as various carrier pinhole position errors. Root and hoop strain gauges and displacement probes are placed at various locations so that the variations due to external splines of the stationary ring gear can also be quantified. A family of quasistatic deformable-body models of the test planetary gear sets is developed to simulate the experiments. The predictions and measurements are compared with the assessment of the accuracy of the models within wide ranges of parameters. The influence of rim thickness on ring gear stresses and deflections and planet load sharing are quantified together with the interactions between the rim flexibility and the spline conditions. The results from this study confirm that the ring gear deflections and the ring gear support conditions must be included in the design process as one of the major factors.


Author(s):  
Weiqiang Liu ◽  
Junqing Li ◽  
Yanlong Kang ◽  
Yanfang Liu ◽  
Xiangyang Xu ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
B. Boguski ◽  
A. Kahraman ◽  
T. Nishino

A new method of measuring planet load sharing of planetary gear sets is proposed in this paper. The method uses strain gauges mounted directly on the planet pins to measure continuously the loads carried by the planets assembled in a fixed carrier. Example 4-planet gear sets of different planet phasing conditions are procured and tested with a family of planet carriers having various levels and combinations of planet pinhole position errors to demonstrate the measurement method. As the radial floating capability of the central members is critical to planet-to-planet load sharing, a companion proximity-based measurement system is also implemented to measure the radial motions of the floating sun gear under various planet phasing and carrier pinhole error conditions. It is shown that both measurement methods are effective in characterizing the loads carried by planets.


2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Boguski ◽  
A. Kahraman ◽  
T. Nishino

A new method of measuring planet load sharing of planetary gear sets is proposed in this paper. The method uses strain gauges mounted directly on the planet pins to measure continuously the loads carried by the planets assembled in a fixed carrier. Example 4-planet gear sets of different planet phasing conditions are procured and tested with a family of planet carriers having various levels and combinations of planet pinhole position errors to demonstrate the measurement method. As the radial floating capability of the central members is critical to planet-to-planet load sharing, a companion proximity-probe based measurement system is also implemented to measure the radial motions of the floating sun gear under various planet phasing and carrier pinhole error conditions. It is shown that both measurement methods are effective in characterizing the loads carried by planets.


2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Leque ◽  
A. Kahraman

Planet-to-planet load sharing is a major design and manufacturing tolerancing issue in planetary gear sets. Planetary gear sets are advantageous over their countershaft alternatives in many aspects, provided that each planet branch carries a reasonable, preferably equal, share of the torque transmitted. In practice, the load shared among the planets is typically not equal due to the presence of various manufacturing errors. This study aims at enhancing the models for planet load sharing through a three-dimensional (3D) formulation of N planet helical planetary gear sets. Apart from previous models, the proposed model employs a gear mesh load distribution model to capture load and time dependency of the gear meshes iteratively. It includes all the three types of manufacturing errors, namely, constant errors such as carrier pinhole position errors and pinhole diameter errors, constant but assembly dependent errors such as nominal planet tooth thickness errors, planet bore diameter errors, and rotation, and assembly dependent errors such as gear eccentricities and run-outs. At the end, the model is used to show combined influence of these errors on planet load sharing to aid designers on how to account for manufacturing tolerances in the design of the gears of a planetary gear set.


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