A Testing Device for Fatigue Crack Propagation Experiments on Bevel and Face Gears
A testing device for performing single tooth bending fatigue tests on bevel and face gears is presented. Basically, it works as a normal gearbox in which the pinion acts as loading element while the gear wheel is kept fixed to the frame. The entire rig is installed in a servo-hydraulic torsion fatigue testing machine, so that torque amplitudes up 2200 Nm may be applied with convenient loading frequencies. Torque amplitude is measured by connecting the testing rig to the load cell of the testing machine. It’s possible to rotate the gearwheel at fixed positions so that a large number of teeth of the same wheel may be tested. If the tests are performed on teeth weakened by pre cracking, no special pinion is requested. The proposed testing rig may be employed for testing both bevel and face gears, by simply adapting the parts that keep the gearwheel fixed with the frame and by choosing the proper meshing pinion.