Automatic Determination of Transmission Powerflow Mechanizability Using Graph Theory
A methodology has been developed to automatically generate planetary geartrain topologies based on criteria such as the number of desired speed ratios and the number of torque transmitting mechanisms [1]. This paper describes an algorithm and computer code for automatically determining the mechanizability of the candidate geartrains. The mathematical description of each topology is interpreted as a graph, a collection of vertices and connecting edges, which can then be tested for planarity using graph-processing algorithms. A planar graph implies mechanizability. Using another algorithm based on graph theory, the computer code also detects and eliminates duplicate designs that may be hard to detect via visual inspection. The computer program significantly reduces the time needed to manually process design data sets by eliminating those design candidates that are infeasible.