An Application of Graph Theory for the Detection of Degenerate Structures in Planetary Gear Trains

One of the most important steps in the structural synthesis of planetary gear trains is to eliminate degenerate structures. First, the graph theory is used to represent planetary gear trains (PGTs). Second, a procedure is developed to identify fundamental geared entities (FGEs). Further, the single-planet FGEs are shown to have one-DOF and, therefore, cannot constitute a degenerate structure. It is this that allows a significant reduction in the calculation in relation to other methods of diagnosing degenerate structures. Third, using the concepts of FGEs and the notation of the associated adjacency matrix, an algorithm is developed for the detection of degenerate structures in PGTs. The algorithm is based on the fact that any degenerate structure is a PGT formed by two fundamental geared entities with common edges and/or vertices equal to or more than 3. Forth, the concept of connectivity between single-planet FGEs is introduced and a simple, straightforward approach for deducting the connectivity matrix from the adjacency matrix is developed. The new vertex-edge mobility criterion does not require combinatorial analysis. Besides, the method is applicable to one and multiple degrees of freedom PGTs, it is also applicable to multi-planet PGTs and complex PGTs, including contrary examples found in the literature.

An Analysis of the Gear Meshing Characteristics of the Main Planetary Gear Trains of Helicopters Undergoing Shafting Position Changes

The complex three-shaft three-reducer structural designs of helicopter transmission systems are prone to changes in the relative positions of shafting under the conditions of main rotor and tail rotor loads. These changes will affect the transmission characteristics of the entire transmission system. In this study, the planetary gear trains of helicopters were examined. Due to the fact that these structures are considered to be the most representative structures of the main reducers of helicopters, they were selected as the study objects for the purpose of examining the meshing characteristics of planetary gear trains when the relative positions of the shafting changed due to the position changes of the main rotor shafts under variable load conditions. It was found that by embedding the comprehensive time-varying meshing stiffness values of the main rotor shafts at different positions, a dynamic model of the relative position changes of the planetary gear trains could be established. Then, combined with the multibody dynamics software, the meshing characteristics of the sun gears, and the planetary gears, the planetary gears and the inner ring gears were simulated and analyzed under different inclinations and offsets of the shafting. The results obtained in this study revealed the following: (1) the average meshing force of the gears increased with the increases in the angle inclinations, and the meshing force between the sun gears and the planetary gears increased faster than the meshing force between the planetary gears and the inner ring gears. It was observed that during the changes in the shafting tilt positions, obvious side frequency signals had appeared around the peak of the meshing frequency in the spectrum. Then, with the continuous increases in the tilt position, the peak was gradually submerged; (2) the average meshing force of the gears increased with the increases in the offset, and the increasing trend of the meshing force between the sun gears and the planetary gears was similar to that observed between the planetary gears and the inner ring gears. It was found that when the shafting offset position changed, there were obvious first and second frequency doubling in the spectrum; (3) the mass center orbit radii of the sun gears increased with the increases in the shafting position changes, and the changes in the angular tilt position were found to have greater influencing effects on the mass center orbit radii of the sun gears than the changes in the offset positions. This study’s research findings will provide a theoretical basis for future operational status monitoring of the main transmission systems of helicopters and are of major significance for improvements in the operational stability of helicopter transmission systems, which will potentially ensure safe and efficient operations.

Synthesis method for planetary gear trains without using rotation graphs

The displacement graphs (d-graphs) are the final form of planetary gear trains (PGTs) synthesis. The existing configuration synthesis methods for the d-graphs of PGTs need rotation graphs (r-graphs) as the intermediate step and produce a large amount of isomorphic KCs. This paper proposes a method to obtain d-graphs directly from the geared graph. Meanwhile, a uniform isomorphism identification method suitable for parent graphs, geared graphs, and d-graphs is presented. Finally, a fully automatic method based on parent graphs is tested on synthesizing 1-DOF PGTs with up to nine links. Our synthesis results and those in the literature are comparatively analyzed, and the reasons for contradictory synthesis results are analyzed.

Perturbation analysis of the two-to-one internal resonance of planetary gear trains

In this study, the two-to-one internal resonance between the first two rotational modes of planetary gear trains (PGTs) is investigated. A purely rotational model is applied considering mesh stiffness variations, tooth separations, and tooth profile modifications (TPMs). Semi-analytical solutions for the internal resonance case are obtained using the method of multiple scales (MMS). The solution equations indicate that the mesh stiffness variations and tooth separations are the main factors causing internal resonance. A validation of the MMS was performed by numerical integration (NI). The results from an example analysis indicate that there exists an internal resonance phenomenon in the case of ωN+2 ≈ ω2, where ω2 and ωN+2 are the natural frequencies associated with the rotational modes, and N is the number of planet gears. Internal resonance in PGTs causes chaos, and part of the energy is transmitted from the ring gear to the sun gear through shocks. Proper TPMs that eliminate the tooth separations could suppress the internal resonance. The internal resonance, in turn, affects the optimal areas of the TPM magnitudes.