Effect of design parameters on stresses occurring at the tooth root in a spur gear pressed on a shaft

Gears are commonly used in transmission systems to adjust velocity and torque. An integral gear or an interference fit could be used in a gearbox. Integral gears are mostly preferred as driving gear for a compact design to reduce the weight of the system. Interference fit makes the replacement of damaged gear possible and re-use of the shaft compared to the integral shaft. However, internal pressure occurs between mating surfaces of the components mated. This internal pressure affects the stress distribution at the root and bottom land of the gear. In this case, gear parameters should be re-considered to assure gear life while reducing the size of the gear. In this study, interference fitted gear-shaft assembly was examined numerically. The effects of rim thickness, profile shifting, module and fit tolerance on bending stress occurring at the root of the gear were investigated to optimize gear design parameters. Finite element models were in good agreement with analytical solutions. Results showed that the rim thickness of the gear is the main parameter in terms of tangential stress occurring at the bottom land of the gear. Positive profile shifting reduces the tangential stress while the pitch diameter of the gear remains constant. Also, lower tolerance class could be selected to moderate stress for small rim thickness.

Study on the critical loosening condition toward a new design guideline for bolted joints

An understanding of conditions that trigger the loosening of bolted joints is essential to ensure joint reliability. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element model of a typical bolted joint is developed, and a new simulation method is proposed to quantitatively identify the critical transverse force for initiating loosening. This force is used to evaluate the anti-loosening capacity of bolted joints. Using the proposed simulation method, the effects of factors affecting critical loosening are systematically studied. It is found that the preload, frictional coefficients at the thread and the bearing surfaces, clamped length, and fit tolerance mainly affected loosening. When the preload and friction coefficients are increased, and the clamped length and fit tolerance are reduced, loosening is inhibited. Experiments are performed to demonstrate the reliability of the results. Finally, a suggestion is proposed to improve the design guideline VDI 2230 for bolted joints, which considers the requirement of avoiding loosening under vibrational loading.