Multi-level optimization of gear trains with spur gears

Lightening vehicles is one of the great challenges to reduce fuel consumption and thus dioxide carbon emissions. Many researchers are studying engine designs leading to less fuel consumption. Gearbox selection plays a key role in an engine design. Achieving better operational gear train characteristics, and a lower mass are basic objectives when designing a gearbox. This paper offers a comprehensive and original approach to optimize a gear trains with spur gears. The proposed approach is based on two level optimizations. A first optimization is performed to find the optimal dimeters, width and module while the second optimization is focused on gear body structure. In this second optimization, topology optimization technique is used to determine the ideal repartition of material with respect to the strength requirements. The application of the proposed approach on a case study shows a meaningful reduction in gearbox weight.