Influence of different combinations of high-order topological modification on contact pattern and load distribution of helical gear

An integrated model is proposed to evaluate the contact pattern and load distribution of helical gear with different combinations of high-order topological modification, which is established combining the finite element method (FEM), the analytical method (AM), and the nonlinear programming method. Based on the elastomer contact model of tooth surface, the FEM is used to separate the flexural-shear deformation of the teeth, while the contact AM is introduced to derive the local contact deformation. The contact characteristics of gears can be finally obtained by solving the nonlinear programming model with the constraints of deformation and load and finally verified by the finite element analysis. The results show that the longitudinal crowning can significantly improve the load distribution and the edge contact of the tooth. When the modified curve becomes a parabola of higher order, the contact characteristics change obviously. The pressure of double-crowned (4) gears was uniform and the amplitude decreased, but the amplitude of pressure of double-crowned (6) gears increases and the variance of load sharing ratio is more obvious at the beginning of the middle meshing period.