Design optimization of a three-stage transmission using advanced optimization techniques

Gear transmission systems are very important machine elements and their failure can lead to losses or damage of other mechanical components that comprise a machine or device. Since gears are applied in numerous mechanical devices, there is need to design and subsequently optimize them for intended use. In the present work, two objectives, viz., volume and center distance, are minimized for a rotary tiller to achieve a compact design. Two methods were applied: (1) analytical method, (2) a concatenation of the bounded objective function method and teaching–learning-based optimization techniques, thereby improving the result by 44% for the former and 55% for the latter. Using a geometric model and previous literature, the optimal results obtained were validated with 0.01 variation. The influence of design variables on the objective functions was also evaluated using variation studies reflecting on a ranking according to objective. Bending stress variation of 12.4% was less than contact stress at 51% for a defined stress range.