A 2D finite element based approach to predict the temperature field in polymer spur gear transmissions

Abstract

This article describes a new numerical approach to determine the temperature field of polymer spur gears during their operation. The approach is based on an uncoupled procedure in which a mechanical problem is solved to determine the amount of heat that is generated by friction during the meshing of the gears, and then this heat is considered as a thermal load to perform a thermal analysis of a finite element model of the transmission.The amount of heat generated by friction is determined from the results of a numerical loaded tooth contact analysis of the transmission, which is based on the finite element method. The generality of the finite element method enables this approach to be applied to any kind of spur gear transmission, regardless of the geometry and the material of the gears and lubrication conditions.The resulting approach is applied to determine the temperature field of a spur gear transmission where polymer and metallic gears are combined, under several different operating conditions. The results obtained from this approach are compared to those obtained from experimental analyses, showing a good degree of similarity between them.

A simple procedure for generating locally refined 2D quadrilateral finite element meshes of gears

“…Since Wilcox [1] started using it in 1973 to determine the stresses in gear teeth under load, the finite element method has become an essential technology in the research and development of gear transmissions. In the last years, this analysis technique has been used for a wide range of applications, including the determination of the contact and bending stresses of the gears under load [2,3,4,5] and the prediction of the bulk and flash temperatures of the gears in operating conditions [6,7,8].…”

“…Several methods have been developed to discretize a gear geometry into finite elements. Among them, the one proposed by Argyris et al [15] could be considered one of the most relevant, as there are many authors who have decided to use it in their works [4,6,16,17,18]. Argyris' procedure offers the advantage of being fast and easy to implement, but it tends to generate distorted elements in regions of the gear tooth where elevated stress gradients are usually produced.…”

Thermal analysis of the triple-phase asynchronous motor-reducer coupling system by thermal network method

“…Fernandes et al 7 obtained temperature distribution within the gearbox through the proposed simulation method and compared with experimental measurements. Roda-Casanova and Sanchez-Marin 8 described a two-dimensional (2D) finite-element–based approach to determine the temperature field of polymer spur gears during their operation. Patil and Kumar 9 established FEA-based numerical simulations of multi-speed transmission gearbox to investigate the effects of load, rotational speed, and lubrication on gear surface of the multi-speed gearbox.…”

Development of a multiblock procedure for automated generation of two-dimensional quadrilateral meshes of gear drives

“…The finite element analysis (FEA) plays an important role during the design stages of gear drives, as it allows to determine the stress state of the gears under load [1,2], to investigate the formation of the bearing contact during the transmission of power [3,4,5] and to predict the temperature field of the gears in operating conditions [6,7], among other things. Performing a finite element analysis requires the development of a finite element model of the transmission, which is accomplished through three tasks [8]: (i) generation of the finite element mesh of the gear drive, (ii) definition of the contact surfaces and (iii) establishment of the loading and the boundary conditions of the gear drives.…”

“…These computer programs require of the development of dedicated meshing procedures to discretize the gear geometries into finite elements. Among the meshing procedures that have been developed for such a purpose, the one proposed by Argyris et al [13] is especially relevant, as it has been extensively used by the gearing research community [4,6,14,15,16]. This meshing procedure represents a fast and easy way to discretize a gear geometry into finite elements, but it tends to produce distorted elements in some parts of the gear tooth, which may compromise the accuracy of the results of the finite element analysis [17].…”