Analysing Bevel Gears for Efficient Power Transmission: A Study on Design, Simulation and Performance Assessment

Abstract

Bevel gears find application in transmitting motion between unequally aligned shafts, typically forming a 90° angle relative to each other. Some of the several types that are available commercially are the straight bevel, the Zerol bevel, the spiral bevel, and the hypoid. Stainless steel, gray cast iron, titanium alloy and structural steel were used for the behavioural assessment. The design and modelling of the straight bevel gears were carried out using SolidWorks 2015, while ANSYS 18.2 was employed simulating to simulate the gears' stress and deformation. The 3D solid model generated using SolidWorks was imported into ANSYS, where the analysis was conducted using the finite element software, ANSYS Workbench. Stress distribution plot, deformation plot, and equivalent strain plot were generated. The highest stress, measuring 73.536 MPa, became evident as the load concentrated near the base of the gear teeth. The finite element analysis revealed a minimal likelihood of gear failure, and the least deformation was observed in the structural steel configuration, resulting in a deformation of 8.2354 x 10^-3 mm. Consequently, the gear pair can successfully transmit 6 kW of power without experiencing any failures with a good safety factor