Abstract. This study proposes a worm gear efficiency model considering misalignment in
electric power steering systems. A worm gear is used in Column type Electric
Power Steering (C-EPS) systems and an Anti-Rattle Spring (ARS) is employed in
C-EPS systems in order to prevent rattling when the vehicle goes on a bumpy
road. This ARS plays a role of preventing rattling by applying preload to one
end of the worm shaft but it also generates undesirable friction by causing
misalignment of the worm shaft. In order to propose the worm gear efficiency model considering misalignment,
geometrical and tribological analyses were performed in this study. For
geometrical analysis, normal load on gear teeth was calculated using output
torque, pitch diameter of worm wheel, lead angle and normal pressure angle
and this normal load was converted to normal pressure at the contact point.
Contact points between the tooth flanks of the worm and worm wheel were
obtained by mathematically analyzing the geometry, and Hertz's theory was
employed in order to calculate contact area at the contact point. Finally,
misalignment by an ARS was also considered into the geometry. Friction coefficients between the tooth flanks were also researched in this
study. A pin-on-disk type tribometer was set up to measure friction
coefficients and friction coefficients at all conditions were measured by the
tribometer. In order to validate the worm gear efficiency model, a worm gear was prepared
and the efficiency of the worm gear was predicted by the model. As the final
procedure of the study, a worm gear efficiency measurement system was set and
the efficiency of the worm gear was measured and the results were compared
with the predicted results. The efficiency considering misalignment gives
more accurate results than the efficiency without misalignment.