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KISSsys Application 008: Gearbox Concept Analysis

Evaluating Gearbox Concepts Efficiently
File: G:\KISSDOKU\Beschreibungen\Weitere\KISSsys\KISSsys-Anwendungen\English\app-008-Evaluating-Gearbox-
Concepts-Efficiently.doc
Created / modified: 20.10.2004, U. Kissling, M. Raabe, H. Dinner, KISSsoft AG

1. Abstract

The KISSsys software combines kinematic analysis, lifetime calculation, 3D graphics and user
defined tables / dialoges with a programming language. It is the tool of choice for strength and
lifetime analysis of various kinds of drive trains and gearboxes. It is currently used in the
industries like: automotive, construction and agricultural, power tools, industrial gearboxes,
power generation and many others. This software has been available commercially for three
years now and the users community is growing steadily. KISSsys lets the user do quick yet
detailed parametric studies of a complete power train in very little time to compare different
variants of a concept. The machine elements calculated range from gears, shafts, bearings, shaft-
hub connections to bolts. This will result in a more balanced starting design and fewer
modifications will be necessary further down in the design process. Furthermore, documentation
of the calculation is simplified and all calculation data for a whole drive train is stored in a single
file. The purpose of this presentation is to explain the concept of the software and describe its
many different uses. In particular, the experience and performance will be discussed using case
studies from GETRAG and LIEBHERR.

Figure 1: KISSsys: Tree structure (left), 3D graphics, dialogs, tables and power flow schematic

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 2. KISSsoft and KISSsys, CAE-tools for machine
elements
KISSsys uses KISSsoft for the lifetime calculations of the various machine elements. KISSsoft is
a CAE tool for the efficient and cost effective design of machine elements such as gears, shafts,
bearings, bolts, shaft-hub connections and springs. KISSsoft focuses strongly on gearbox design
and it is best known for its in-depth gear analysis capabilities.
The methods implemented for the calculations are all according to standards (ISO, AGMA, DIN)
or well recognised and accepted literature. As well as the classical proof of strength against static
and fatigue loads, the software features sophisticated functions for optimisation of the parts. One
of the most powerful functions iterates through a given set of parameters for spur or helical
gears, determines the geometrically possible solutions and rates them according to several
criteria such as strength, stiffness, noise or weight.
The software was originally developed by a Swiss gear box company, but is now with an
independent engineering consultant office specialising in mechanical power transmission
software. During the last 25 years, the software has been constantly improved and more
functionality is added every day. To ensure that the design engineer gets a practical tool for his
daily work, the software is written by trained and experienced mechanical engineers. KISSsoft
has established itself as Europe’s leading software for strength and service life calculation in the
development of gear trains.

When designing a gearbox, an engineer must carry out an iterative process: Every change of an
element of the gearbox (e.g. the helix angle of a gear) influences most other parts (e.g. the
bearing loads). Checking these influences by manual calculation is extremely slow and prone to
errors. The objective hence is to have not only a pair of gears parametrised (like standard
software does) but the whole drive train. This is achieved with KISSsys. Here, all parts (gears,
shafts, bearings, connections) of the gearbox are linked and the strength/lifetime analysis is
performed simultaneously for all elements. A three dimensional graphical presentation of the
current state of the system immediately shows the geometrical influence of every change in
parameters. This approach greatly accelerates the design process and results in a much more
balanced design even during the concept phase. KISSsys features:

Kinematics calculation:
• Connect bevel, helical, worm and face gears
• Epiciclic gears (planetary, Ravigneaux, Wolfrom, …)
• Model differential gears
• Include chain and belt drives
• Activate / de-activate couplings, add slippage
• Add external loads and coefficients of efficiency
3D modelling:
• Automatic 3D representation logical structure of the KISSsys model
• Graphics based on calculation data only, parameterized graphics
• Collision checks between parts and parts to casing
• Import gear box casings as STEP or IGES
Special features:
• Calculation of load spectra for all machine elements included in the model
• Use variants of a gearbox in the same KISSsys model
• Perform sensitivity analysis automatically
• Automatically generate documentation for a complete gearbox analysis

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 • Use scripting language for automatisation of routine tasks
• Interface to KISSsoft

Since the first version of KISSsys was released in 2001, it has been successfully applied to a
wide variety of applications. In addition to those in the machine industry (including geared
motors, wind turbines, power tools, actuators, …) it has been used for wide-ranging projects in
the automotive, agricultural and construction industry.
Some examples of projects:

Modelling of a leading Formula 1 team’s gearbox

This involved modelling the gearbox itself (7 forward and 1 reverse speed), the intermediate,
bevel-gear reduction and the spur-wheel differential (figure 2). The service life calculation is
carried out for the gears, bearings and the shafts under load conditions measured during racing.
One element of the duty cycle is composed of the frequency of use, the engine speed and torque
and the selected gear. This makes use of one of the very powerful properties of KISSsys: when
determining the overall service life with duty cycles, the power flow is first set for each group of
load conditions corresponding to the speed selected and then the system calculation is carried
out. The result is an easily comprehensible table of the service lives of all parts calculated for the
duty cycle. The critical elements (i.e. service life too short) and over-dimensioned elements (i.e.
possible weight-saving) can then be picked out at once.

Large mobile cranes

Large mobile cranes have eight or more axles, of which the greater part is driven. The axle
distribution gear trains, with their connected differentials and wheel-hub gearboxes, are
correspondingly complex. A calculation for various load conditions (e.g. to compare driving on
road and off road) therefore results in a large number of calculations for individual machine
elements. The structuring of these calculations with KISSsys saves a great deal of time and
improves the clarity of results. See figure 2 for an image of the KISSsys model.

Figure 2: KISSsys 3D view of Formula 1 drive train (left) and mobile crane drive (right)

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 Development of new drive concepts for tractors.
Power-split drives are used to achieve a continuously variable driving speed. To this end, a
planetary gear set is used to divide the engine power into a hydrostatic and a mechanical
component. In the hydraulic part, an axial piston pump drives a hydraulic motor with a large
swash angle. The hydrostatic section thus acts as a CVT gearbox. The two power components
are brought together on a summing shaft, fed to the centre differential, and then to the axle gear
trains. The main tasks to be performed with KISSsys are the determination of the overall
efficiency, the hydrostatic power ratio, and the service life calculation with customer-specific
load conditions. Also of interest is the task of determining a load spectra to be used in the tests
that leads to the same degree of damage as the load spectra to be encountered in real world
operation.

3. KISSsys in the development of manual

automobile gear boxes
One area of application of KISSsys is the pre-development of automobile gearboxes. Often in the
early stage of conceptual work, calculations have to be done quickly and for different
configurations without the need for final results. With KISSsys, indications of service life can
already be obtained in the first concept phase for all configurations considered. Various
arrangements of bearings and gearing stages can be investigated very quickly. The influence of
the variants on the bearing service lives and shaft deformation can be assessed with KISSsys.
For the purpose of this document, a simplified three-speed gearbox will serve as an example:
Figure 2 shows an example of such a gearbox. The right side of the figure shows the schematic
of the power flow. Bottom left is the input shaft, which can be directly coupled to the output
shaft to provide third gear and drives the secondary shaft via a meshed pair of gears. On the
secondary shaft above are two loose gears that can be locked to the shaft by clutches. The grey
line in the KISSsys representation indicates an open clutch and the red line an engaged clutch

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that is transferring power. The bearing forces of the loose gears are represented as individual
forces on the lay shaft.

Figure 3: Three speed gearbox (simplified example), the gear for the constant reduction on the
secondary shaft overhangs the bearing.

With the above shown configuration (bearing on the right of the gear), the following resulting
shaft deflections (angle) were found:

Deflection angle of the shaft in 1/60° (second speed selected) at various points:
Point Gear Gear Gear Bearing 1 Bearing 2
constant 1st gear 2nd. gear
reduction
Input Shaft 0.01 0.8 0.9
Secondary 2.4 0.5 1.0 1.8 1.4
Primary 0.3 0.6 0.5 1.0

A simple variation of this model would be, for example, to change the order of gear and bearing
on the secondary shaft. This leads to a representation as in Figure 4. The calculations yield, for
example, the deflection angles of the gearwheels and at the bearing points.

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Figure 4: Secondary shaft is now supported by bearings at each end.

The results calculated are now as follows:

Deflection angle of the shaft in 1/60° (second gear selected) at various points:
Point Gear Gear Gear Bearing 1 Bearing 2
constant 1. gear 2. gear
reduction
Input Shaft 0.02 0.8 0.9
Secondary 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.8 0.8
Primary 0.9 0.2 0.7 1.2

Thus, by changing the position of the bearing the deflection angles of the gearwheels and
bearings can be significantly reduced leading to improved load capacity and increased service
life, or (with reduced shaft cross-section) to a reduction in weight. Such a comparison typically
takes only a few minutes but yields very valuable information.

GETRAG, a worldwide leading gearbox manufacturer, currently uses KISSsys in pre-

development for new automotive gearboxes and for double-clutch gearboxes. According to
GETRAG engineers, the applications and benefits of KISSsys are:

• investigation of gear-set concepts (time consumption for the construction of a new gear
train model, 4-6 h)
• comparison of bearing concepts (time for comparison of a number of bearing concepts,
depending on the work required to modify the model, 0.5 to 1h per variant)
• layout optimisation (a change in the order of the gearwheels increased the service life of a
critical bearing by a factor of 4 while halving the shaft deflection. Eight variants: 4 h)
• sizing of shafts and initial selection of bearings (time consumption for sizing of shafts
and bearings when investigating a twin clutch gearbox, approx. 4 h)

According to information from engineers responsible for the development, analysis time for
comparing different concepts could be reduced by a factor of five!

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 4. Application in the Pre-Development of automatic
gear boxes
Not only parallel shaft gearboxes can be modelled with KISSsys but also epicyclical gears. The
modelling of the power flow and calculation of the take-up forces, torques and relative shaft
speeds in epicyclic systems was one of the main requirements in the development of KISSsys.
In combination with the clutches, the power distribution and the various reductions in the
planetary stages can be realised (e.g. in a Ravinaux set). As an example, a complete model of this
type of automatic gearbox was created for a large German automotive manufacturer.
For twin clutch gearboxes, clutches can be represented not only as open or closed, but can also
be taken into account in the kinematic calculation with slip or pre-determined load.

5. KISSsys model of a camshaft drive for a diesel

engine
The camshaft drive of an engine consists of multiple gears and, in addition to the actual engine
control, also drives various auxiliaries. These include hydraulic pumps, compressors, water
pumps and generators. These auxiliaries can vary considerably, depending on the purpose of the
engine.

Consequently, before a given engine is released for a new application it must be verified that the
various parts have been adequately dimensioned. A drive normally consists of 12 to 20 gears
with associated shafts and bearings, see figure 5 and 6. If the calculations of the various elements
are carried out individually, the effort is significant and, because of the complexity of the power
flow, prone to errors.

Liebherr Machines in Bulle, Switzerland, has used KISSsys for two years now for the design of
gear trains in diesel engines that are used as the prime mover for a wide range of uses. The
customer requirements for the use of the energy supplied are varied. With the help of KISSsys,
customer-specific configurations can be examined and the critical interfaces can be quickly and
reliably checked. The risk of error is reduced significantly and the time consumed by the
calculation is minimized. A single check takes less than 15 minutes!

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Figure 5: Camshaft drive of a Liebherr D9508 diesel engine

Figure 6: Representation of the gear train (3D view) and power flow (schematic) in KISSsys

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Figure 5 shows an example for the camshaft drive with hydraulic pumps and a compressor. The
KISSsys model (figure 6, with some additional power splits) manages the power flow from the
main engine shaft, through the gear train, to the auxiliary drives and the camshafts. The
auxiliaries are an air compressor, an injection pump, a water pump and a hydraulic unit. Via the
user interface of the model (an Excel-like spread sheet, see figure 7) the power requirements of
the various auxiliaries are entered. Further useful input information, such as the nominal engine
speed or application factors, is also defined directly as appropriate to the particular case. Using
function buttons, the calculations can be carried out for the complete system or individual gear
pairs can be examined and modified in detail (by opening the KISSsoft gear calculation
window). Another button initiates the generation of an overall report, documenting the system
data and the strength calculation according to an ISO standard for all gearwheels. The report
language can be selected from English, German, French, Italian or Spanish.

Figure 7: User interface for calculation of the diesel engine auxiliary drives; red figures are
required inputs, black figures are outputs. Blue shaded fields are function buttons.

6. Conclusion

The examples discussed prove an increase in efficiency in drive train design and in checking new
requirements of existing drive trains. A good number and wide variety of projects have proven
the potential of KISSsys. The number of KISSsys users and fields of application is growing
constantly, now that the modern software concept of working on a system level (instead of
working on a machine element level) is more familiar to calculation engineers.
The time required for a first qualitative and quantitative assessment of a concept is greatly
reduced, especially if different variations of the same concepts are to be considered. This will
eventually lead to more variants being investigated, which in turn is likely to result in a more
balanced final design.

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