Determining The Gear Design Parameters Which Have Strong Correlation With Gear Volume and Contact Ratio For Helical Gear Design Optimization
Determining The Gear Design Parameters Which Have Strong Correlation With Gear Volume and Contact Ratio For Helical Gear Design Optimization
Determining the Gear Design Parameters Which Have Strong Correlation with Gear
Volume and Contact Ratio for Helical Gear Design Optimization
(Menentukan Parameter Reka Bentuk Gear yang Mempunyai Korelasi Kuat dengan Isipadu Gear dan Nisbah
Sentuhan untuk Pengoptimuman Reka Bentuk Gear Heliks)
Faiz Adli bin Hishama, Zukifli Mohd Nopiahb*, Azman Seninc & Noorhelyna Razalid
ABSTRACT
The market has a significant demand for low-cost, compact size, extended fatigue life and high load-carrying capacity
helical gears. One way to manufacture such gears is by minimizing gear volume and maximizing contact ratio. Most
researchers focus on gear design optimization, but minimal study has been conducted to identify design variables
that significantly impact gear volume and contact ratio. Hence, it is crucial to determine gear design parameters
that strongly correlate with gear volume and contact ratio beforehand. A single-stage helical gear train of local
electric multiple units (EMU) is used as the gear model, and the calculations are done based on ISO 6336. Seven
parameters have been chosen as independent variables; module, number of teeth of pinion, gear ratio, helix angle,
tooth thickness factor, normal pressure angle and addendum factor. Graphs of total gear volume and contact ratio
against independent variables are plotted to examine their relationship. The results indicate that normal module,
number of teeth of the pinion, and gear ratio strongly correlate with the total gear volume. Meanwhile, the number of
teeth of pinion, helix angle, tooth thickness factor, normal pressure angle and addendum factor strongly
correlate with contact ratio. Therefore, these design parameters must be considered to improve the accuracy of the
gear design optimization model, which aims to optimize gear volume and contact ratio.
Keywords: Helical gear; gear volume; contact ratio; gear design optimization; correlation
requirements. This results in higher manufacturing costs, On the other hand, maximizing a gear’s contact ratio
lower processing efficiency, and difficulty managing gear is one method to manufacture gears with extended fatigue
precision (Wu et al. 2021). Hence, creating the gear life and high load-carrying capacity (Marimuthu &
modification parameter for the optimization model and Muthuveerappan 2016). Since the gear tooth is never
solving it via the optimization algorithm using a computer subjected to full load, the bearing capacity and overall
simulation technique to replace the actual experiment is mesh stiffness are considerably enhanced (Ding et al. 2017;
an efficient strategy to achieve the optimum design of gear H. Kang et al. 2017). Another benefit of gears with a high
modification parameters (Tang et al. 2020). contact ratio is that movement is conveyed more evenly
There is a significant demand in the market for gears and consistently, as this implies reduced vibration, shock,
that are low cost, compact size, extended fatigue life and and noise, all of which contribute to an increase in the gear
high load-carrying capacity (Rai & Barman 2018). One transmission’s overall performance (Godwin Raja
way to manufacture gears with low prices and compact Ebenezer et al. 2019; H. Kang et al. 2017). Kang and Choi
size is by minimizing their total volume or total weight, (2008) optimized the helix angle for the helical angle as
which is directly proportional to the volume of gear (Maputi the helix angle positively correlates with a high contact
& Arora 2019; Sudhagar & Raman 2015). Several studies ratio of a helical gear pair. Rackov et al. (2013) used the
have been carried out to reach this objective. Under Generalized Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm to
constrained conditions such as teeth’s bending strength, maximize the value of the contact ratio by optimizing the
shaft torsional strength, and gear dimensions, Yokota et al. addendum heights and the correction factor of pinion.
(1998) utilized Genetic Algorithm to optimize a gear pair’s Huang et al. (2014) devised a multi-objective optimization
weight, which allowed them to find the optimal weight for model that maximized the contact ratio while minimizing
the gear pair. Thompson et al. (2000) studied the trade-off the sensitivity of the contact ellipse to the misalignment
relationship between the volume of multi-stage spur gear errors based on the tooth contact analysis method with
units and the surface fatigue life of gears. Chong et al. alignment considerations. Ren (2014) applied a reliability-
(2002) established the automatical preliminary design of based optimal design method in transmission design and
multi-stage gear drives by using the simulated annealing established a multi-objective optimization model for
approach to reduce the geometrical volume of a gearbox. automatic mechanical transmission to minimize the volume
Mendi et al. (2010) employed a genetic algorithm to of gear and maximize the contact ratio simultaneously.
optimize the spur gear’s module, shaft diameter, and rolling Bozca (2017) on the other hand, set the minimization of
bearing to minimize gearbox volume. Savsani et al. (2010) tooth bending stress as the objective function in his
developed an optimization system for a spur gear train optimization model of an automotive transmission gearbox.
using particle swarm optimization and simulated annealing It has been discovered that raising the contact ratio reduces
techniques. Zhang et al. (2010) developed mathematical tooth bending stress. Kapelevich & Shekhtman (2017)
models for planetary gear reducers and used reliable grey analyzed the asymmetric tooth gears while considering the
PSO to minimize the gear volume. Golabi et al. (2014) effective contact ratio, which is influenced by bending and
presented actual graphs obtained from an optimization contact tooth deflections. This is done to identify the
process aiming to optimize the volume/weight of the optimal solution for high-performance gear drives that
gearbox while taking the number of stages and their ratio meet strict criteria for high load capacity, high efficiency
into consideration. It is possible to use the graphs to and minimal transmission error. Rajesh et al. (2021)
determine the optimal number of stages, normal modules, optimized the profile shift coefficient to maximize contact
and gear face width for a particular gearbox design. Wang ratio since non-standard gears outperform standard gears
et al. (2015) deduced the formula for the clearance volume regarding tooth strength, contact ratio, and several other
of gear and improvised the formula of gear volume by factors.
considering the clearance volume. The formula is used to According to the literature, researchers primarily focus
optimize the gear volume of single-stage spur gear. Miler on gear design optimization to optimize the gear volume
et al. (2017) examined the effects of profile shift on the and contact ratio. However, only a minimal study has been
volume optimization of spur gear pairs, while Zhao et al. conducted to identify the design variables that may
(2021) reduced the transmission ratio of rotary gear reducer significantly impact the value of gear volume and contact
to minimize its volume by using Genetic Algorithm. Yaw ratio in the optimization model. Besides that, the accuracy
(2020) created an algorithm based on the Artificial Immune of the volume model is poor since most researchers used
System (AIS) to determine the best combination of a simplified method to calculate gear volume (Wang et al.
parameters for designing a two-stage planetary gear train 2019). On top of that, methods of calculating a high
system with the minimum volume. transverse contact ratio helical gears have never been
developed extensively. This is likely because helical gear
703
(6)
METHODOLOGY
(9)
(2)
(10)
From Equation (1)-(2), b is the facewidth, V1 and V2
are volume of pinion and wheel respectively, while da1 and
da2 is the tip diameter of pinion and wheel respectively. In this paper, the helical gear volume V is calculated
The equation related to the addendum diameter and face by using Equation (10). From this equation, it can be seen
width of the helical gear is shown in Equation (3)-(5). that there are six independent parameters involved in
calculating the total volume V; number of teeth of pinion
z1, normal module mn, gear ratio i, helix angle β, tooth
(3) thickness factor ψd and addendum factor h*an.
704
THE FORMULA FOR CONTACT RATIO From Equation (14), αt, αt1 and αt2 are transverse
pressure angle, transverse working pressure angle of pinion
and transverse working pressure angle of wheel,
The contact ratio of helical gear εr is the sum of the
respectively. The formula of αt, αt1 and αt2 is as shown in
transverse contact ratio εa and longitudinal contact ratio
Equation (15)-(17).
εβ. The formula is as shown in Equation (11).
(11) (15)
(17)
(12)
From Equation (15)-(17), αn, db1 and db2 is the normal
pressure angle, base diameter of pinion and base diameter
of wheel, respectively. The formula of db1 and db2 are as
(13) shown in Equation (18)-(19).
(20)
(21)
(22)
The contact ratio of helical gear εr is calculated by factor h*an.In this paper, a single-stage helical gear train of
using Equation (22). From this equation, it can be seen that a local EMU is taken as a sample to examine the
there are seven independent parameters involved in relationship between the aforementioned independent
calculating the contact ratio εr; normal module mn, number variables (mn, z1, i, β, ψd, αn, h*an) towards the total gear
of teeth of pinion z1, gear ratio i, helix angle β, tooth volume V and contact ratio εr. The parameters of the gear
thickness factor ψd, normal pressure angle αn, addendum are shown in Table.
705
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION consider only module , number of teeth of pinion and gear
ratio as design variables, while other parameters can be
CORRELATION BETWEEN INDEPENDENT omitted.
VARIABLES WITH GEAR VOLUME AND On the other hand, the number of teeth of pinion z1,
CONTACT RATIO helix angle β, tooth thickness factor ψd and addendum factor
h*an have a positive correlation with the contact ratio. This
Only one parameter will be assigned as a variable to verify is because as the value of these parameters increased, the
its influence, while other parameters will be set as constant. contact ratio also increased. Meanwhile, the normal
Graphs of volume and contact ratio against gear design pressure angle αn has a negative correlation with the contact
parameters are shown in Figure 1. Seven graphs are plotted ratio since the value of the contact ratio decreased when
since there are seven independent variables. The x-axis, the value of the normal pressure angle αn decreased. On
left, and right sides of the y-axis represent each independent the other hand, module mn and gear ratio i has no correlation
variable, gear volume and contact ratio, respectively. The with contact ratio as the value of contact ratio did not
blue dots and orange dots represent the gear volume value change even though the value of these parameters have
and contact ratio, respectively. been increased. Hence, it can be said that the value of the
From Figure 1, it is found that the normal module , contact ratio of helical gear is greatly influenced by number
number of teeth of pinion z1 and gear ratio i have a positive of teeth of pinion z1, helix angle β, tooth thickness factor
correlation with the gear volume because as the value of ψd and addendum factor h*an. When optimizing the contact
these parameters increases, the gear volume is also ratio of helical gear, it is sufficient to consider the only
increased. On the other hand, helix angle β, tooth thickness number of teeth of pinion z1, helix angle β, tooth thickness
factor ψd, normal pressure angle αn, addendum factor h*an factor ψd, addendum factor h*an and normal pressure angle
do not correlate with gear volume because the value of αn as design variables, while other parameters can be
gear volume did not change even though these parameters neglected.
increased. Therefore, it can be said that the value of helical Table 2 summarises the correlation between gear
gear volume is greatly influenced by normal module mn, design parameters and dependent variables. When
number of teeth of pinion z1 and gear ratio i. When constructing a multi-objective gear design optimization
optimizing the volume of helical gear, it is sufficient to model which optimizes both gear
TABLE 2. Correlation between independent variables with gear volume and contact ratio
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