Static stress evaluation of noncircular gears using the finite element method

Standard procedures for evaluating gear stresses are only applicable to circular gears. In this study the finite element method, capable of evaluating gear stresses to a high level of accuracy, was formulated and validated using standard gear stress rating and closed form solutions of cantilever beams.; The gear tooth finite element mesh was generated by delimiting a tooth domain from the gear structure and subdividing it into eight sectors. Mesh patterns generated for each sector were mapped into the tooth domain using the transfinite mapping technique to form the two-dimensional (2D) mesh. Extruding the 2D along the face-width, the three-dimensional (3D) mesh is generated.; The stress distribution along the tooth profile in 2D and 3D was obtained with application of the finite element model and from which the maximum bending stress is determined. This procedure provides the means to determine gear tooth stresses of noncircular gears and enables design decisions with regards to gear geometry.