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APPLYING NUMERICAL METHODS FOR DETERMINING THE SERVICE LIFE OF GEARS
Author(s) -
Pehan S.,
Hellen T. K.,
Flašker J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
fatigue and fracture of engineering materials and structures
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1460-2695
pISSN - 8756-758X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-2695.1995.tb00921.x
Subject(s) - service life , stress intensity factor , finite element method , perpendicular , structural engineering , fracture (geology) , fracture mechanics , materials science , stress (linguistics) , gear tooth , strain energy release rate , numerical analysis , mechanics , engineering , mathematics , composite material , geometry , mathematical analysis , physics , linguistics , philosophy
The service life of gears with a crack in a tooth root can only be determined by numerical methods. An initial fatigue crack is assumed on the tensile side of a tooth root at the site of maximum reference stress and is assumed to commence growth perpendicularly to the surface. An initial assessment can be made using a two dimensional analysis, which is relatively quick and cheap to perform. However, if we wish to take into account the influence of the contact area of load transfer, which can be distributed along the tooth width in different ways, the gear has to be treated by a three dimensional finite element analysis. Crack profile advance is made in stages, each using the strain energy release rate criteria and giving ultimately the stress intensity factor as a function of average crack depth. With known fracture mechanics material characteristics of different gear layers, through which the crack propagates, the service life of a gear is then determined by numerical integration of Paris' equation. A one‐sided contact area causes the crack to propagate several times faster than the preferred load distribution across the middle of the tooth.