Defining influence of load conditions on distribution and value of stresses in dual-power-path gear wheels applying FEM

The analysis, carried out for this publication, concerned checking the nature of mating of gear wheels with different load conditions. The computation was made applying FEM in Abaqus 6.10-1 program and concerned spur gears in dual-power-path gears made of ABS. The same geometrical models, material parameters and boundary conditions were assumed for all the analysed stages of the computation. However, the values of torque transmitted from active wheels to passive wheel of the gearing were changed. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Observing changes of stress levels for toothed wheel and pinions allows to state that for relatively low load values, bending stresses at tooth root change proportionally to the change of the applied load.

Values of contact stresses on mating teeth flanks were also defined for the most loaded part of the dual-power-path gearing, namely for a pinion. In case of contact stresses, it was observed that together with constant increase of torque value, the values of stresses change but the nature of these changes is not proportional to the applied load. Out of all the analysed variants, the most favourable, from the point of view of durability, was the situation in initial (theoretical) model with regular power division on all mating wheels.

Conclusions drawn as a result of numerical computation are helpful in defining the nature of work of dual-power-path gearing in different load conditions and will be compared to results of stand tests of the analysed gearing.