Elastoplastic hydrodynamic lubrication study of spiral bevel gears

Purpose Under actual operating conditions, particularly in harsh environments where lubricant may transition from a fully flooded to a starved state, and considering that machined surfaces inherently exhibit roughness leading to asperity dry contact, heavy loads and plastic deformation, the study aims to accurately capture the real meshing state of spiral bevel gears with surface roughness and improve fatigue life prediction by accounting for the combined effects of surface topography and material elastoplasticity. Design/methodology/approach An elastoplastic hydrodynamic lubrication (PEHL) contact model for gear pairs is established. This model integrates the influences of surface roughness and material elastoplasticity to simulate the lubrication behavior of spiral bevel gears under real operating conditions. Findings Results indicate that the proposed PEHL model for spiral bevel gears better reflects their actual service conditions compared to existing elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) models. This improvement enhances the accuracy of fatigue life predictions based on lubrication contact analysis. Originality/value Developing an PEHL contact model that explicitly considers the combined effects of surface topography (roughness) and material elastoplasticity, tailored to the actual operating conditions of spiral bevel gears. This model fills a gap in existing EHL-based approaches by more realistically capturing the complex interactions between surface characteristics and material behavior.