Meshing performance investigations on the curve constructed worm drive

To reduce the error sensitivity of cylindrical worm drive, the curve constructed worm drive is proposed. Depend on the theory of constructing tooth surfaces by the conjugate curve, the meshing theory, and mathematical model of the curve constructed worm drive are built. The tooth contact analysis of curve constructed worm drive is proposed, and it is simulated by the numerical method and finite element method. The meshing characteristic of two-point contact is verified, and the sensitivity is examined in terms of center distance, shaft angle, and axial errors, as well as the finite element analysis is utilized to examine the tooth contact in the presence of errors. The analyzed results show that this novel worm drive has well adaptation to the errors. This study is intended to provide a new way forward in the design of point contact worm drive.