An Improved Analytical Method for Gear Load Distribution and Mesh Stiffness Considering Axial Coupling Stiffness

The slice method is commonly employed to address the situation with uneven deformations and load distributions along the axial direction. However, discrepancies in load distribution along the contact line can intensify interactions between the neighboring slices, particularly in the presence of modifications or misalignments. To address this challenge, a novel method that incorporates the axial coupling stiffness is introduced to calculate the mesh stiffness, thereby eliminating the requirement to preset a suitably selected maximum loaded static transmission error whose value critically affects calculation accuracy. The proposed method also incorporates the structural coupling effect, enabling load transfer between engaged gear tooth pairs. The transmission of these interactions is governed by the load differential between adjacent axial meshing points. By comparison with results obtained from a finite element model, the accuracy of the improved method is validated. Additionally, the mesh characteristics and load distribution of the engaged gear pair are presented. The results demonstrate that the proposed method provides higher accuracy than the traditional approach for both spur and helical gears, particularly under conditions involving misalignment errors and tooth relief. Consequently, the proposed method offers enhanced theoretical insight for gear pair design.