Research on meshing stress and dynamic characteristics of steel/aluminum bimetallic gear transmission system

The steel/aluminum bimetallic gear structure can reduce system weight and improve system energy efficiency. In this study, a finite element model and a dynamic model of the bimetallic gear transmission system (GTS) were built to analyze the gear meshing stress and vibration response. The research finds that as the thickness of the steel layer decreases, the contact stress on the tooth surface decreases, and the root bending stress increases. Furthermore, the stress undergoes sudden changes at the junction of the two materials, and the value of the sudden change has an inverse relationship with the thickness of the steel layer. In addition, the mean and variation values of the tooth meshing stiffness for bimetallic gears both decrease as the thickness of the steel layer decreases. The resonance frequency of the bimetallic GTS is inversely proportional to the thickness of the steel layer. Under the same operating conditions, there are differences in the amplitudes of vibration and meshing response between single-metal gears and bimetallic gears, but the frequency components of both gear types remain consistent.