Influence of the Shape of Bevel Gear Wheel Bodies on Their Deformability

The load distribution in bevel gears depends on many factors, one of which is the deformation of the gear wheel body, which most researchers have neglected. The effect of rim deformation is not reflected in the ISO and AGMA standards. Many CAD Software packages include a finite element analysis module. Building a 3-D model of a gear bevel wheel is a time-consuming task. Replacing the ring gear with a smooth disk makes it possible to analyze the deformation of the rim as one of the stages of gear design. Calculations were carried out using the finite element method to check the adequacy of the simplified model. The calculation data were compared with experiments on disks that repeated the shape of the bevel wheel body. Also, full-scale tests of models of spur and spiral bevel gears made of Plexiglas were carried out. The applicability of the simplified model for most gear designs was proven. Particular attention was paid to wheels with a conical shape body of the wheel. The following body shapes of the wheel were considered: flat, conical surface (with the vertex located on the same side as the pith cone vertex), and conical surface (with the vertex located on the side opposite from the pith cone vertex).