Cylindrical Gear Micro Geometry
and Loaded Tooth Contact Analysis (LTCA)
SMT, CHARTWELL HOUSE, 67 - 69 HOUNDS GATE, NOTTINGHAM, NG1 6BB
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www.smartmt.com
© 2018 SMART MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY LTD.
Why Apply Micro Geometry?
➢ Micro Geometry - Small modifications made to the flanks of gear
teeth to:
▪ Centre the loaded area in the middle of the tooth, correcting for
deflections and avoiding edge loading
▪ Minimise transmission error – An excitation which is a main contribution
to noise in a transmission
➢ Loaded Tooth Contact Analysis (LTCA) – An analysis of the contact
conditions on the gear teeth under the applied loads
www.smartmt.com © 2018 SMART MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY LTD. Slide 2
Lengthwise Crowning – From ISO 21771
www.smartmt.com © 2018 SMART MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY LTD. Slide 3
Profile Crowning (barrelling) – From ISO 21771
www.smartmt.com © 2018 SMART MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY LTD. Slide 4
Good Tooth Contact Pressure Distribution
Contact Centred
Contact uses most of
the flank
Little or no load at the
edge of the teeth
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Transmission Error (TE)
➢ The difference between the actual position of the output gear and
the position it would occupy if the gear drive were perfect
TE = Measured Input Rotation * Transmission Ratio –
Measured Output Rotation
➢ TE can cause noise and so should be minimised
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Good Transmission Error
Small Peak to Peak Value – Roughly 2um or less
Sinusoidal shape
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Cylindrical Gear Micro Geometry Mode
Micro Geometry Micro Geometry
Tree View Mode
Results Area
Properties Grid
Analysis Type
Load Cases
Control
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Analysis with No Micro Geometry
Select 1 Gear Stage The LTCA Results
– Micro Geometry Tab displays the
This original design results of the
has no micro analysis
geometry specified
The Contact Chart
Shows the Max
Pressure at each
point on the tooth
surface
Run the “High No micro geometry
Speed Cruising” modifications =>
Load Case High edge stresses
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Analysis with No Micro Geometry
The 3D View allows you to
view the load distribution
on the gear teeth and
contact pressure in 3D
Show contact chart
Roll angle
Show defining gear
or both gears
www.smartmt.com © 2018 SMART MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY LTD. Slide 10
Analysis with No Micro Geometry
The TE Tab shows the
Transmission Error
result
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Add a New Micro Geometry Design
Right Click on the current
micro geometry design
and select Duplicate to
create a new one.
Select the new design
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Apply some lengthwise crowning
Lead Relief is the
modification across the
face width of the gear
Apply 10um of Lead
(lengthwise) crowning to
the Pinion => Left Flank
=> Lead Relief => Central
=> Crowning Relief. This
can be done in either
the properties grid or
the default editor (select
the Lead Relief tab for
crowning)
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Analysis with lengthwise crowning
Run the analysis and
view the results in the
LTCA Results Tab,
Contact Chart
Contact has moved
from the edge of the
teeth because of the
crowning applied
www.smartmt.com © 2018 SMART MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY LTD. Slide 14
Apply some profile crowning
Profile relief is the
modification from root
form to effective tip
diameter of the gear
Apply 20um of profile
crowning (aka barrelling)
to the Pinion => Left Flank
=> Lead Relief => Main
Profile => Barrelling Relief
in the properties grid or
the profile relief tab in the
editor
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Analysis with profile crowning
Run the analysis and
view the results in the
LTCA Results Tab,
Contact Chart
Contact has moved
from the tip and root
of teeth due to the
profile crowning
www.smartmt.com © 2018 SMART MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY LTD. Slide 16
Next task…
➢ Please now work through the document:
8.NVH – Gear Whine Analysis
➢ The next slide in this document contains some additional tasks you
might want to attempt after completing all the other tutorials
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Some additional tasks
1. See if you can optimise the contact to minimise maximum pressure
and avoid edge loading for “High Speed Cruising” Load Case
2. Try to minimise TE for “High Speed Cruising” Load Case. Is the
micro geometry the same as that in 1.?
3. How does your optimum micro geometry perform in the “Load
Speed Max Power” Load Case for contact pressure and TE?
4. Can you modify the micro geometry to perform better under both
loads?
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