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Gear Failure Analysis

General Book for your reference related to Gear Failure

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kartiksurelia
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149 views6 pages

Gear Failure Analysis

General Book for your reference related to Gear Failure

Uploaded by

kartiksurelia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
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EC) PRODUCT FOCUS: GEARING How to analyze gear failures [OES SPT By following a step-by-step procedure, engineers can diagnose gear failures and develop solutions. Here's how to conduct a failure analysis, what to look for, and how to recognize common failures. Wier an important goa taitate o- ‘curs, someone becomes responsible for analyzing the failure, determining its ‘cause, and recommending a solution. A ‘company ean select its own engineer, an outside consultant, or both, Ifa consul: tant is called in, this should be done as ‘early in the process as possible, ‘Though similar procedures apply to any failure analysis, the specific ap- proach can vary depending on when and here the inspection is made, the nature ofthe failure, and time constraint. ‘When and where. Ideally, the engi- reer conducting the analysis should in- spect the failed components as soon after failure as possible. Ifan early inspection isnot possible, someone at the site must preserve the evidence based on instruc: tons from the analyst. Ifa suitable facility for disassembling and inspecting the gearbox is not avail- able on-site, it may be necessary to find ‘analternate location or bring the neces- sary equipment to the site Nature of failure. The failure condi tions can determine when and how to ‘conduct an analysis, For example, if the sears are damaged but still able to func- tion, the company may decide to con- inue their operation and monitor the Robert I. Brrichello is president of Gear- tech, a gear research, analysis, and design consullant firm in Albany, Cali. Jane Muller isa consultant and goarfaitureana- lyst with the company, rate at which damage progresses. In this, ‘ease, samples of the lubricant should be collected for analysis, the reservoir drained and flushed, and the lubricant replaced, If gearbox reliability is erucial to the application, the gears should be exam- ined by magnetic particle inspection to ‘ensure that they have no cracks. The ‘monitoring phase will consist of period cally checking the gears for damage by vi sual inspection and by measuring sound and vibration. ‘Time constraints. In some situations, the high cost of shutting down equipment limits the time available for inspection, Such eases call for eareful planning, For ‘example, dividing tasks between two oF ‘more analysts reduces the time required. Preparing for inspection Before visiting the failure si view a contact per- son located at the site and explain hat you need to in- spect the gearbox including person- rel, equipment, and working conditions. fatigue fracture surfaces of gear teeth. Upper tooth has muitipe origins ‘ol failure, CZ Figure 1 — Typical year tooth contact patterns: (a), aligned, and (8) misaligned. Request a skilled technician aged. Examine closely the to disassemble the equipment functional surfaces of gear under your direction, But, make teeth and bearings and record sure that no work is done on their condition. Before clean- the gearbar nti yow arrive y ing the pats, look for signs of means no disassembly or corrosion, contamination, and Clearing Othernise, well. | - overheating ‘meaning technician could inad- After the initial inspection, vertently destroy evidence. wash the components with sol Verify thatthe gearbox draw- | “ vents and re-examine them, ings, disassembly tools, and ad- ; ‘This examination should be as ‘equate inspection facilities are thorough as possible because available. itis offen the most important ‘Ask for as much background 1 phase of the investigation and information as possible, includ ‘may yield valuable clues. low ing manufacturer's part num- Z power magnifying glass and ‘bers, gear and bearing runtime Docket microscope are helpful (tr)! service history, and lubricant type. Figure 3—Fatigue crackin a gear tooth tools for this examination, Now, it's time to assemble your inspec- root fillet. It is important to inspect the bearings tion equipment, including tems such asa because they often provide clues as tothe ‘magnifying glass, measuring tools, felt tip ‘cause of gear failure, For example: ‘markers, lubricant sampling equipment, wise be lost once disassembly begins. For Bearing wear can cause excessive and photographic equipment. Avellde’ example, the condition of seals and key. radial clearance or end play that mis- signed set of inspection forms for the ways must be recorded before disassem- align the gears. ‘gearbox, gears, and bearings shouldbe at bly, Otherwise it willbe impossible to de-_» Bearing damage may indicate corro- the top of your priority is. termine when any damage may have sion, contamination, electrical dis- ‘ecurred to these parts. Gear tooth con charge, or lack of lubrication. ‘dure inspecti tact patterns should be taken before» Plastic deformation between rollers Failure inspection completely disassembling the gearbox and raceways may indicate overloads Before stating the inspection, review — (See nex section), * Gear failure often follows bearing the background information and service After the external examination, disas- failure. history with the contact person. Then in- semble the gearbox and inspect allinter- Gear tooth contaet patterns. (Com terviow those involved inthe design, in- nal components, both filed and undam- plete this step before disassembling gear: stallation, operation, box components for in- maintenance, and failure spection). The way in ofthe gearbox. Bneourage z ‘which mating gear teeth thom to tell everything contact indicates how they know about the gear wel they ae aligned, Fig box even ifthey feel itis : = ure 1 I practical, record ‘not important. c =~ tooth contact patterns “Atte completing the in- ? under either loaded or terviews, explain your ob- unloaded conditions. For jectives to the technician 7 no-load tests, paint the ‘who will be working with teeth of one gear with you, Review the gearbox marking compound, assembly drawings with mar Then, Toll the teeth the technician, checking through mesh so the com: {or potential disassembly pound transfers the con- problems tact pattern to the un- Visual examination. painted gear. Lift the Before disassembling the gearbox, thor- Figure 4—Fatigue failure (piting)in the pattern from the gear with scotch tape ‘oughly inspect isexterior. Usean inspec- gontact surface ota geartooth. and mount it on paper to form a perma- tion form as a guide to ensure that yon Beach marks are visible in some of nent record. record important data that would other the larger its. For loaded tests paint several teeth on a POWER TRANSMISSION DESIGN m MARCH 1994 ‘one or both gears with ma- chinist’s layout lacquer. Run the gears under load fora suf- ficient time to wear off the lacquer and establish the contact patterns. Photograph the patterns to obtain a per manent record, Document observations. Describe all important obser vations in writing, using sketches and photographs where needed, Identify and ‘mark each component (in- cluding gear teeth and bear ing rollers), so it is clearly identified in the written de- scription, sketches, and pho: tographs. It is especially im portant to mark all bearings, ineluding inboard and out board sides, so their location and position in the gearbox ‘ean be determined later. Deseribe components in a consistent way. For example, always start with the same part ofa bearing and progress ‘through the parts in the same sequence. This helps to avoid overlooking any evidence. Concentrate on collecting ‘evidence, not on determining the cause of failure, Regard less of how obvious the cause may appear, do not form con- ‘clusions until all the evidence is considered, Gear geometry. The load capacity of the gearset will need to be ealeulated later. For this purpose, obtain the following geometry data, ei ther from the gears and gear housing or their drawings: ‘ Number of teeth. Outside diameter. «# Face with, # Gear housing center distance for each gearset, ‘© Whole depth of teeth # Tooth thickness (both span and top land measurement), Specimens for laboratory tests. Dur cook ene Class Generalmode _| Specific mode ‘Bending faigue | Low-cyce fatigue High-

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