Objectives

Design of Spur and Helical Gears

To be able to analyze, select, and design spur and helical gears

for strength and life based on service conditions

Spur and Helical Gear Failure

Modes of Failure

Spur and Helical Gear Failure

Surface Failure
Pitting of tooth surfaces
Surface fatigue failure due to many
repetitions of high contact stresses

Abrasion and Scoring

Causes decreased drivetrain
efficiency, noise, and increased stress
concentration on gear teeth. Severe
surface failures can eventually cause
seizure of the drive system or
breakage of teeth.

Tooth bending and breakage

Bending stress on tooth root from
the transmission of forces
Repeated bending loads causes
fatigue failure of teeth
Shock overloading from major
torsional shock in drive system,
usually caused by nature of power
source, failure in the machine
system or external loads.
Breakage can cause catastrophic
failure of drive systems

Spur and Helical Gear Failure

In both cases, we are interested in the tooth load, which is
the tangential force on the teeth (radial load is neglected in
both modes of failure)
This can be computed from the following equations
Torque:
Power:
Power:
T = Torque
H = Power
V = Pitch line velocity

Force can be affected by the gear train contact ratio

Lewis Bending Equation

Lewis Bending Equation

Lewis Bending Equation

Equation introduced to estimate the bending stress in gear

teeth
Basis for most gear designs today
Derived by treating the tooth as a simple cantilever and with
tooth contact occurring at the tip

Lewis Bending Equation

Values of Lewis Form
Factor Y for a Normal
Pressure Angle of 20,
Full Depth Teeth, and a
Diametral Pitch of Unity
in the Plane of Rotation

= Tangential Load (lbs)

= Diametral Pitch
= Face Width
= Lewis Form Factor

Dynamic Effects

Dynamic Effects

At high speed, increased load is present due to impacts at

initial contact

English:

Metric:

Type:
Cast iron, cast profile

English:
=Dynamic Factor

Metric:
Cut or milled profile

Hobbed or shaped profile

Shaved or ground profile

Stress Concentration
Stress concentrations are not taken into account by Lewis,
and are not approximated by our previous methods
Method from Mitchiner and Mabie:

Surface Durability

rf = fillet radius
b = dedendum
d = pitch diameter

Surface Durability
For pitting due to contact stresses, equation is derived from
the Hertz Theory.

AGMA Methodology

Surface compressive stress (Hertzian

Stress)
Elastic Coefficient

Gear and pinion radii near the pitch

line (where wear occurs)

AGMA Methodology
American Gear Manufacturers Association
Developed one of the current state of the art in gear
standardization which includes an analysis methodology
(other common standards are ISO, JIS, DIN)
Two fundamental equations: bending stress and pitting
resistance

AGMA Methodology
Previously discussed:
Bending Stress:

Surface Stress:

AGMA Stress Equations:

Bending Stress:
Surface Stress:

AGMA Methodology

AGMA Methodology

Bending Stress:

Bending Stress:

Contact Stress:

AGMA Methodology
AGMA Strength Equations:
Fully Corrected Contact Strength:

Fully Corrected Bending Strength:

AGMA Methodology:
Strength Equations

=
Bending Strength:

Contact Stress:

Contact Strength:

Strength Equations
Gear Bending Strength ( )
Example for Steels: (Table 14-3: Repeatedly Applied Bending
Strength at 107 Cycles and 0.99 Reliability for Steel Gears)
Table 14-4 for Iron and Bronze

Strength Equations
Gear Bending Strength ( )
Example for through hardened steels

Strength Equations
Gear Contact Strength ( )
Example for Steels: (Table 14-6: Repeatedly Applied Contact
Strength at 107 Cycles and 0.99 Reliability for Steel Gears)
Table 14-7 for Iron and Bronze

Strength Equations
Strength Modifying Factors
For Bending
Loading Factor
Stress Cycle Factor
Temperature Factor
Reliability

Strength Equations
Gear Contact Strength (

Example for through hardened steel gears

Strength Modifying Factors:

Loading
AGMA Strengths are based on unidirectional loading
For reversed bending (eg. Idler gears):
Use 70% of St values

For Contact
Loading Factor
Stress Cycle Factor
Temperature Factor
Reliability
Hardness Ratio Factor for Pitting Resistance

Strength Modifying Factors:

Stress Cycle Factors (YN and ZN)
AGMA Strengths are based on 107 load cycles (YN = ZN = 1)
For other load cycles use YN and ZN from figures
Mating gears may have different stress cycles

Strength Modifying Factors:

Stress Cycle Factors (YN and ZN)
AGMA Strengths are based on 107 load cycles (YN = ZN = 1)
For other load cycles use YN and ZN from figures
Mating gears may have different stress cycles

Strength Modifying Factors:

Hardness Ratio Factors (CH and ZW)

Strength Modifying Factors:

Hardness Ratio Factors (CH and ZW)

Pinion teeth are generally subject to more cycles than gear

teeth
Hardness ratio factor is used to adjust the surface strength of
gears to have uniform surface strengths for both pinions and
gears. (CH is applied only for gears)

Strength Modifying Factors:

Hardness Ratio Factors (CH and ZW)

Strength Modifying Factors:

Hardness Ratio Factors (CH and ZW)

For surface hardened pinions above 48 Rockwell C scale

(Rockwell C48) run with through-hardened gears (180-400
Brinell), work hardening occurs
CH is a function of pinion surface finish and gear hardness

Strength Modifying Factors:

Reliability Factors (KR and YZ)
AGMA Strengths are based on 0.99 reliability

For reliabilities in between above values, use the following

equations which accounts for the nonlinearity:

Strength Modifying Factors:

Temperature Factors (KT and Y )
KT and Y =1 for operating temperatures up to 250F
(120C)
Recommended to maintain oil lubricants below these
temperatures
Higher temperatures should have factors greater than 1

AGMA Methodology:
Stress Equations

AGMA Methodology
Previously discussed:
Bending Stress:

Surface Stress:

AGMA Stress Equations:

Bending Stress:
Surface Stress:

AGMA Methodology

AGMA Methodology

Bending Stress:

Bending Stress:

Contact Stress:

Stress Equations:
Stress Modifying Factors includes:
Overload
Dynamic Factors
Size
Geometry (pitch and face width)
Distribution of load across teeth
Rim Support
Lewis Form Factor and Root Fillet Stress Concentration

Contact Stress:

Stress Modifying Factors:

Geometry Factors I and J (ZI and YJ)
Bending Strength Geometry Factor J (YJ)
Same purpose with the Lewis Form Factor with more detail
Includes stress concentration factor and load sharing ratio

Stress Modifying Factors:

Geometry Factors I and J (ZI and YJ)

Stress Modifying Factors:

Geometry Factors I and J (ZI and YJ)
For gears with a 75 tooth mate

Stress Modifying Factors:

Geometry Factors I and J (ZI and YJ)

Stress Modifying Factors:

Geometry Factors I and J (ZI and YJ)
Surface Strength Modifying Factor I (ZI)
Pitting resistance geometry factor

mN = Load sharing ratio (1 for spur gears)

pN = normal base pitch
pn = normal circular pitch
Z = length of line of action in transverse plane
rP, rG = pitch radii
rbP, rbG = base circle radii

Stress Modifying Factors:

Elastic Coefficient Cp (ZE)

Stress Modifying Factors:

Dynamic Factor Kv
Accounts for inaccuracies in the manufacture and meshing of
gears teeth
Errors in tooth spacing, profile, and runout
Vibration
Dynamic unbalance of rotating members
Wear and permanent deformation of teeth
Shaft misalignment
Friction

Stress Modifying Factors:

Dynamic Factor Kv

Stress Modifying Factors:

Overload Factor Ko
Application specific and are usually based on field experience

Stress Modifying Factors:

Surface Condition Factor Cf (ZR)
Affected by
surface finishing process
Residual stresses
Plastic effects

Values not yet established

Stress Modifying Factors:

Load Distribution Factor Km (KH)

Stress Modifying Factors:

Size Factor Ks
Accounts for nonuniformity of material properties due to
size

If Ks from formula is less than 1, use Ks=1

Stress Modifying Factors:

Load Distribution Factor Km (KH)

Accounts for nonuniform distribution of load across the line

of contact
Applicable to:
Net face width to pinion pitch diameter ratio
Gear elements mounted between bearings
Face widths up to 40in
Contact across the full width of the narrowest member
If

Stress Modifying Factors:

Load Distribution Factor Km (KH)

Stress Modifying Factors:

Load Distribution Factor Km (KH)

Stress Modifying Factors:

Rim Thickness Factor KB

Safety Factors
SF for bending failure and SH for pitting failure

When comparing S F with SH in identifying threats to loss of

function, use 2 as exponent of SH for linear or helical contact
and 3 for crowned teeth (spherical contact)
This normalizes the SH due to the nonlinearity of stress with
load