EFFECTS OF ALTERING THE TOOTH-SUM ON SLIDING WEAR OF A SPUR GEAR

The contact interface between a gear pair in mesh is known to be partially rolling and sliding. Surface damage due to sliding wear in these types of contacts is primarily influenced by applied loads, material, and geometric properties. This paper explores the influence of dynamic load factors and specific sliding on surface wear in a gear pair with geometric changes induced by tooth-sum alterations while holding the center distance unchanged. An in-house developed computer program simulates wear on a combination of five different tooth-sum alterations and profile shift factors based on generalized Archard's wear equation. The study concludes that altering the tooth-sum for inducing profile modification is an effective technique that provides gear designers the flexibility to optimize surface wear, load-bearing, and tooth life.