Gear tooth wear in sintered spur gears under dry running conditions

In this study, a wear prediction methodology for spur gears is employed to investigate the influence of material properties on gear tooth wear under unlubricated conditions. The methodology employs a single point observation-based gear contact mechanics in conjunction with the Archard's wear formulation to predict the tooth wear and wear pattern in spur gears. A MATLAB program is developed to account the changes in the gear contact per mesh cycle as the wear occurs. The material containing 3% MOS2 is found beneficial in improving the wear resistance. Wear is more both in addendum and dedendum tooth surfaces, and that the highest wear occurs at the dedendum of tooth surface. Results of the experimental study are presented for validation of wear prediction methodology. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.