Dynamic behavior of the spur gear system with time varying stiffness by gear positions in the backlash

Gear backlash is a nonlinear effect of the gear system. In a spur gear system with the backlash, the initial position of gears with the backlash affects the impact force. This work conducted a dynamic analysis of the spur gear system with time-varying mesh stiffness and bearing stiffness with a focus on the initial gear position within the backlash. For this purpose, the time-varying stiffness of the gears and rolling bearings were calculated. Mesh force with the time-varying stiffness and the gear backlash was applied to four DOF equations of motion. The equations of motion were solved using the Newmark beta method and Newton-Raphson method. The dynamic characteristics of the spur gear system by the initial position of gears within the backlash were investigated along with the magnitude of the backlash. The results showed that as the backlash increased, the mesh and bearing forces increased as well. The mesh and bearing forces were highly dependent on the initial gear position within the backlash. Significant initial mesh and bearing forces by the initial gear position within the backlash can lead to cumulative damages to the gear system.