Experimental studies and simulation of hypoid gear lapping

Gear lapping is a highly productive method of hard finishing hypoid gears for appliances with high demands regarding transmission noise. However, there is a major disadvantage compared to competing processes. The flank topology after lapping is not completely predictable, making the definition of process variables a matter of personal experience and empirical efforts. This paper presents a method to simulate the local surface wear produced by lapping bevel and hypoid gears, based on a widely used wear approach and a fast and accurate tooth contact simulation. High-resolution experimental investigations of lapped tooth flanks are used to evaluate the accuracy of the current simulation method and deduce possible improvements.