PREDICTION OF SERVICE LIFE OF SPUR GEARS USING STATISTICAL-METHODS

A spur gear pair from the first stage of a TAM 130T11B industrial vehicle gear box was subjected to experimental testing. The effects of different load distributions along the gear tooth width on fatigue crack growth in the gear tooth root are measured on an universal INSTRON 1255 testing device. The recorded experimental results are presented using methods of statistical analysis. This allows an easier and more understandable presentation of results of fatigue crack propagation along the entire width of the tooth. Analysing the results proves that different load distributions along the tooth width have a significant influence on crack growth and thus on the service life of the gear. Since the experiments provide a three-dimensional experimental analysis of fatigue crack propagation in the tooth root, the results of such an analysis can be used for calibrating the numerical simulation of similar problems.