CAE Systems for Gear Design and Manufacturing as Concurrent Engineering Tool

Abstract

It is very important to select proper material and heat treatment process for gear manufacturing. If the manufacturing conditions can be optimized in the design stage before catual trials, the total cost and lead-time can be reduced drastically. In this study, CAE systems have been developed for gear design and manufacturing by considering concurrent engineering approach. The systems are based on mathematical models for thermo-elasto-plastic behaviors during heat treatment. The objective is to predict microstructure and hardness distribution, as well as distortion and residual stresses quantitatively in design stage. A parameter such as a ratio of the fatigue strength and stresses occurred during engaging is proposed to evaluate gear strength. The fatigue strength can be estimated from calculated hardness and residual stresses considering non-metallic inclusions. In addition, a specific pre-and post-processor have been developed for user friendly operation. The calculated results of test pieces and practical gears are in good agreement with experimental ones. Finally, several examples have been reported to show that these CAE systems are useful for practical work.