CTI-Symposium

Automotive Transmissions North America

Gear manufacturing simulation for high

quality/low cost

Dr C Zhou, Dr Shimin Mao

Smart Manufacturing Technology Ltd

Alex Tylee-Birdsall
Drive System Design Ltd
Smart Manufacturing Technology 2008 1
 Gear Manufacturing
Requirements

Improvement of gear
manufacturing quality is a
permanent goal
Increasing demand for higher
quality lower cost transmissions
Improvement of gear quality
requires minimum investment
Manufacturing simulation is an
effective cost saving strategy

Smart Manufacturing Technology 2008 2

 Gear Manufacturing Toolkit

Gear Hobbing / Shaping Cutting Simulation

Optimization of tool fillet to maximize bending
strength
Minimum 12% reduction in tooth bending stress
Potential for lower facewidth gears leading to
shorter transmissions and lower material costs

Shaving Dynamics Simulation

Audit of potential gear shaving problems at
design stage
Allows improvement in shaving quality before
cutting metal
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 Gear Manufacturing Toolkit

Hobbing / Shaping Process Simulation

Determination of likely gear quality based on
geometry and machine parameters
Ensures that process specification matches the
quality targets
Allows trouble shooting of problems in gear
manufacturing process
Identifies the potential root causes of poor
hobbing / shaping quality

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 Gear Cutter Optimisation

Current approach is a full fillet hob / shaper

tip using a circular radius
The use of a full fillet tip maximizes the fillet
radius to minimize root stresses

Full fillet radius

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 Gear Cutter Optimisation

Several methods can be used to evaluate

the optimized results
ISO 6336 (30 tangent to root fillet)
Form factor (YF)
Stress Correction Factor (YS)
Stress analysis by MASTA 3D based LTCA
Standard FEA package (Nastran / Ansys)

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 Gear Cutter Optimisation

Arbitrary curves assumed and the shape is to

be decided by optimization
The connecting positions between the fillet
and the profile, and between the fillet and the
root joint are decided by optimization

Connecting position
between fillet and root

Curve shape of fillet

can be arbitrary

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 Gear Cutter Optimisation

From ISO 6336 the best fillet shall produce

the minimum product of:

Form factor (YF) x Stress Correction Factor (YS)

Multiple linear searches are used to obtain

best possible fillet shape
MASTA Software 3D based LTCA model can
be used for confirmation of stress reduction
Smart Manufacturing Technology 2008 8
 Cutter Optimisation Example

Example - Pinion / wheel macro geometry

Parameter Name Pinion Wheel
Number Of Teeth z 15 64
Normal Module (mm) mn 2.25
Normal Pressure Angle () n 17.5
Helix Angle () 30
Transverse Pressure Angle () t 20.0053 20.0053
Reference Diameter (mm) d 38.971 166.277
Addendum Modification Factor x 0.7416 0.4
Addendum Modification Factor
0.7331 0.3029
(From Sn)
Tip Diameter (mm) da 46.808 174.377
Effective Tip Diameter (mm) dae 46.808 174.377
Root Diameter (mm) df 34.658 160.877
Normal Thickness (mm) sn 4.574 3.964

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 Cutter Optimisation Example

Example Pinion Hob Fillet

Before
Optimization
full fillet

After
Optimization

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 Cutter Optimisation Example

Example Wheel Hob Fillet

Before
Optimization
full fillet

After
Optimization

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 Cutter Optimisation Example

Example - Improvement of bending strength

Pinion
11.66%

Smart Manufacturing Technology 2008 12

 Cutter Optimisation Example

Example - Improvement of bending strength

Wheel
28.22%

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 Further Gear Optimization

Normally the bending strength is more

critical for the pinion than the wheel
From the example the wheel improvement is
greater
This provides an opportunity to increase
pinion bending strength further by changing
addendum modification distribution
Total improvement for pinion would
therefore be greater than 12%

Smart Manufacturing Technology 2008 14

 Shaving Dynamics Simulation

Control of Shaving Process

Control is difficult due to unsynchronized
transmitting relationship between gear blank and
shaver.
Difficult to predict accurately if there will be a
shaving problem before process is carried out

Current practice
10% -20% of gears in a single transmission can
have serious shaving problems
Problems normally solved by experience based
trial and error
This is a time consuming and costly approach
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 Shaving Dynamics Simulation

Requirements of simulation
At design stage, be able to audit for shaving
problems due to gear design
Be able to audit for the compatibility between
gear design, hobbing & shaving cutter design
Be able to assist in shaving troubleshooting

SMT approach
Simulate the shaving forces and their
distribution across the gear flank during shaving
Simulate the force variation via the full
redressing life of the shaving cutter
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 Shaving Simulation Example

Example of poor gear profile due to shaving

process

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 Shaving Simulation Example

Simulation Results
High resultant shaving force between roll angles at
2025 produces excessive negative material
Low resultant shaving force between roll angles at
3236 excessive positive material
This correlates very closely with the measured chart

Shaving
Simulation
Result

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 Shaving Dynamics Simulation

Predicted
result
consistent
with test
result

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 Hobbing / Shaping Process
Simulation

Requirements of Simulation
Check the compatibility of the gear design and
hobbing /shaping cutter dimension before
hobbing cutter / shaping cutter is ordered to
avoid ordering a hobbing / shaping cutter which
is too small.
Assist in hobbing /shaping process planning to
ensure the process specification matches with
the quality target.
Assist in identifying the potential root causes of
poor hobbing / shaping quality very quickly at
both prototype and production stages.

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 Hobbing / Shaping Process
Simulation
SMT Approach
Simulate how all key factors affect hobbing /
shaping quality
Hob /shaper dimensions & manufacturing tolerance
Hob /shaper redressing tolerance
Gear macro geometry.
Machine set up & tolerances
Process data such as feeds and speeds and etc.
Predict the profile, lead and pitch errors for any
assumed combination of the key factors and rate
to ISO quality standard

Two software modules have been developed

for simulation
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 Hobbing / Shaping Process
Simulation

Lead Error

Profile Error

Pitch Error
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 Process Simulation Example

Hobbing & shaving quality before improvement

After heat
Hobbing (ISO) Shaving (ISO)
treatment (ISO)
11 9 10

Quality after improvement by using the simulation

After heat Gear Parameters

Hobbing (ISO) Shaving (ISO)
treatment (ISO) Z=26, Mn=3.1,
8 6 7 PA=20, Spur Gear

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 Process Simulation Example

Hobbing Measurement
Before Improvement

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 Hobbing Problems
Identified & Solved

Excessive hobbing tolerance on the

gear due to:
Not positioned correctly between fixture
base and worktable of hobbing machine
Unsuitable mandrel/spline bore fitting

Hob arbor and shoulder

Hob shoulder had excessive run out

B C

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 Shaving Problems Identified

Shaving quality was poor and unstable,

shaving cutter life was extremely short due
to poor shaving dynamics

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 Shaving Problems Identified

Excessive run out during shaving due to the

unsuitable mandrel / spline bore fitting

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 Solution to Shaving Problems

Module Change from 3.1 to 3.2 to achieve

good shaving dynamics
A proper mandrel was used to replace the
old one
Before Improvement After Improvement

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 Conclusions

Following benefits are demonstrated by

using the manufacturing simulation toolkit
Significant saving in cost and process cycle time
Significant quality and performance gains with
no additional equipment investment
Improving gear quality and performance
The manufacturing simulation tools are available
as MASTA modules which are ready and easy to
use
All simulation modules currently in use and
solving practical manufacturing problems

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 Thank You For Your Attention!

SMT Limited
14 Regent Street
How to contact us? Nottingham
E: info@smartmt.com NG1 5BQ

www.smartmt.com Tel: + 44 (0) 115 941 9839

FAX: +44 (0) 115 950 9278
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