A Modified Wear Model Considering Contact Temperature for Spur Gears in Mixed Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication

In this study, a modified wear model considering contact temperature for spur gears in mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) is proposed. The contact temperature consists of bulk temperature and flash temperature. The bulk temperature is determined by the thermal network model, whereas the flash temperature is estimated through the published method. The bulk temperature, which was rarely included in the previous works, substantially has a considerable influence on the tooth wear in mixed EHL. It is also found that the lower contact temperature contributes to the reduction of gear wear depth. Furthermore, the effects of gear basic geometrical parameter and operating parameter on wear depth are investigated. The results show that the wear depth decreases with the increased tooth width, module, pressure angle and rotational velocity but increases with the surface roughness and torque. It indicates that wear resistance of tooth surfaces can be enhanced by optimising the design parameters of gear drives.