Resumen de Assessing the effects of interference fit assembly on gear tooth surface deviations
Alfonso Fuentes Aznar, Ignacio González Pérez
When shafts and gears are assembled with an interference fit, the tight connection between the two parts is achieved through deformation. To maximize the amount of torque the gear assembly can transmit, it becomes necessary to apply the maximum possible interference fit. However, this will cause areas of high stress in the gear root and deformations that adversely affect the contacting surfaces of the gears. In this work, the modified gear tooth surfaces that provide the desired meshing and contact conditions considering the deformations caused by the interference fit assembly will be established. For that, a finite element (FE) model will be developed to simulate gear-shaft interference fits by the finite element method. The FE model will comprise the entire gear along with the corresponding portion of the shaft, replicating the intended interference fit. Consequently, the model will enable the determination of the stresses at the root of the gear teeth as well as the deviations throughout the active gear tooth surfaces. With them, the deviated gear tooth surfaces will be reconstructed and virtually inspected by using the IGD computer program. Thus, the deviations caused by the interference fit will be assessed and the needed modifications of the gear tooth surfaces established to have these deviations compensated. A numerical example of design and compensation of deviations caused by interference fit assembly is presented.
