Knowledge Bank

Gears serve as the primary power transmission element in many industrial and automotive applications. Power loss in the form of heat generation contributes both to reduced fuel economy and elevated transmission operating temperatures which can lead to premature failure of components. While experimental data quantifying frictional loses at the gear tooth contact interface exists for varying tooth surface roughness profile combinations, there is poor correlation with existing parametrizations of the tribological conditions at contact. This research seeks to formulate an aggregate statistical parameterization of surface asperity profiles with simplified elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) metrics which can be correlated successfully to measured power loss from gears.