An Experimental Study of Film Thickness in the Mixed Lubrication Regime

The Influence of Pulling Up on Micropitting Location for Gears with Interference Fit Connections of Their Conical Surface

Micropitting is a surface fatigue phenomenon that occurs in Hertzian type of rolling and sliding contact that operates in elastohydrodynamic or boundary lubrication regimes and can progress both in terms of depth and extent. If micropitting continues to propagate, it may result in reducing gear tooth accuracy, increasing dynamic loads and noise. Eventually, it can develop into macropitting and other modes of gear failure such as flank initiated bending fatigue. Micropitting has become a particular problem in the gear surface fatigue. Usually micropitting initiates in the dedendum of the driver and driven at the asperities on the surface. However, the authors found for some gears with interference fit connections of their conical surface, micropitting on the pinion occurs in the addendum. This study attempted to find the reason using a 3D–TCA method based on ISO/TR 15144-1 to predict the micropitting and try to understand the key influence likely to affect micropitting location.