Influence of oil supply on the scuffing load-carrying capacity of hypoid gears

AbstractIn industrial or automotive dip lubricated gear drives, low oil levels may be used due to different design requirements or constraints. A variation of the sump oil level affects different working conditions of gears, such as the power loss, the heat generation, and the load-carrying capacity with respect to different types of damage. In particular, reduced oil levels decrease the scuffing load capacity of gears because of high bulk temperatures and reduced oil quantity in the gear mesh. Investigations were made in a back-to-back hypoid gear test rig to evaluate the influence of the bath oil level on the scuffing load-carrying capacity of dip lubricated hypoid gears.