Optimization of cutter blade profile for face-hobbed spiral bevel gears

To eliminate the tooth edge contact and improve the distribution of the tooth contact stress for face-hobbed spiral bevel gears in the case of heavy load and misalignment considered, optimizing the cutter blade profile is one of the most effective solutions. Generally, a segment of circle arc is used to substitute the straight line to get a desired theoretical tooth contact pattern, however, which is not sufficient for a heavy-loaded gear pair. A multi-segment cutter blade profile with Toprem, Flankrem, and cutter tip is introduced to obtain the ideal load and contact stress distribution. First, the structure of cutter head is described geometrically, the mathematical model of new cutter blade profile is built, and the equation for each section is given in detail. Then, the calculations of all design parameters are represented step by step. Finally, a contrast experiment between the original cutter and new optimal cutter, including tooth contact analysis, finite element analysis, and practical rolling check, is carried out for Oerlikon hypoid gears to verify effectiveness.