Nonlinear damping calculation in cylindrical gear dynamic modeling

Abstract The nonlinear dynamic problem posed by cylindrical gear systems has been extensively covered in the literature. Nonetheless, a significant proportion of the mechanisms involved in damping generation remains to be investigated and described. The main objective of this study is to contribute to this task. Overall, damping is assumed to consist of three sources: surrounding element contribution, hysteresis of the teeth, and oil squeeze damping. The first two contributions are considered to be commensurate with the supported load; for its part however, squeeze damping is formulated using expressions developed from the Reynolds equation. A lubricated impact analysis between the teeth is introduced in this study for the minimum film thickness calculation during contact losses. The dynamic transmission error (DTE) obtained from the final model showed close agreement with experimental measurements available in the literature. The nonlinear damping ratio calculated at different mesh frequencies and torque amplitudes presented average values between 5.3 percent and 8 percent, which is comparable to the constant 8 percent ratio used in published numerical simulations of an equivalent gear pair. A close analysis of the oil squeeze damping evidenced the inverse relationship between this damping effect and the applied load.