Prediction of the cutting forces in gear hobbing and the wear behaviour of the individual hob cutting teeth

In this paper, a mathematical model is presented, by which the cutting forces in a gear hobbing process and the wear behaviour of the hob's all cutting teeth are predicted. The load on each individual hob cutting tooth varies heavily in the gear hobbing process. To predict the cutting force, and subsequently the tool wear, a detailed determination of the chip geometry is needed. The undeformed chip geometry is continuously determined by analytical differential description presented in previous research. In the model all cut chips are determined for the full production cycle of a gear blank, where the gear blank boundaries are considered. Considering the full production cycle is needed to get an understanding of the load the tool will experience and the wear behaviour of the hob teeth. [Submitted 17 January 2017; Accepted 24 November 2017]