Effects of profile errors on lubrication performance of helical gears

Analysis of the elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) of gears generally assumes that the tooth flanks are smooth surfaces. There is considerable interest in establishing the extent to which smooth surface analyses are distorted by the presence of surface roughness. The current paper concerns a different scale of deviation from the specified surface profile, namely involute profile error. The paper quantifies the deviation from the smooth surface behaviour using standard profile error measurements, and also considers how the means by which profile error is measured influences the outcome/conclusions. Transient EHL analyses of the meshing cycle of helical gears taking profile error data from a gear measuring machine are compared with analyses using equivalent measurements determined by the waviness from surface profilometer measurements.