Predicting the Contact Conditions for Hypoid Gear Sets by Analysis and a Comparison with Test Data

Problems are often encountered in the design of automotive drive axles, since hypoid gear sets are very sensitive to the precise contact conditions. Assembling test rigs is expensive and time consuming, whilst Finite Element analysis of the complete system can be problematic due to non-linear contact.

This paper describes a numerical simulation method to predict the system deflections and misalignments in a loaded axle assembly. A fully-coupled, non-linear algorithm has been developed to analyze the cage/shaft/bearing/gear/carrier system.

Results of the analysis are converted into the four displacement and misalignment parameters that are standard to hypoid gear design and analysis. Good correlation was obtained between the analysis results and test rig data.