Teaming up with the University of Cartagena for the International Conference on Gears 2023

Our colleagues José Calvo Irisarri, Nigel Bilbao Handley, Xabier López Fuentes and Alfredo Fernández Sisón have participated in the writing of the study “Evaluation of the Effect of Rim Thickness on the Root Stress Cycle of Helical Planet Gears with Integrated Rollers” together with Professor Ignacio González Pérez from the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena and Alfonso Fuentes Aznar, from the Rochester Institute of Technology, USA. The result of this joint work has been presented at a conference at the 10th International VDI Conference on Gears 2023 in Garching, Munich last September. The event brought together over 500 leading experts from the international gear and transmission industry, an international forum to share ideas and learn from key players in the field of gears and transmission.

This collaboration aims to address a critical aspect of gear technology—specifically, the impact of rim thickness on the root stress cycle of helical planet gears with integrated rollers, that has been a topic of intense research for more than forty years:

Comprehensive finite element models of a planet-sun meshing and a planet-ring meshing are proposed to investigate the effect of the rim thickness on the root stresses of a helical planet gear with integrated rollers. Ring, sun, and planet gears are provided with tooth surface micro-geometrical deviations. The rigidity of the rollers behind the planet rim is considered through the use of connector elements that provide non-linear rigidity in radial direction. Maximum and minimum principal stresses are collected at all nodal positions of the fillet of the central tooth of the finite element models and along the cycle of meshing. With it, the full process of loading of the central tooth and its adjacent one is considered to assure that the central tooth fillet will be subjected to tensile and compressive states. The maximum range of stresses is determined for each rim thickness as a function of a module-based ratio, finding its minimum value for a rim thickness about three times the module.

The collaboration between Gamesa Gearbox engineers and the University of Cartagena on this project represents a harmonious integration of industry experience and academic expertise. This partnership not only propels the advancement of gear technology but also underscores the importance of collaboration between industry leaders and educational institutions in driving innovation and progress.