Robust Optimization of a Truck Timing Gear Cascade: Numerical and Experimental Results English Free Members only

This paper presents a robust optimization method of gear teeth corrections of a truck timing gear. Static Transmission Error (STE) fluctuations are one of the main noise sources radiated by gear systems. The STE has for origin the teeth deflections depending on the applied torque and the microgeometrical profile modifications, which can be intentional or not. The teeth corrections are optimized in order to minimizing this excitation source for a wide operating torque range. The chosen optimization algorithm is the particle swarm method, a metaheuristic well adapted to that kind of multi-parameters complex optimization. Several optimized solutions are generated and then tested in matter of robustness towards manufacturing and assembling errors. Standard and optimized gears have been implemented on a real heat engine and acoustics measurements have been made. The results confirm an acoustic gain related to teeth correction optimization.