Computational model for bending fatigue life and failure location prediction of surface-hardened running gears

• Published in: International journal of fatigue 2023-01, Vol.166, p.107300, Article 107300
• Main Authors: Čular, Ivan, Vučković, Krešimir, Galić, Ivica, Žeželj, Dragan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bending fatigue; Multilayer method; Numerical simulation; Running gear pair; Subsurface fatigue
• ISSN: 0142-1123; 1879-3452
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2022.107300

•A model for bending fatigue crack initiation of steel spur gears was proposed.•The multilayer method was employed to consider inhomogeneous material.•Non-proportional loading and stresses were considered by the critical plane method.•Predicted fatigue lives agree with the experimentally obtained ones.•Critical location for subsurface fatigue failure agrees with experimental results. In this paper, a numerical model is proposed to predict the location and the number of cycles for bending fatigue failure of surface-hardened gears. The predictions are validated against experimental results. Linear-elastic stresses and strains obtained by a finite element simulation are imported into the fatigue model. Bending fatigue lives at the observed tooth root region are estimated based on the multilayer method, hardness method, and strain-life approach. The critical plane approach is employed due to non-proportional loading. Good agreement between actual and predicted bending fatigue lives was observed, as well as between the estimated and actual subsurface failure location.