Effects of Macro-Pitting Fault on Dynamic Characteristics of Planetary Gear Train Considering Surface Roughness

Abstract

The planetary gearbox plays a vital role in a wide range of mechanical power transmission systems, including high-speed trains, wind turbines, vehicles, and aircraft. At the same time, the planetary gear train inside the gearbox is regarded as the most susceptible to failure in the entire transmission system. To analyze the influence of surface roughness on the dynamic characteristics of the planetary gear train, a dynamic modeling method based on fractal theory is proposed. Firstly, the tooth surface contact model was established based on the W-M fractal function, and the time-varying mesh stiffness (TVMS) of the planetary gear train was calculated under healthy and tooth macro-pitting. Then, the lumped-parameter method is introduced to construct a planetary gear train translation-torsion dynamic model that comprehensively considers TVMS and tooth backlash. The vibration acceleration signals of the planetary gear train under different macro-pitting states and surface roughness are simulated and calculated, allowing a quantificative analysis of the influence of surface roughness on system vibration response. Finally, the correctness of the model for the planetary gear train is verified by experiments. The results show that compared with the planetary gear train modeling method based on Hertz contact theory, the root mean squared error of the vibration signal of this work under a macro-pitting fault state is reduced by 8.7%, further improving the reliability of the model.