INFLUENCE OF CONTACT AREA ON SERVICE LIFE OF GEARS WITH CRACK IN TOOTH ROOT.

The paper describes the influence of contact area on the service life of dynamically loaded gears with a crack in a tooth root. Numerical results obtained with the finite element method using the program package BERSAFE are compared with the experimental results obtained on the universal testing machine INSTRON 1255. Numerical and experimental results are in good agreement. The analysis shows that the contact area directly influences the speed and direction of the crack propagation and the service life of the gear with a crack in a tooth root. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]