A new method of rolling finishing forming process of spiral bevel gears investigated by numerical simulation and experiment.

Hot rolling forming enhances the overall mechanical performance of spiral bevel gears. However, it introduces challenges including high-forming temperatures (above 850°C), extensive deformation and oxidation of tooth surfaces, which limit the gear quality. This paper proposes a novel method of warm rolling finishing forming process of spiral bevel gears, which aims at improving the precision of tooth flanks forming. An elastoplastic finite element model with predefined deviations of tooth flanks is developed. The impacts of various process parameters on the deviations of tooth flanks are analyzed, and the optimal conditions for the warm rolling finishing process are determined. Experiments of hot and warm rolling forming are conducted, and the deviations of the tooth flanks are measured after each process. The obtained results demonstrate that the maximum deviations of the concave and convex sides of the tooth flanks following warm rolling decrease by 84% and 81%, respectively. In addition, the warm rolling improves the roughness of the tooth flanks and significantly reduces their deviations. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method are then verified. The results obtained in this study provide a scientific basis for the precise manufacturing of spiral bevel gears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]