Abstract: Based on the multi-body error-modeling system and the theory of gear engagement, the spiral bevel gear tooth contact analysis including the kinematical and geometrical errors of machine tool and the installation error of gear pair (Error tooth contact analysis, ETCA) is put forward. With an example of a pair of spiral bevel gears processed by SGM method (gear processed by generation, pinion processed by modified roll method), the quantitative relation between the spiral bevel gear tooth contact quality and the said kinematical & geometrical errors and installation error are found by ETCA. Through analyzing the results of TCA and ETCA, the comparison outcomes indicate that the said kinematical and geometrical errors and installation error can significantly influence the spiral bevel gears tooth contact quality. In order to adjust the gear processing parameters through the tooth contact analysis, using the analysis results of ETCA is more reasonable than TCA.

Key words: Kinematical and geometrical errors of machine tool, Multi-body system error modeling, Spiral bevel gear, Tooth contact analysis, effective viscosity, friction coefficient, shear-strain rate, thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication