Full-Scale Gear Tooth Bending Fatigue Tests Obtained Early in the Development of a Rotorcraft Transmission

A new gear testing method is introduced to reduce development cost and time. It allows component-level testing of individual gear meshes and new gear designs. Instrumented gear sets are tested at full load while the rest of gearbox components are still being built. Since the fatigue strength of the gears is determined earlier in the development cycle, design deficiencies are identified and understood earlier. In this new method, an individual gear mesh installed in a stiff facility housing is used to mimic the contact pattern and bending stress demonstrated by the same mesh in an actual aircraft housing. Analytical gear models are used to identify the displacement difference between the stiff test facility and the aircraft housing. The test stand is designed so it can be adjusted accurately to provide gear and pinion positions that are representative of the deflected positions under load in the aircraft housing. A spiral bevel mesh and a split torque double helical reduction stage with multiple meshes are evaluated using the developed method. The contact pattern and strain survey results of the gear meshes are correlated with predicted results.