ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mech. Eng.
Sec. Solid and Structural Mechanics
Volume 11 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmech.2025.1643228
Spatial analysis of contact deformation, stiffness, and flash temperature in involute gear pairs
Provisionally accepted
- 1Central South University, Changsha, China
- 2Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
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Gear contact behavior significantly influences system vibration, wear, and transmission efficiency.Among the governing factors, contact deformation, flash temperature, and meshing stiffness are particularly critical. For complex tooth surfaces, especially under localized contact conditions, only partial regions engage during meshing, making the spatial distribution of mechanical and thermal parameters essential. This study presents a spatially resolved analysis of contact deformation, stiffness, and flash temperature in involute gear pairs, including spherical involute surfaces commonly found in bevel gears. By examining tangential velocity and deformation characteristics across the meshing region, the study quantifies the stiffness and flash temperature distribution over the tooth surface. The interdependence between these variables is also investigated. The presented results offer parameter-level references to support the informed selection of contact paths, especially where empirical or experience-based decisions dominate in practice. The results provide theoretical support for optimizing contact path design and enhancing load capacity.
Keywords: Involute gear, Contact deformation, Mesh stiffness, Flash temperature, Spatial contact analysis
Received: 08 Jun 2025; Accepted: 14 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dong, Zhang and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hongtao Dong, Central South University, Changsha, China
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