Exploring Fatigue Crack Initiation in Helical Gears: Impact of Carburization and Frictional Influences

Abstract

A computational model is presented to analyze the fatigue crack initiation period in helical gears, incorporating considerations for heat treatment via carburization and friction effects. The aim is to determine the number of stress cycles necessary for the initiation and growth of initial cracks, while investigating the impact of dynamic behavior. This study employs a dynamic gear model with two degrees of freedom in torsion, developed using MATLAB, and incorporates the Papadopoulos criterion for fatigue analysis. The computational results are benchmarked against the strain-life method. The findings underscore the significant influence of the friction coefficient between surfaces, heat treatment, and dynamic loads on the growth of initial fatigue cracks. For instance, with a friction coefficient (μ) of 0.5, the initial crack forms on the tooth surface (y=0) in both methods, with the (ε-N) method suggesting 28-65 cycles and the Papadopoulos criterion indicating 101-156 cycles. The latter accounts for the greater influence of residual stresses. Additionally, untreated gears exhibit a minimum number of loading cycles for initial crack appearance at 1.07 × 10⁴ cycles. In contrast, carburized gears demonstrate an extended lifespan, requiring 1.45 × 10⁵ loading cycles for crack initiation in our example. This emphasizes the efficacy of carburization in enhancing gear durability.