DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF GEARED SHAFT SYSTEMS BY USING A CONTINUOUS SYSTEM MODEL

In this study dynamic mesh forces and dynamic factors in a geared shaft system are studied by using a continuous system model. The system consists of a gear pair, two shafts carrying gears, and two inertias representing drive and load in the system. A continuous system model is used to include the shaft inertias, which are usually disregarded even in most of the sophisticated models. The primary aim of this work is to provide a tool for studying the effect of shaft inertia in gear dynamics, and to present some case studies. The results of the continuous system model are compared with those of a discrete system model in which the shaft inertias are neglected, and with the results of previous studies. Typically, the dynamic factors obtained by using the discrete system model are found to be greater than those obtained from the continuous system model, especially when shaft masses are large. It is concluded that the computation of dynamic factors by using the continuous system model suggested in this study in order to include the effects of shaft masses is a very good alternative to finite element models which are much more expensive to use