Gear Honing With Crowned Contact Zone for Pitch Error Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gear honing methods struggle to achieve satisfactory surface quality and adherence to desired target geometry under unfavorable initial conditions, particularly with high total pitch errors in pre-toothing.
Innovation Solution
A gear honing method using a toothed honing tool with a narrowed contact zone through crowning, combined with axial displacement and oscillation, followed by a second honing operation with a tool tailored to final geometry, to stabilize the process and correct pitch errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the contact zone is widened to cover the entire gear width, then the machining engagement is stable, but the stress conditions worsen under higher total pitch errors
Solution Approach 1:
The honing tool tooth flanks are crowned to create a localized contact zone concentrated around the apex of crowning. This localizes the machining engagement to a specific area rather than distributing it uniformly across the entire tooth width, allowing the contact zone to adapt to pitch errors while maintaining stability through the crowned geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The axial displacement of the working area dynamically adjusts the contact zone position along the tooth width during machining. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to compensate for total pitch errors by shifting the effective engagement area, maintaining both stability and precision under varying stress conditions.
2Manufacturing precision
If the working area is narrowed through crowning to reduce stress, then total pitch errors are eliminated, but the machining engagement no longer extends across the entire tooth width
Solution Approach 1:
The solution transitions from a two-dimensional uniform contact across tooth width to a three-dimensional crowned geometry with axial displacement. By introducing axial displacement as an additional degree of freedom, the narrowed contact zone can still cover the entire effective gear width through movement along the axial dimension, resolving the contradiction between localized stress reduction and comprehensive coverage.
3Manufacturing precision
If axial displacement is introduced to compensate for narrowed contact zone, then complete machining of workpiece gear is achieved, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The axial displacement function is merged with the existing oscillating axial movement already present in longitudinal honing processes. By combining the displacement requirement with an existing oscillation mechanism, the patent avoids adding separate complex displacement equipment, achieving the necessary axial movement through integration with conventional honing oscillation systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Significantly reduces total pitch errors by up to 90%, ensuring high surface quality and adherence to desired geometry despite initial deviations, with minimal additional time and tool changes.
Implementation Method 1
method of honing a gear on a workpiece with a toothed honing tool in meshing machining engagement
Implementation Method 2
the contact zone of the machining engagement is formed due to a crowning of the tooth flanks of the honing tool only in a working area located around the apex of the crowning
Implementation Method 3
An oscillating axial movement can also be superimposed on this pure plunge honing (longitudinal honing), which allows for even higher surface qualities
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for honing a toothing on a workpiece using a toothed honing tool in meshing machining engagement, in particular in the form of an internally toothed honing ring, in which, with a given relative position between the workpiece toothing and honing tool, the contact zone of the machining engagement, on account of width crowning of the tooth flanks of the honing tool, is formed so as to be smaller, only in a working region, located around the apex of the width crowning, of an axial dimension, than the minimum width necessary in machining engagement for covering the toothing width of the workpiece toothing, and the working region is axially displaced for complete machining of the workpiece toothing.