Tooth Flank Microstructure for Masking Gear Noise Tonality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies have not effectively addressed the reduction of noise emissions in torque transmission units, which are disturbing to humans, particularly in wind power gears.
Innovation Solution
A tooth for a toothed torque transmission assembly is designed with a periodically extending tooth flank correction overlaid with a spatial microstructure, which generates additional structure-borne sound to mask tonality and increase white noise, thereby reducing the perception of noise as disturbing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tooth flanks are provided with irregularly arranged depressions, then the greatest lubricating film is achieved and wear is reduced, but wear reduction does not translate to sufficient masking of tonalities in structure-borne sound
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies a spatial microstructure with specific geometric parameters to the tooth flank, creating local variations in surface geometry that generate frequency components for masking tonalities. The microstructure's local properties are optimized to achieve both wear resistance and acoustic masking effects simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces asymmetric or irregularly arranged microstructural features on the tooth flank that generate complex frequency components in the structure-borne sound. This asymmetry in the surface geometry creates sufficient white noise to mask tonalities while maintaining the wear resistance benefits of irregularly arranged features.
2Productivity
If wind power plants are operated closer to inhabited areas, then energy generation is increased, but noise emissions disturb residents
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful tonalities in structure-borne sound into beneficial white noise by adding a spatial microstructure that generates frequency components to mask the disturbing tonalities. This transformation allows the noise to be less perceptible and less disturbing to humans, enabling wind power plants to operate closer to inhabited areas while maintaining high energy generation levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the acoustic parameters of the structure-borne sound by introducing a spatial microstructure with specific geometric parameters. This parameter change transforms the frequency spectrum of the emitted sound, increasing white noise and masking tonalities, thereby reducing the perceptibility and disturbiveness of noise emissions from wind power plants.
Data Source
AI summary
A tooth for a toothed torque transmission assembly includes a tooth flank designed for torque exchange with a counter flank of a meshing partner. The tooth flank includes a periodically extending tooth flank correction including a sinusoidal corrugation having a locally extending period length T, wherein a development of the sinusoidal corrugation of the periodically extending tooth flank correction defines a center line. The periodic tooth flank correction is overlaid with a spatial microstructure having a local maxima and/or a local minima and a shortest distance t of t<T/2 between the local maxima and/or the local minima with respect to the center line. A formation of the microstructure is dimensioned to generate additional structure-borne sound in running operation of the torque transmission assembly to mask a tonality in the emitted structure-borne sound.