Welded Lightweight Gear Assembly for Low NVH
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gear assemblies are heavy and suffer from suboptimal noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) characteristics due to manufacturing limitations, particularly heat treatment distortions.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight gear assembly design comprising a ring gear, a hub, and thin discs welded together, with varying materials and geometries to enhance flexibility and reduce NVH, including dual and triple-disc configurations for improved operation in multiple directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional gear assemblies are manufactured using traditional methods, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but weight is excessive and NVH characteristics are suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The gear assembly is divided into multiple separate components (ring gear, hub, and one or more thin discs) that are manufactured independently and then welded together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized separately, enabling the use of thin discs with controlled heat treatment to reduce weight while maintaining manufacturing precision through independent processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The gear assembly uses composite construction by welding different components made from potentially different materials and geometries together. The thin discs can be made from materials optimized for specific properties, creating a composite structure that achieves weight reduction while maintaining overall manufacturing precision through the integration of specialized components.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If thin discs with varying materials and geometries are welded together, then NVH characteristics improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different thin discs are designed with varying materials, thicknesses, and geometries tailored to specific locations and functional requirements within the assembly. This local quality approach allows optimization of NVH characteristics in different regions of the gear assembly, with each disc configured to address specific noise and vibration issues while maintaining overall structural integrity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple discs are used in dual or triple configurations, then flexibility and NVH performance improve, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The use of multiple separate thin discs in dual or triple configurations segments the load paths and flexibility requirements into independent components. Each disc can be manufactured separately with optimized geometry for its specific function, and then assembled through welding, which simplifies the manufacturing of individual components while achieving complex overall flexibility characteristics.
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
The design achieves a 25% to 46% weight reduction and 2 dB to 5 dB noise reduction compared to conventional assemblies, with superior NVH characteristics and cost savings.
Implementation Method 1
two or more of the hub, the at least one disc, and the ring gear component are welded together
Data Source
AI summary
A lightweight and low noise gear assembly includes a gear assembly that includes a hub, at least one disc, and a ring gear component, wherein two or more of the hub, the at least one disc and the ring gear component are welded together. A lightweight and low noise gear assembly includes a shaft assembly that includes a ring gear, and at least one disc joined with the ring gear. A method of forming a gear assembly, the gear assembly including a hub, at least one disc, and a ring gear component, the method including press-fitting the at least one disc onto the hub and the ring gear, and welding the at least one disc and the ring gear to the hub.