Bevel gear set and method of manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10378612-B2
Application number	US-201615216786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2016
Priority date	Mar 8, 2016
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A bevel gear set and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The bevel gear set may include a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear. The first and second bevel gears may be spiral bevel gears or hypoid spiral bevel gears. The first and second bevel gears may each have a gear tooth surface having a plurality of teeth formed thereon, such that the teeth of the first bevel gear and the teeth of the second bevel gear are configured to engage in a meshing engagement. The teeth are machined onto the respective gear tooth surface via a face milling process. Each tooth includes a tooth top, a plurality of meshing surfaces, and at least one chamfer. The chamfer may be formed at an abutment edge disposed between the tooth top and a respective meshing surface via a brushing process directly following the machining of the teeth.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of forming a bevel gear having a gear tooth surface, the method comprising the steps of:
providing an annular gear blank;
machining a plurality of radially and outwardly extending gear teeth into the gear tooth surface of the annular gear blank, wherein each tooth includes:
a tooth top having a length; and
a plurality of meshing surfaces, each meshing surface including a tooth face and a tooth flank, such that the tooth face abuts the tooth top at an abutment edge;

forming at least one chamfer on each tooth at the abutment edge via an automated brushing process:
wherein the at least one chamfer is positioned between the respective meshing surface and the tooth top; and
wherein forming the at least one chamfer comprises applying an automated brush to the abutment edge of the tooth along the length of the tooth top;

applying a heat treating process to the bevel gear; and
applying a shot peening process to the bevel gear and the gear tooth surface, wherein the shot peening process causes a plastic deformation of the gear tooth surface thereby creating a plus tip material, and wherein the plus tip material is contained on the chamfer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further includes finishing the bevel gear via one of a shaving process, a rolling process, a grinding process, a honing process, and a lapping process.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the at least one chamfer on each tooth at the abutment edge further includes removing a chamfer area formed by the respective meshing surface and the tooth top, wherein the chamfer area is dimensioned such that the chamfer area has a first chamfer area dimension, a second chamfer area dimension, a third chamfer area dimension, and a fourth chamfer area dimension.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first chamfer area dimension is disposed along the tooth top and ranges from about 0.10 millimeters to about 0.40 millimeters.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the second chamfer area dimension is disposed along the meshing surface and ranges from about 0.3 millimeters about to 0.7 millimeters.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein machining the plurality of radially and outwardly extending gear teeth into the gear tooth surface of the bevel gear is performed via a face milling process.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein machining the plurality of radially and outwardly extending gear teeth into the gear tooth surface of the bevel gear is performed via a face hobbing process.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the brush is a metallic brush.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the brush is a non-metallic brush with an abrasion component.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Zhao Shaun X
• Puri Bhapinder

Classifications

• F16H1/14 Primary

  comprising conical gears only · CPC title

• F16H2055/0866

  Profiles for improving radial engagement of gears, e.g. chamfers on the tips of the teeth · CPC title

• B23F19/06

  Shaving the faces of gear teeth · CPC title

• B23P15/14

  gear parts, e.g. gear wheels · CPC title

• F16H1/18

  the members having helical, herringbone, or like teeth (F16H1/14 takes precedence) · CPC title