Numerical and experimental analysis of a gear system with teeth defects

The modelling of a one-stage spur gear transmission by a two degrees of freedom system produces two modes: rigid body and elastic. The time varying meshing stiffness is the main internal excitation source for the transmission and governs the behaviour of the elastic mode. Deterioration of one or several teeth, which affects the gear mesh stiffness, is considered in this work. The beginning of crack or spalling are modelled respectively by tooth having localised and distributed defect and are taken into account in the model. Simulation results are analysed by cepstrum and spectrum techniques. It is found that cepstrum and spectrum techniques are very efficient for localised and distributed defects, respectively. Series of tests are made in the experimental setup. Spectrum and cepstrum analysis of the recorded responses, with and without defects, are compared with numerical results and confirms their usefulness in gear monitoring.