ICSV26

Gears have recently been aggressively adopted in large aircraft engines because they improve turbine and fan blade efficiency by better matching the optimal speeds of the associated shafts. The high operating speeds and extreme focus on weight reduction lead to gear vibration behaviors that are distinct from conventional gears. High speeds give high excitation frequencies, and lightweight, thin-walled gears have lower natural frequencies. This combination triggers resonance, gyroscopic effects, nonlinearity, vibration of the gears as elastically compliant bodies, and parametric instability. These behaviors are driving development of new models and analysis tools different than what is typical for conventional gears. This presentation will start with industrial examples motivating the work. Next, we describe modeling and analysis of gear vibration using analytical and finite element/contact mechanics methods, with special attention to planetary gears because they are the de facto standard in aerospace applications and because of their interesting dynamics arising from cyclic symmetry. These models, and their experimental validations, will be used to illustrate and explain, without emphasis on mathematical details, the unique vibration behaviors that occur and how the analytical/computational findings have powerful practical implications.

NOTE: The live recording of this keynote is now available on YouTube.