Method of generating bevel and hypoid gears
AssigneeThe Gleason Works
InventorRobert N. Goldrich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method is disclosed wherein standard generating motions for the production of bevel and hypoid gears are modified by the substantially simultaneous inclusion of additional controlled motions which enable a desired tooth surface geometry to be produced on the gears. The additional motions comprise varying the position of intersection of the theoretical generating gear axis and the pitch plane and/or varying the orientation of the tooth surfaces of the theoretical generating gear with respect to the body of the theoretical generating gear. A CNC machine is preferably utilized for carrying out the inventive process. The inventive process is applicable to generating processes of both the face milling and face hobbing type.
Claims43
In a method of generating bevel and hypoid gears comprising the steps of:
- rotating a tool, and
- operatively engaging said tool with a work gear in a predetermined rolling motion about a theoretical axis of rotation wherein said theoretical axis represents the axis of rotation of a theoretical generating gear and wherein said theoretical axis intersects the pitch plane of said work gear and said theoretical generating gear, said theoretical generating gear rolling in mesh with said work gear and having tooth surfaces represented by the stock removing surfaces of said tool, the improvement comprising the step of,
- substantially simultaneously with said rolling motion, varying at least the position of intersection of said theoretical axis and said pitch plane relative to said work gear.
In a method of generating bevel and hypoid gears comprising the steps of:
- rotating a tool, and
- operatively engaging said tool with a work gear in a predetermined rolling motion about a theoretical axis of rotation wherein said theoretical axis represents the axis of rotation of a theoretical generating gear, said theoretical generating gear rolling in mesh with said work gear and having tooth surfaces represented by the stock removing surfaces of said tool, the improvement comprising the step of,
- substantially simultaneously with said rolling motion, varying the orientation of said tooth surfaces of said theoretical generating gear with respect to the body of said theoretical generating gear.
In a method of generating bevel and hypoid gears comprising the steps of:
- rotating a tool, and
- operatively engaging said tool with a work gear in a predetermined rolling motion about a theoretical axis of rotation wherein said theoretical axis represents the axis of rotation of a theoretical generating gear and wherein said theoretical axis intersects the pitch plane of said work gear and said theoretical generating gear, said theoretical generating gear rolling in mesh with said work gear and having tooth surfaces represented by the stock removing surfaces of said tool, the improvement comprising the step of,
- including additional motion substantially simultaneously with said rolling motion, said additional motion being at least one of (a) varying the position of intersection of said theoretical axis and said pitch plane relative to said work gear and (b) varying the orientation of said tooth surfaces of said theoretical generating gear with respect to the body of said generating gear.
A method of generating longitudinally curved tooth spaces in bevel and hypoid gears with a computer controlled machine, said machine having a plurality of computer controlled axes for positioning and operatively engaging a tool with a work gear, said method comprising the steps of:
- computing initial setup positions in response to setup parameters input to said machine,
- moving said computer controlled axes to said initial setup positions for initially positioning said tool and work gear with respect to each other,
- computing further operating positions of said axes in response to operating parameters input to said machine,
- moving said computer controlled axes to said further operating positions for operatively engaging said tool and said work gear in a manner to impart a predetermined relative rolling motion between said tool and said work gear as though said work gear were rolling in mesh with a theoretical generating gear having tooth surfaces represented by the stock removing surfaces of said tool, said theoretical generating gear having an axis of rotation with said axis of rotation intersecting the pitch plane of said work gear and said theoretical generating gear,
- wherein said moving to said further operating positions includes, substantially simultaneously with said rolling motion, at least one of moving said computer controlled axes (a) to vary the position of intersection of said theoretical axis and said pitch plane relative to said work gear and (b) to vary the orientation of said tooth surfaces of said theoretical generating gear with respect to the body of said generating gear, and,
- repeating said steps of computing further operating positions and moving said computer controlled axes to said further operating positions for completing the generating operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.