Method of analyszing gear sets

A gear set analyzing method comprising the steps of:

• providing a gear set having a first gear and a second gear, each gear having a number of gear teeth;
• measuring any of the gear teeth of the first gear to provide measured tooth surface data for said first gear;
• measuring any of the gear teeth of the second gear to provide measured tooth surface data for said second gear;
• determining curved first gear tooth surface data, representative of a curved first gear tooth surface, from said measured tooth surface data for said first gear;
• determining curved second gear tooth surface data, representative of a curved second gear tooth surface, from said measured tooth surface data for said second gear;
• generating a model of the first gear from said curved first gear tooth surface data and standard dimensional data of the gear set;
• generating a model of the second gear from said curved second gear tooth surface data and the standard dimensional data of the gear set;
• simulating rotation of said model of the first gear and of said model of the second gear in an intermeshing state;
• determining a first contact angle through which said second gear rotates and a second contact angle through which said first gear rotates when said first gear tooth surface and said second gear tooth surface contact each other;
• calculating an intermeshing transitional error from the first contact angle, the second contact angle, the number of gear teeth of said first gear and the number of gear teeth of said second gear;
• determining tooth bearing regions of the gear teeth;
• and
• outputting information relating to said intermeshing transitional error and said tooth bearing regions.