Assessment of the Uniform Wear Bending Strength of Large Modulus Rack and Pinion Pair: Theoretical vs. Experimental Results

Due to long-term operation under low-speed and heavy-load conditions, large module gears and racks are inevitably subject to tooth surface wear. To investigate the changes in gear tooth bending strength, the Three Gorges ship lift was taken as the research object and a simulation test bench was established. An analytical method, a finite element method, and an experimental method were utilized to analyze the bending stress of gears under normal and various uniform wear conditions. The obtained results revealed that with the increase in wear degree and load, the bending stress of single-tooth meshing was significantly higher than that of double-tooth meshing, and the single-tooth meshing time also increased, which indicates that gear wear accelerated the process of performance degradation. Furthermore, the relative errors obtained by the three calculation methods were all at a low level. This investigation aims to provide a solid theoretical and experimental basis for the dynamic analysis of large module gear and rack transmission.