KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting

Bevel Gear Technology - Cylindrical Gear Technology - Measuring Centers - Drive Technology

Breakthrough
to a New Dimension

Large bevel gears can only be used to the optimum if all the steps in their pro-
Content:
- From the melt to the blank duction are interlinked from the very beginning: starting from design through
... Page 2
- Efficient gear cutting on manufacturing and on to assembly inside the gear housing. Klingelnberg’s new
large bevel gears
... Page 3 large bevel gear manufacturing unit is the core element in the large bevel gear
- Closed Loop
process chain. It is the basis for producing high-quality bevel gear sets, with
... Page 4
- Heat treatment and hard short delivery times and planning reliability for customers.
finishing
... Page 5
- Documented quality –
ready to use
... Page 5
- Closing the loop
... Page 6
COPYRIGHT KLINGELNBERG GMBH

KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting 1

 KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting
Bevel Gear Technology - Cylindrical Gear Technology - Measuring Centers - Drive Technology

The high power capacity of large bevel gears is in demand Input variables for the basic design are:
above all in marine drive technology, in cement and coal dust
s torque and speed of rotation
mills and in cone crushers. The groundwork for the applica-
tions-oriented design of a bevel gear based on customer’s s application
specifications takes place in the Klingelnberg KIMoS software s required safety factors for tooth root and tooth flank
package (Klingelnberg Integrated Manufacturing of Spiral
Bevel Gears), supplemented by the calculational competence Results of the basic design are:
of Klingelnberg’s in-house experts. Table 1 overviews the in- s macro-geometry (number of teeth, dimensions, …)
put variables and results for a basic design. The macrogeom-
etry is fixed, allowing for the required power transmission and s load capacity parameters according to DIN/ISO
transmission ratio, combined with the constraints imposed by and other standards
the application, such as operational load peaks, efficiency and
noise behaviour. The proof of strength calculation determines Table 1: Basic design
safety factors for root and flank damage using the methods
laid down in the standard, and com-
pares results with the specified values.
Tester contact pattern for Mt = 1902 Nm V=0.00mm, H=0.00mm, J=0.00mm

It is increasingly important to take the (Gear flank, Drive) 10mm

environment in which the gear will

Tip Toe
operate into account back at the design
stage. Manufacturing and assembly tol-
erances, load-induced deflections and
thermal influences all cause changes in
the relative spatial position of the pin-
ion and wheel during operation. This is Root

associated with changes in the contact Heel

pattern position and in the backlash.

The displacement parameters which ap-
pear can be quantified on the basis of Contact pattern for Mt = 51725 Nm V = 0.00 mm, H = 0.00 mm, J=0.00mm
a holistic static and dynamic analysis.
(Gear flank, Drive) 10 mm
As part of microgeometry optimization,
systematic flank modifications are made Tip Toe
to compensate these displacements and
obtain an optimum load contact pat-
tern. The flank geometry calculated with
KIMoS is used for a tooth contact analy-
sis to visualize the unloaded and loaded
contact pattern positions (Fig. 1), tak- Root
Heel Max. pressure 1288 MPa
ing the operating environment into ac- 0 MPa 130 Mpa 1300 Mpa
count. In this way, it is possible to guar-
antee a high degree of planning security
at a very early stage of the product de- Drive (Optimization of Concave Pinion Flank)
velopment process.

From the melt to the blank

Production of the blank is the first step

in the actual manufacturing process.
The material used for large bevel gears
is almost exclusively 18CrNiMo7-6 case
hardening steel. This is characterized by
COPYRIGHT KLINGELNBERG GMBH

high attainable case hardening depth

combined with high core hardness. In-
house regulations on purchasing and
delivery with enhanced requirements
in terms of chemical analysis, grain size,
purity and hardenability are used to sup-
plement DIN EN 10084, entailing melt Fig. 1: Tooth contact analysis in KIMoS:
selection. During hot working to a rolled load-free, loaded contact patterns and ease-off (top to bottom)

KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting 2

 KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting
Bevel Gear Technology - Cylindrical Gear Technology - Measuring Centers - Drive Technology

or forged blank, it is necessary to guarantee a minimum strain the workpiece which

of 4, combined with optimum grain structure. The blanks are
then soft annealed, tempered and rough turned on all sides.
Documentation of material properties and required test re-
sults, e.g. ultrasonic and magnetic crack testing, takes place
in the form of an approval test certificate according to EN
10204.
In the main, manufacturing of large bevel gears is accompa-
nied and checked by the classification societies. One main re-
quirement is clear identification of the feedstock throughout
the process sequence. Particularly during mechanical process-
ing for the purpose of producing turned pieces, it is neces-
sary for the sample number and class stamp to be preserved
on the workpiece. This can be ensured by introducing a suit-
able stamping groove early on, in the rolling or forging blank.
Otherwise the workpiece will need to be restamped by an ap-
proving officer during processing.
Efficient gear cutting on large bevel gears
Soft gear cutting takes place on the newly-developed C 300
bevel gear cutting machine (Fig. 2). This CNC-controlled neu-
tral data machine operates on the proven continuous cyclo-
palloid method using a monobloc cutter head. For this pur-
pose, the machine has twin spindles, allowing the pinion to
be machined in a single fixture. The pre-setting station con-
sists of a rotary table fitted with a measuring arm. This is used
to determine the runout deviation of the workpiece placed
on the faceplate. The operator receives the information need-
ed to correct the workpiece alignment via a display. The fin-
ished workpiece is placed on the take-down station so that
has been set up simulta-
neously with main pro-
cess time can in its turn
be fed into the machin-
ing position. This guar-
antees minimized work-
piece changing times.
The SPIRON-U system
(Fig. 3) is a completely Fig. 3: Cutting tool SPIRON-U
new tool concept devel-
oped for the C 300. It has enabled the dry cutting process
with coated cemented carbide tools, already established and
proven in series production, to be transferred to the soft ma-
chining of large bevel gears. Together with the elimination
of cooling lubricants, it allows to dispense with cost-inten-
sive tool conditioning through the use of inserts with four us-
able cutting edges. The universal tool system is conceived on
a modular basis. It consists of cutter head bodies with nom-
inal radii of 350, 450, 550 and 650 mm. These are not re-
stricted to one spiral direction, and can be employed for both
soft and hard gear cutting. The universal blades are classed
by their nominal modules (14–46 mm), each covering a spe-
cific normal module range. A nominal module comprises four
blades: inner and outer blades for the left and right spirals re-
spectively. The high productivity of the SPIRON-U system is
based on consistent realization of a number of starts z0 = 7 by
dispensing with taper and middle tap – former systems work
with three or five blade groups. The proven concept of skiving
with CBN blades was adapted for the larger number of starts
on the cutter head in hard finishing.

C 300 gear cutting machine

s NEUTRALDATAMACHINE
s CYCLO PALLOIDPROCESSUSING
a monobloc cutter head
=> twin spindle
s DRYCUTTING
s PRE SETTINGANDTAKE DOWN
station
COPYRIGHT KLINGELNBERG GMBH

Fig. 2: The C 300 gear cutting machine performs the soft gear cutting and subsequent hard gear cutting process

KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting 3

 KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting
Bevel Gear Technology - Cylindrical Gear Technology - Measuring Centers - Drive Technology

Closed Loop

The new generation of CNC-controlled gear cutting machines

has introduced the closed-loop concept to the world of large
bevel gear manufacturing. It ensures that the property profile
of the finished gear always corresponds to the concept with-
in close tolerances. The heart of the closed-loop concept is a
central production database, where the data records devel-
oped with KIMoS are provided for production. All stations,
beginning with the CS 300 tool-setting unit and going on to
the C 300 gear cutting machine and the P 300 gear measur-
ing center, are networked via this central database, and can
work interdependently (Fig. 4) CS 300 tool setting unit
s TESTINGRADIALANDAXIALRUNOUT
The CS 300 tool-setting unit reads in the KIMoS data s RADIALBLADEPOSITIONING
records from the central database. The cutter head body is s INTEGRATEDSCREWINGUNIT
first equipped manually. It possesses radial slots into which
the blades can be fitted smoothly. Apart from measuring
radial and axial runout, the unit also positions the blades s %LIMINATINGTHELABORIOUSMANUALSETTINGOFINDIVIDUALMA-
radially in an automated cycle, fixing them from the rear with chine axes from paper setting data means that tool-up
the required torque by means of the integrated screwing times are minimized. At the same time, the machine opera-
unit. The achievable radial runout tolerance is ± 5 μm, and is tor in terms of set-up activities is disburdened.
finally documented in a test certificate.
s 4HEINDIVIDUALLYDRIVENMACHINEAXESPROVIDEENHANCEDDE-
All machine setting data required for soft and hard machin- grees of freedom and hence greater flexibility for achieving
ing are defined in the KIMoS data record. The section of the suitable flank shape modifications.
data record necessary in each case is read in by the C 300
bevel gear cutting machine from the central production data-
base. As compared to gear cutting machines of the mechani-
cal generation, this has the following advantages:

KIMoS
Dimensionierung
dimensioning
design
Design
COPYRIGHT KLINGELNBERG GMBH

Fig. 4: Closed-Loop

KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting 4

 KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting
Bevel Gear Technology - Cylindrical Gear Technology - Measuring Centers - Drive Technology
The P 300 gear measuring center is also integrated in the
closed-loop concept. The nominal data for the pitch and
topography measurements are read in from the production
database. The actual data of the measurement are also saved
in the corresponding data record. If required, these can be
subjected to a nominal/actual comparison using the KOMET
software. After selecting suitable parameters the resulting
correction data can be transferred via the database to the
gear cutting machine.
In practice, a separate data record is made for each custom-
er job, to carry out the machining and measuring process cor-
rectly and avoid mix-up. This also assures full documentation
of all relevant process steps.
P 300 gear measuring center
s measurement of pitch and topography
s computer-aided four axis continuous path control
s aligning aids
KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting
Heat treatment and hard finishing
Heat treatment in the form of case hardening is absolutely es-
sential to ensure that the material can meet the demands and
stresses imposed on gear components. This is the only way to
create the graded properties profile: a hard and wear-resis-
tant surface combined with a tough core. Heat treatment is a
core competence for bevel gear manufacturing. The capaci-
ties of the in-house hardening shop were therefore expanded
alongside construction of the new large bevel gear produc-
tion facility, and adapted to match the spectrum of manufac-
tured products.
Heat treatment necessarily entails hardening distortions,
whose minimization is a constant priority. The process chain
was therefore extended to include measurement of distortions
on the components. This step directly follows mechanical
processing, in the scope of which the reference surfaces for
gear cutting on the pinion and wheel bodies
are machined. On the basis of measured re-
sults, data records required for hardskiving are
adjusted individually. The object is to achieve
minimum flank removal, in order to assure a
maximum remaining case hardening depth on
the workpiece, allowing for the required flank
modifications. Short process times are also en-
sured.
The wheels are first hard machined and mea-
sured. After adjustment, the same is done to
the pinion. This is followed by final mechanical
processing of the wheel body or pinion shafts
and finishing of the bearing seats. Final inspec-
tion ends the process chain.
Documented quality – ready to use
Certification as required is provided to docu-
ment that the customer’s specifications and
the requirements of the classification societies
have been fulfilled:
s INSPECTIONCERTIlCATEFORTHEMATERIAL
s CONTACTPATTERNPHOTOGRAPHS
s TESTCERTIlCATES
s HEATTREATMENTCERTIlCATERELATINGTOTHE
case hardening depth achieved)
COPYRIGHT KLINGELNBERG GMBH
s DOCUMENTATIONOFMECHANICALPROPERTIES
Each gear set is subjected to a final contact
pattern test after hard gear cutting, in which contact pat-
terns determined under a small test load have to match the
prescribed values from the KIMoS tooth contact analysis. Pro-
vided assumptions made during dimensioning in relation to
displacement values during operation are maintained, the
5
 KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting
Bevel Gear Technology - Cylindrical Gear Technology - Measuring Centers - Drive Technology

contact pattern tests made under load at the customer’s

works should also correspond with the simulated load con-
tact patterns. In certain cases, a practical certification allows
the customer to operate a bevel gear set of given geometry
at a higher power.

Closing the loop

Numerous steps of machining, calculation and documentation

lie between the initial design and the finished and assembled
gear set. Two criteria are crucial along this path:

s !TTHEENDOFTHEPATHTHECENTRALQUALITYREQUIREMENTSFOR
a bevel gear have been fulfilled: sustainable load capacity,
minimal losses and low noise emissions.

s 4HEMANUFACTURINGPROCESSHASBEENFULLYDOCUMENTEDAND
is lean – ensuring the shortest possible process times.

By combining high performance calculation tools with a pro-

cess- and application-optimized machine park, Klingelnberg
provides the entire manufacturing spectrum for large bevel
gears from a single source.

Dipl.-Ing. Rudolf Houben

Head of Calculation and Design
COPYRIGHT KLINGELNBERG GMBH

Bevel Gear Division

r.houben@klingelnberg.com
KLINGELNBERG GmbH
Peterstrasse 45
D-42499 Hueckeswagen
Fon: +49 2192 81-0
info@klingelnberg.com
www.klingelnberg.com

KLINGELNBERG WHITEPAPER - Large Bevel Gear Cutting 6