Modeling of the behavior of elastically bonded tools in gear honing

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Thomas Bergs
• Subject Area: Metal-Cutting and Abrasive Manufacturing Engineering
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 514632478

The continuously increasing performance requirements for gears make hard fine machining of gears indispensable in many cases in order to correct deviations from rough machining and heat treatment. Gear honing is a highly productive process in the field of hard fine machining, especially of small and medium sized gears. Due to increasingly lower surface roughness required on tooth flanks, the application of existing gear polish grinding processes with elastic bonded grinding tools to the gear honing process is an important step. For gear honing, the potential for producing superfine surfaces using elastic bonded gear honing tools has not yet been investigated. Elastic bonded honing rings can deform during the process. This elastic deformation can lead to geometric deviations of the gears. These deviations must be corrected during the dressing process of the elastic bonded honing ring. Since dressing tools for gear honing are inflexible with regard to the geometry to be produced, the geometric corrections of the gears must already be provided in the dressing tool. Therefore, the objective of the research project is to model the cutting force during dressing of elastically bonded honing rings to predict the honing ring deformation and the resulting effect on the gear geometry achieved during the gear honing process afterwards. The uniqueness of the research project lies in the development of a method for prediction of the gear geometry based on an elastic dressing force model and an elastic gear honing force model. For the first time it will be possible to predict the gear geometry in the gear honing process as a function of the dressing tool geometry and the honing ring geometry and elasticity. The scientific challenge lies on the one hand in the transfer of an existing honing force model to the dressing process taking into account its kinematic characteristics. On the other hand, the extension by the elasticity is intended to predict the mechanical deformation of the tool-workpiece system. The expected gain of knowledge lies in the improved expertise and the calculation of the occurring deformation of the tool-workpiece system and the resulting influence on the gear geometry during gear honing, especially with new elastically bonded gear honing tools.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants (Transfer Project)
• Application Partner: GKN Driveline International GmbH; Gleason Switzerland AG; Hermes Schleifmittel GmbH