Pitting failure of truck spiral bevel gear

Abstract

Spiral bevel gears are some of the most important elements used in truck differential. In this study, the fracture of spiral bevel gear for truck differential produced from case hardening steel is investigated. In order to study the causes of the failure, specimens prepared from the damaged spiral bevel gears were subjected to experiments, such as visual inspection, hardness, chemical analysis and metallurgical tests. Pitting occurrence on gear surfaces was observed. The effect of microstructure on the fracture was considered. Low surface hardness values were found. The calculated contact stress was higher than the allowable contact stress which is emphasized in literature. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.