model, and no full-scale gear tests were run to verify the accuracy This constant was found to be valid

to be valid for common bearing steel of

of the model. 1950 vintage (AISI 52100) [14].
In reference [22] the experimental life obtained from fatigue Based on life tests for roller bearings the accepted values for the
testing of vacuum arc remelted (VAR) AISI 9310 spur gears was exponents are h = 2%, c = 10%, e = 1%.
reported. Also the life theory for surface pitting of spur gears was In the Lundberg and Palmgren theory, the load-life exponent
derived. The theoretical and experimental lives were in good for line contact is p = (c — h + l)/2e. The Lundberg-Palmgren e
agreement. Also experimental life studies have been conducted to and p are primary exponents which were obtained from bearing
determine the failure distribution of spur gears under various con- tests. The values of c and h were obtained from e and p and the re-
ditions [14-16, 22, 24], but unfortunately there are no similar ex- sults of tests made with a series of different sized bearings. The
perimental data for the case of helical gears. values of h and c are accepted for use in this paper, but the value
In view of the aforementioned, it becomes the objective of the of e = 3, which is based on gear tests reported in [15, 16, 24] will be
research reported herein to (1) provide a simplified theory for used in the calculation for gear life. Based on these values of h, c,
gear surface (pitting) fatigue failure from which calculations may and e a value of p = 1.5 results.
readily be made to provide life estimates of spur and helical gears Much of the work by Lundberg and Palmgren was concerned
and (2) to compare the analytical life prediction with experimen- with connecting the basic equation to common bearing geometry
tal gear surface fatigue life data. The method of analysis is based and operating parameters. In order for the theory to be directly
on the rolling-element fatigue theory contained in [17]. Simplifica- useful and not involve cumbersome calculations, the same ap-
tions are" incorporated into the failure theory for gears based on proach is used here for gears. In the next sections a rational way of
observations reported in [24] which reported that fatigue spalls on treating the stress, stressed volume, and number of stress cycles
gears occurred in the region of the pitch pokit. for gear systems is presented. The derivations that follow deal
Fatigue Theory. The fatigue-life model proposed in 1947 by mostly with helical geometry. By setting the helix angle to zero,
Lundberg [17] is the commonly accepted theory to determine the the equations that follow apply to spur gears.
fatigue life of rolling-element bearings. The probability of survival Maximum Hertzian Contact Stress. Current gear design
is expressed as follows: ' practice is to estimate the stress at the pitch point of the teeth by
assuming line contact between two cylinders whose radii depend
1
log— < •V (1) on the curvature of the helical gear teeth at the pitch point. The
20" unit loading on the contact line is estimated by assuming that the
where teeth are infinitely rigid and the load is distributed uniformly
S = probability of survival along the line of contact [25]. Another method of calculating load
V = volume representation of the stress concentration or "stressed distributions (by Matsunaga [26]) is based on the assumption of a
volume" constant deflection of the teeth in mesh at any point on the line of
y\ = millions of stress cycles contact. His calculations are made using an extension of the semi-
e = Weibull slope empirical "moment-image" method of Wellauer and Seirig [9].
h,c = material dependent exponents Matsunaga's calculations show a 2% to 1 variation in the theoreti-
TO = critical stress cal unit loading across the contact line. However, the method of
zo = depth of the critical stress calculations neglects Hertzian and beam shearing deformations.
Unfortunately no constant or proportionality was given by He also noted from his gear tests that when pitting occurred, it was
Lundberg and Palmgren for equation (1). However, by working near the pitch line of the driving member. It is interesting to note
back from a material constant given near the end of their paper that the highly loaded regions were near the lowest point of con-
the constant for use in equation (1) was determined [23]. There- tact on the pinion. Matsunaga's [26] opinion was that scoring wear
fore, the equation for life with a 90 percent probability of survival relieved the high stress in that area and, hence, the region near the
may be written as follows: pitch point became more highly stressed, causing the resulting
pitch line pitting to occur. It is the authors' opinion that if a com-
/KizpM/g plete analysis considering bending, shear, and Hertzian deforma-
Li = (2)
\T0CV/ tions for the true helical gear mesh were possible, then the pitch
point may be found to be the most highly loaded area. There are
where
two reasons for this belief. One is that a fatigue spall requires both
Kx = 1.430 X 10 95 (SI units)
a high contact stress and a certain number of stress cycles for its
= 3.583 X 10 56 (English units)
formation. There is evidence that pitch line pitting can occur with-

-Nomenclature«
b = half-width of Hertzian contact, m (in.) q = maximum contact stress, N/m 2 (psi) f = length of zone of action, m (in.)
c = orthogonal shear stress exponent r = pitch circle radius, m (in.) •q = millions of stress cycles
E = Young's modulus, N/m 2 (psi) ra = addendum circle radius, m (in.) d = base circle roll angle, rad
e = Weibull's exponent Tb = base circle radius, m (in.) a = Poisson's ratio
/ = face width of tooth, m (in.) (see Fig. 1) S = probability of survival TO = maximum subsurface orthogonal re-
h = depth of critical stress exponent V = volume, m 3 (in.3) versing shear stress, N/m 2 (psi)
Wt = transmitted tangential load, N (lb) (/>( = transverse pressure angle, rad
constants of proportionality
K2f WtM = dynamic capacity of the gear-pinion \//b - base helix angle, rad
L = pitting fatigue life in millions of revo- mesh, N (lb)
lutions zo = depth of occurrence of maximum or- Subscripts:
Lap - gear life in terms of pinion rotations thogonal reversing shear stress, m (in.) G = gear
Li = life of a single pinion tooth XYZ = right-handed orthogonal coordi- H — high load
I = involute profile arc length, m (in.) nate systems L = low load
lc = length of contact line, m (in.) /5HI = heavy load zone roll angle, rad M = mesh of pinion and gear
N = number of teeth j3n = low load zone roll angle, rad P = pinion
Ph = base pitch, m/tooth (in./tooth) 7 = tooth contact roll angle, rad 1 = reference to driving member
Q = normal tooth load, N (lb) 8 = precontact roll angle, rad 2 = reference to driven member

268 / APRIL 1976 Transactions of the ASME

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