PSI - Issue 80

Simone Messina et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 80 (2026) 232–243 Simone Messina/ Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000–000

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Fig. 3 (a) discretized tooth; (b) reference lines to discretize tooth body.

2.4 Body discretization The discretization approach for the body differs from the previous methodology, as this component has not been involved in fatigue or contact analysis. Instead, it has played a crucial role in determining the overall stiffness and deformation of the system. In this case, two transition zones have been implemented, regions in which the discretization dimensions have been gradually increased, resulting in a coarser mesh. These zones have been extended from the teeth toward the body: one in the axial direction, see Fig. 4(a), and another in the radial direction, see Fig. 4(b). These transition zones have served to reduce the number of elements in the body while ensuring proper connectivity between the body and the teeth. The geometry has been then utilized to generate the base "skin" corresponding to the teeth footprint. Consequently, the two transition zones have been integrated, followed by the application of a 3D constant mesh. Once the discretization process for the entire gear, including the teeth and body, has been completed, the discretization of the shaft has started. Similar to the body, a non-refined discretization has been employed for the shaft, as its detailed analysis is not critical. However, its stiffness might influence deformation as well as the contact and fatigue behavior of the teeth. a b