Experimental Identification Of High-Frequency Gear Mesh Vibrations In A Planetary Gearbox

In addition to unbalance excitation, vibrations in gear transmissions are mostly caused by gear meshing. A central challenge is the high frequency range: the meshing frequency is in the range of one to several kilohertz for gearboxes of high power to weight ratio. The first step in the development of an active isolation at gear meshing frequency is the determination of key requirements on the actuation system and the control algorithm. In this work an experimental investigation of the vibration excitation of a planetary gear box is performed. To keep the setup simple, rotational inertia of a rotor of an existing rotor test-rig is used as load in dynamic run-up tests. The test-rig is equipped with force transducers. The vibration behavior as a function of speed and load is measured in multiple test series. Measurement data are visualized and the magnitudes of base band vibration and its harmonics are discussed. A model of the gear mesh excitation is developed. Requirements concerning forces, displacements and arrangement are derived for a projected active vibration isolation system.