Analysis on the vibration reduction for a new rigid–flexible gear transmission system

In this study, a new rigid–flexible gear with metal rubber is proposed to reduce the vibration of the gear transmission system. A nonlinear dynamic model with nine degrees of freedom considering bearing clearance, gear backlash, surface friction, and time-varying meshing stiffness is established. The nondimensional dynamic model of the transmission system is obtained and the bifurcation characteristics of the new rigid–flexible gear pair and the rigid gear pair are analyzed when the damping coefficient is, respectively, 0.03 and 0.1. The result shows that the motion state of the rigid–flexible gear pair is more stable. The dynamic responses of the rigid gear pair and the rigid–flexible gear pair are compared as well through numerical analysis and experiment to illustrate the advantage of the rigid–flexible gear pair in vibration reduction. The results can provide reference for vibration reduction of the novel gear transmission.