Computational prediction of structure-borne noise in a two-stage double-helical gearbox using harmonic balance method

The acoustics of gearboxes contribute as a quality feature to the success of a gear design by increasing consumer satisfaction. Particularly in special machine engineering, ensuring quiet operation is a challenging task because the production and testing of a prototype is usually not a feasible option. A suitable calculation methodology is thus crucial for finding the optimal design. Unfortunately, an increase in accuracy most often results in high simulation times and thus complicates a continuous design support. A promising approach regarding computational efficiency for nonlinear periodic systems is the harmonic balance method (HBM). However, its application to gearboxes is still quite rare or even non-existent in terms of this acoustic motivation. Convergence behavior and memory requirements are ambitious aspects for the HBM. Consequently, tracking the vibration propagation from the gear mesh to the housing in one simulation run requires special treatment. This article examines appropriate implementation recommendations and further investigates the applicability of the HBM for gear acoustics from a practical point of view. Experimental data serves as the basis for validation purposes. •Harmonic balance method predicts radiated sound pressure of a gearbox.•Experiment validates simulation approach.•Two-stage double-helical gearbox consists of large component dimensions.•Numerical forward integration verifies computational implementation.•Completely coupled nonlinear gear–rotor–bearing–housing analysis.