Author : Raghu Vamsi Patnala, Suresh P R, Sasikumar M

Powertrain aggregates used in mining equipment are complex, and it comprises of primary aggregates like an engine, powershift transmission, differential and final drive, which in-turn includes many tribological systems including gears, bearings, and shafts. Evaluating the effect of different lubricants on preliminary design phase is a crucial challenge, especially identifying various power losses such as gear meshing, oil churnings and the bearings losses in several machine elements on single go is a complex one. To identify combined power losses in gear and bearings, an analytical model or analysing individual component and summing up the effect as a complete system loss can cater acceptable result, but in case of accuracy, it significantly lags. The experimental setup, which incorporates the real-time equipment environmental factor takes ample time and cost. In this paper, detailed study and analysis have been carried out to identify power losses and thermal rating factor for gears and bearing on one go for different lubricants (i.e. SAE30 & Tailor-made BEML C6002-44) using a gear train analysis tool called KISSsoft/KISSsys. The result exhibits a significant reduction in power losses & contact temperature for C6002-44. The comparative results illustrate that it is an effective method, and it can be used in a preliminary stage of a planetary transmission design to identify the gear train power losses in a shorter duration. This methodology can also be employed to determine the effect of tailor-made new lubricants.

Keywords: Gearbox power losses, Thermal Rating, Tailor-made lubricant, KISSsoft, BEML C6002-44.

Article published in International Journal of Current Engineering and Technology, Vol.10, No.4 (July/Aug 2020)