Toothed spline couplings are ubiquitous in mechanical transmission systems and have been studied experimentally for many years. Recently it has become possible to construct useful three-dimensional numerical models of complete couplings and this has led to a number of surprising findings which cast new light on the mechanics and durability of the contacting spline teeth. The analysis presented includes misalignment, elasticity and friction. Among the new findings are the existence of discontinuous tooth loadings, of unsymmetrical pressure-slip behaviour and of a "toppled" regime in which the two halves of the coupling are suddenly displaced through their mutual clearance. The results of the study are used to reassess wear testing and to propose a new, more logical approach to coupling design.
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