Sensitivity of General Compound Planetary Gear Natural Frequencies and Vibration Modes to Model Parameters

This paper studies sensitivity of compound planetary gear natural frequencies and vibration modes to system parameters. Based on a lumped parameter model of general compound planetary gears and their distinctive modal properties [1], the eigensensitivities to inertias and stiffnesses are calculated and expressed in compact formulae. Analysis reveals that eigenvalue sensitivities to stiffness parameters are directly proportional to modal strain energies, and eigenvalue sensitivities to inertia parameters are proportional to modal kinetic energies. Furthermore, the eigenvalue sensitivities to model parameters are determined by inspection of the modal strain and kinetic energy distributions. This provides an effective way to identify those parameters with the greatest impact on tuning certain natural frequencies. The present results, combined with the modal properties of general compound planetary gears, show that rotational modes are independent of translational bearing/shaft stiffnesses and masses of carriers/central gears, translational modes are independent of torsional bearing/shaft stiffnesses and moment of inertias of carriers/central gears, and planet modes are independent of all system parameters of other planet sets, the shaft/bearing stiffness parameters of carriers/rings, and the mass/moment of inertia parameters of carriers/central gears.