Study on Contact Characteristics of Aeronautical Floating Splines Considering Maneuvering Deformation.

Floating involute splines are widely used in aviation power transmission systems for torque transmission. In this study, a finite element model considering the dynamic deformation of a floating involute spline shaft was established to analyze the influence of shaft deformation on the misalignment state of the spline pair under various typical dynamic overload conditions. Furthermore, a contact simulation model of the floating spline pair with an actual tooth profile was developed to investigate the effect of deformation-induced misalignment on the contact pressure distribution over the tooth surface. In addition, the contact fatigue strength of the spline pair under dynamic loading conditions, including limit loads and ultimate loads, was evaluated. The results indicate that axial overload can induce axial displacement of the mating surfaces of the floating spline, thereby reducing the effective axial contact length. Radial overload and gyroscopic moments can lead to parallel misalignment and angular misalignment of the spline, respectively. Under combined overload conditions, angular misalignment is dominant under limit loads, whereas parallel misalignment becomes more pronounced under ultimate loads. Moreover, significant stress concentration and non-uniform load distribution are observed in the contact stress field under both limit and ultimate loading conditions. A quantitative analysis method for floating spline misalignment under the superposition of multiple maneuvering loads has been established.