Bifurcation and chaos analysis of spur gear pair with and without nonlinear suspension

This study performs a systematic analysis of the dynamic behavior of a single degree-of-freedom spur gear system with and without nonlinear suspension. The dynamic orbits of the system are observed using bifurcation diagrams plotted using the dimensionless damping coefficient and the dimensionless rotational speed ratio as control parameters. The onset of chaotic motion is identified from the phase diagrams, power spectra, Poincaré maps, Lyapunov exponents and fractal dimension of the gear system. The numerical results reveal that the system exhibits a diverse range of periodic, sub-harmonic and chaotic behaviors. The results presented in this study provide an understanding of the operating conditions under which undesirable dynamic motion takes place in a spur gear system and therefore serve as a useful source of reference for engineers in designing and controlling such systems.