Optimization of spline bearing capacity considering the influence of assembly sequence

Splines have been widely using in aerospace and other fields. Their reliability has important impact on the capability of mechanical equipment. When a slot on the internal spline is combined with different teeth on the external spline due to machining errors,, different tooth clearances are generated. Therefore, when the spline is assembled in different sequences, the loads on the spline teeth will be different, which can affect the bearing capacity of the spline. However, in the actual assembly process of the spline, this effect has not been considered. To overcome the issue as listed above, a method for optimizing spline assembly sequence is proposed. First of all, the calculation method of the tooth clearances depended on the spline assembly sequence is established. Then, a spline load distribution model is proposed, and the spline assembly sequence is optimized by the maximum clearance method. Compared with the traditional random assembly method, the results show that the mean value of the maximum nominal tangential force of the spline is reduced by 25%. The obtained results can be used to guide the high reliability design of the spline.