1.A straight-tooth one-stage spur gear reducer has been used in a high-production home appliance for many years. The gear pair constitutes about one-half the $50 production cost of the appliance. Consumer complaints about gear noise have grown over the years and sales are declining. One young engineer has found data that suggest the noise level would be significantly reduced if the AGMA quality number could be increased from its current value of for hobbed gears to a value of , achieved by shaving the gears.
a. Estimate the increase in production cost of the appliance if gear shaving were used to achieve .
b. Can you suggest any other approach that might accomplish the noise-reduction goal without resorting to shaving the gears?
